The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-12-27 00:00:00

CHRISTMAS AMUSEMENTS.

Seldom have we had in Liverpool a Christmas for which
so many and varied amusements wore provided. First in
rank and Importance comes the
THEATRE ROYAL,
, where for many successive seasons pantomimes, got up with
fully metropolitan splendour, have accompanied the season.
This year, Mr. apeland has produced an adaptation of the
famous nursery legend, " Goody Two Shoes." The pan-
tomime bears the title of "Harlequin and Little Goody Two
Shoes or, the Liverpool Lass and Dicky Sam." The
libretto is from the same hand Which produced, in recent
iseaSons, the " Ruttertly's Ball" and " St. George and the
Dragon," and the overture and music have been selected
and arranged by Mr. E Fitz william. The plot of the panto-
mime is thus told in the words of its announcement :
" Everybody knows the story of Little Goody Two Shoes,
but every body does not know that the events of her life
occurred in several pleasant places near the great town of
Liverpool; and that Little Goody was not only a Liverpool
lass, but her lover, the Sir Charles Jones of the original
story was no other than the first Dicky Sam, the illustrious
progenitor of all the population of Liverpool now bearing
that time honoured name. In the pantomime are seen the
main incidents of her career; how she loses her father and
mother in infancy; how she was left with only one shoe
and her brother Tommy ; how Tommy went to sea ; how
she at last became possessed of two shoes, which circum-
stance obtained for her the name or Little Goody Two
Shoes; how when she grew up to be a young woman, the
man Sir Thomas Gripe, who had oppressed her father,
continued his enmity towards Goody; how, by her industry,
she defied all her idle calumniators ; how she opened a
school ; how she taught a raven, which she called Ralph, to
read and spell, and also a pigeon to do the same; how she
had a present of a skylark ; how she adopted a poor lamb
that had lost its dam ; how she called it Billy, and how it
followed her about ; how she had a dog named Jumper ;
how when one day she walked out with the rassen and the
pigeon, her skylark on her lamb, and her lamb and her dog ,
by her side; how she was seen by Sir Thomas Gripe and
his man Gocsecap, and how they accused her of being a
witch ; how she was tried for one ; how Sir Charles Jones,
otherwise Dicky Sam, defends het; bow she was found
guilty by the Judges Ignorance, Intolerance, and Supersti-
tion ; how her brother Tommy returned from sea ; how she
was rescued, and her enemies defeated ; how she
was united to her true love, and lived happy ever after,
the whole life illustrating the triumph of Virtue, Perse-
verance, and Industry, over Idleness, Vice, and Malice."
The pantomime Was, on the whole, succsssful. It is true
that tte libretto is less pointed, sparkling, and effective
than usual, and possesses fewer local allusions and hits, but
the magnificence of the scenery, dresses, &c., fully compen-
sated for any deficiency in other respects. Many of the
scenes were beateiful and brilliant spectacles, and when
" all the fun" fairlycommenced, and Harlequin, Columbine,
Clown, and Pantaloon (personated by the Lauri Family)
made their appearance, the delight of the audienCe was
enthusiastic, and kept increasing until the conclusion.

At the AMPHITHEATRE,
an Equestrian company, under the direction of Signor
Qaaglieni, entitled the " Cirque Royal de Sartlaigne,"
made i!s first appearance in Liverpool. The displays of
horsemanship were as bold and striking as any we have
ever witnessed, and the rival humours of the Italian and
English clowns were provocative of uncontrollable laughter.
At the ROYAL ADELPHI,
a pantomime, bearing the name of "Harlequin, Beauty
and the Beast," founded on the favourite juvenile legend,
was produced. Both the painting and tae scenery were
effective and brilliant. We may mention that the com-
pany was strengthened by the addition of Miss Landon,
whose piquant singing and acting drew down rapturous
applause.