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various scenes of the harlequinade the amateurs were successively put to every test of pantomimic art , excepting that talent for posture-making which is a modern innovation , and passed victoriously through them alL The business-like manner in which they executed all the conventional movements , supposed to be the exclusive nroDertv of a small body of professional artists , was really amazing . The audience could scarcely believe that Harlequin was in earnest when he prepared to leap through a wall bu t he was so notwithstanding , arid , if he was not quite glib the first tune , he went through the scene like a shot whenever he . repeated the exploit . It could scarcely be expected that amateurs would interchange those violent assaults which make up so much of the comic business of pantomime , but never did Clown and Pantaloon belabour each other more heartily , or tumble down with more formidable truthfulness than Mr . J . Robins and Mr . Arthur Smith . The audience , inspired by the triumph of the performers , at last forgot that they were amateurs altogether , and shouted aloud for ' Hot Codlins . ' The new test was gallantly accepted , and Mr . J . Robins sang the famous legend of the ' little old woman' with all contortions of voice and countenance that would have satisfied the most rigid judge of pantomimic proprietors . Nor should we , while recording the excellence of the principal characters , forget the accessories . A series of burlesque poses plastiques , executed by Messrs . Holmes , Ibbertson , and Hallett , in the dress of acrobats , were inimitably comic , and scarcely less so was the performance of Mr . E . Yates , who , as a careful tight-rope dancer , chalked a line upon the ground , and upon that , instead of a real cord , went through all the business of actual peril and precaution . Mr . Albert Smith , too , reappeared in the harlequinade , dressed as a showman , and sang the late Mr . Mathews ' s song of the ' Country Fair , ' with several modifications of his own . Some exceedingly clever balancing tricks were done by a gentleman who seemed to be unknown to the generality of the audience ; but Mr . Albert Smith , who was on the stage during the feats , called out that he was an amateur . "The fall of the curtain was the signal for shouts of applause and calls for the principal actors , and , as the audience left the theatre , one declaration might be plainly heard from many lips , ' This is the best pantomime I ever saw in my life . ' " We are glad to hear that a second performance of the Pantomime is to be given after Easter . The following is the Prologue , from the pen of Mr . Tom Taylor : — PROLOGUE The Ghost op Shakspe are rises through a trap . ahaJcs . What ' s this ? Lights ! Ladies ! Gallants ! Sore I fear That William Shakspeare has no business here . In Sadler ' s Wells or Shoreditch he may show" Remote , unfriended , melancholy , slow !" But thus far West , how dare he venture forth , When he should serve his Phelps , in the far North ? But thus it comes : Ex-managers departed Have leave , when Cerberus is tender-hearted , To quit the grave , and change its earthy damps For that delicious odour of the lamps . ~ ~ pTe sniffs . ~ Thus I , de facto ghost—stage king dejure , Incog ., in Covent Garden , or Old Drury , At midnight , may to the dim stage recal My subjects and creations , one and all . There Betterton treads Hamlet ' s wayvrard course , Richard , ^ nGarrick ' s voiced still calls- ^' to horse !" The grim Thane's wife looks forth from Siddona' eyes ; Cofiolanus moves in Kemble ' s guise ; O ' er Juliet's balcony hangs sweet O'Neil -, In Kean ' s lithe hand old Shylock whets his steel ; Young , with Iago's bluffness masks his sneer ; Macready gasps the curse of heart-wrung Lear . Alas ! 'tis fancy all—that stately throng Yield to Bal Masque * and Italian song . But yet , ' tis sweet to tread the fallen scene , And think , though such things are not , they have been . Upon such errand bound I wandered here And find it is a play-night—Waj ! is clear—And , with such goodly audience , I incline "" To a faint hope it may be one of mine . Modern Drama rises . M . D . A play of yours ! dismiss that hope—do—in the name of Fogy-dom ! Quit these Olympic regions , for the dungeons of Old-Bogy-dom . Skaks . What bold spark ' s this ? M , Z > , Spark ! I ' m a blaze of triumph—Modern Drama ! Serio-comico-melodramatico-spectacle—Shaks . Prav be calme y M . D . Style , florid-illegitimate : blends each country , age , and fashion ; - Cut and material chiefly French . QhaJbs * near xt "vvltn compassion . M . D . Compassion ! come , old slow-coach , whate'er you like to pit 'em at'Gainst your Elizabethan I'll back my Illegitimate . I'd go in with you for horrors—for laughs—effects spectacular-Situations—ay , and language too-high ropes or slang vernacular . ABBelVs Life says , I don't mean " bounce , " my money ' s always ready , At evry sporting house in town I ' m to be heard of—Shaks . ,, Steady ! Compose yourself , my rapid friend , and know , , In my day , too , we had our " fast" and " slow ;" Know , too , by tho old fogeys of the past , I , Shakspoare , was considered much too fast . From Norton , Sackvillo , Marlow's mighty line , They drew comparison , and pooh-pooh'd mine . With settled rule and dignity at Btrife , Kings jostled clowns , in my plays , as in life ; My Tempest was a " manque , " Macbeth a " droll , " Nothing I wrote kept one tune through the whole . I startled grins with groans—witli mirth mocked mourning—Mixed proso and vorso—crossed atatulinesa with scorning— In tragedy I laughed—in farco moved tears—* In short . I broko all rules , and won all cars . .. .. ... M . D . Upon my word , old follow , you set tilings in a now light to mo ; I ' ve no doubt , if you were writing now-a-dnya , you'd como round quite It ' s ° a pity you ' re old fashioned , thoro ' n a great deal of good stuff in you , But , really , your worshippers do go such lengths in pulling you . No wonder , on tho other wide , if wo fast' men talk nonsense ; Tip us your fist , old follow—bo wo ' ro really friends . ' SAaks . InonoBonao ; j Aa wo search life for themes , take mon for modols ,
; I Consult , for rules , not books , but our own noddles . I As we use Nature , serving while we rule , So far—no farther—we are of one school , i M . D . I don't quite twig , but I dare say you ' re right . Shaks . But say , which of us two reigns here to-night ? Spirit of Pantomime rises between them . Pan . Neither ! For once , although'tis Easter time , You ' re banished ' , both , for reckless Pantomime . Nothing is sacred now from amateurs , In my domain they seek to win their spurs . Volunteer Hamlets and Macbeths we ' ve plenty , No year but the Soho will find you twenty ; But amateurs , for the first time , to-day The heights and depths of Pantomime essay ; Shade of Grimaldi , watch our clown ' s raw tumbles I Bologna ' s ghost , keep Harlequin from stumbles ! Old Barnes , reseek the glimpses of the moon , To guard our young and heedless Pantaloon ! And you , kind friends , think , as you judge the trio , How hard it is to play the fool " con brio . " And let the cause that prompts , plead for our folly j Our mirth may help to make a sad house jolly ; From sick and st » ggling hearts may chase some gloom , And lighten an inevitable doom . So I resume my silence , and my mask , While gentle Charity completes my task , To plead for all short-comings in our play . Shaks . Come—shall we seek this work ? M . D . Agreed ! All . Away ! THEY ALL THBEE DISAPPEAR .
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; ROYAL . ITALIAN OPERA . Many doubts and fears , of the war , the Paris Exhibition , and what not , have teen set at rest this week by the advertisement that the Opera season is to commence on Easter Tuesday . The prospectus is on the whole very promising , although only two novelties are positively announced . One of these is the Etoile du Nord , which , we need not say , has never been performed in England , pace E . T . Smith . Meyerbeer has composed recitatives , and there is a reasonable hope of his " personally superintending the production of his work . " The other novelty is Verdi ' s Trovatore , which was performed some twenty-five nights during the past season of the Italian Opera at Paris . The Trovatore will no doubt prove an attraction , though not so popular as Rigoletto . A third novelty is promised , should" time permit , " but we do not think the directors ¦ will have any call to produce it if they succeed in bringing out the Etoile du Nord and the Trovatore at the height of the season . Among the engagements , ¦ we shall be glad to hear again that exquisite singer Mademoiselle Bosio , and to welcome back to the land she loves so well , and to the theatre of her many glories , that esteemed and beloved lady , that illustrious artist ,. Madame Viardot ' Her name is a tower of strength to the Royal Italian Opera . Mademoiselle Jenny Ney , from Dresden and Vienna , is favourably heralded by fame . We are glad to find the rumours of Madame Grisi ' s reappearance for a few " positively last nights" as yet unconfirmed . There is an inevitable anti-climax in these reappearances . Madame Grisi took leave of us like the sun , in glory ; but after setting in the west , a great artist cannot , like the sun , rise again in glory in the east . ¦ ¦ Signor Makio will , however , reappear " for a limited number of performances . This is a most welcome promise : no loss will be more sensibly felt than that of Mario , who , we have reason to fear , will not sing in public after this season . We shall be strong in tenors this year , with not only Tamberluc ( himself a host ) , but Gardoni . Signor Gkaziani , the new baritone , is a capital reinforcement ; his voice is powerful and sympathetic , and his presence is engaging . For basses we are to have Lablache and Formes , and Zelger ; Formes is designed by Meyerbeer topl&y Pelcrin . theJStpiledu Nord . Tagliaitico , in every sense a superior artist , returns with Polonini , the useful and ever roadyr Ronconi , the consummate actor , the finished and masterly singer , comes back ; and so does Mademoiselle Didiek , the pleasantest contralto we have heard since Alboni ; Luciiesi , the accomplished but fatigued light tenor ; Mademoiselle Marai , the fair Adalgisa ; Madomoiselle Bellini , who made so decided an advance last year ; and last , but not least , the strident and sonorous Soldi . The engagement of Cerito gives some eclat to the ballet . Mr . Costa presides once more in the orchestra , and once more Mr . A . Harris will give " local colour"to the business of the stage . Forty-six operas are already comprised in the repertory of the theatre , in a complete state of preparation ; but , if we mistake not , the Etoile du Nord and the Trovatore will monopolise at least the better half of the present season . Two other engagements are said to be pending . Can these be Alboni ( who is coming to England ) and Joanna Wagner , of whom our Berlin correspondent has reported so well ? . Drury Lane opens on Easter Monday for German and Italian opera . Last year the speculation was remarkably successful , until the directors , fatuously blind to the only possible conditions of their enterprise , issued a decree that visitors to the dress-circle and the stalls should appear in evening dress ! Tin ' s at playhouse prices , and at Dbujr y Lane ! Tho consequence was , that tlic playhouse public , preferring liberty of costume to polyglot operas , gave Dkukv Lane a " wide berth , " and abandoned the luxury of evening dress to tho officials ot t / ie theatre . "Wo trust the directors will be bettor advised this year . Tho Haymarket has a capital Easter playbill , with the Snnuish dancers and an oxtravamuiza , which lias at least n good title , The Uaymarka hpnmj Meeting . A season ofEnglish opera , with Mr sA « HKKVK-for ^ " ^^ "S ^ after Easterj but tho best news we have to to ot the U tm tr , w t <« . en gngemont of Mr . Cuarucb Mathkwh , who will appear at that theatre on Ins return from engagements at Birmingham and Manchester . ^ &SS ^^^ SS ^ SS T Mr ! ° Oscar BrZ * wef in which Miss Car . otta ^ " ^ X ^ S ^' fiCT ^ rBSagg s ^ S- 'SaSffig S / S , oT prctbu " « . o " lK 1 w / ( Mr . Jfa » K » 0 doc , duty for OMrtM . and Eastor too .
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Apbh , 7 , 1855 . 1 THE LEADER . 333
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), April 7, 1855, page 333, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2085/page/21/
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