Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-12-24 00:00:00

THEATRE ROYAL.

At this hore more than usual exertions have been made
to pVer-v a delebtablc dish to please the palate of the
usall-thous,mds- who .congr,vate t, wittiesS• the annnal
treat prepared by Mr.' Copeland, the proprietor and able
manager-of the Theatre Royal and Amphitheatre.- Since
the numerous- alterations and . improvements mada..in this
house, it is admitted to be one or the best and most
handsome theatres in the kingdom. and from the grey
pleasure afforded to all easses of the community, upon,
all occasions, no matter what the &ass of entertainmeet
one may rest assured that the enhanced comforts of the
boiise will.be.dulv.appreciated by "young and old, middle
age and grey." The New Grand C.7,ristmas Pantomime
for which has beam in preparation and rehearsal for
some time past, is founded upon the ever-favourite tale. of
Pass in • Roots," and fran the succe-s attending the
productions bf the sarne:(author, there can be no daiiht of
its entire success. ' " T. 91 show the age, and , body of the
time,"' the Pantomime tthe Theatre -Royal 'appears, to
he more- than usual successful this year, and the
multitudinous " Whips and snaps' of the ,past year an 1
present time have been caught up by the author with a
spirit able and willing to make the most of them. The
crisis" is ton., upon in an able manner, and no doubt
will be felt by-: theSKing says,—
0.-dfr"vi
We ha—e some ,!s we w'slwoii.to- dise,lmt;
- The inter st. oreonrse, the bsak's
. • That's twelve par cent—and when the bias are due,
If we're still short we've onl to renes—
ist various (laths ,---soma long may be—same shorter,
If you'll accommodate me take my .4:l,inghter I
\Vc therefore doubt. not of the success of " Puss in Boats,
or Harlequin and the Miller's Son.
THE ADE LPEIL

At this house, so proverbial for crowded audiences,
cheap amusements, and ever unclosed portals, the
Pantnirimp is fern ha novar-fAi!inq run of :r W
Courtney, Esq.. a. g7mtlernan who has contributed the
class of enter ainment to this house for s.ver.tl years
past, and has been eminently successful. Fur 1857 We
are presented with "'Undine, or the Spirit of the Waters,"
upon the production of which a great deal of time has
been spent, and considerable expense g)ne to ; and, in
adlition to which, we learn that several of the famed
Lauri family have been engaged, thus presenting the
holiday patrons with.ohereogranhic artistes • quailed by
few, and not to be excelled. In the opening portions of
the Pantomime there are the usual hits at the tirro-s:
several of 'them• or a smart and racy character, and the
"good old town" comes in for its share of eulogium
in reference to the crisis

Trad failures o'er the wcr'd have boon titan'e,
'rig w'iat they call, I thi ik, th, money pani3.
Our Liverpool, stool fl at rank—
The toiimiand tract 3 has braved tin general sluck,•
Ia honow stands as firmly as a rock,
Th&rebellion in India. .and murderous atrocities of the
Sepoys, also cone in for their share of execration. and'.
altogether. Unditie, o- the., Spirit of the WaterA,"
appears vv,e'l adapted to afford the usual amount of delight
to hbliday.seekers.*

THE CHRISIniIkS MINSTRELS.
How to. combine the attractive with the harmless, and
zitill more. with the elevating,. in .popular. entertainments.
has always been one of the grand difficulties with persons
of good sense and enlarAed
,views. -on such matters.
Lectures 'are dull ; theatres aire mischievous; oratorios
are fl it and please only th ) learned; concerts don't pay,
and people are tire i of them :—• hose are the sort of
difficulties one hears on all sides, when the subject
,of
popular amnse-nent is practically discussed. In _fact,
how to conciliate the seruptilous,-satisfy the critical, and
at the-same time please the people, is so difficult, that
the task is often given up in despair.
We shall be somewhat dliappointed if a fresh attenal,,
which is about to he made in Liverpool, to please all
parties. with a positive b,nefit to the cause of "the
people," does not succeed to the utmost wishes of the,.
most sanguine. In the Concert-hall, Lord Nelson-street,
as our advertising columns announce, we are to hive
.what is rally a complete novelty in the line of popular
recreations, THE CHRISTMAS MINSTREL'," to be
performed next Monday and the three fohowim evenings,
will present a combination of the muscat, the drarrat,e,
and the pictorial art, never Vet attempted. The subjoct,
moreover, which includes the principal scenes in the
Scriptural history of the birth of Jesus Christ, is one
whioh so directly goes home to every one's heart, that it
his an attractiveness about it, peculiarly its own.
The writer and composer, Mr. Capes, is, we hear, a
gentleman who has devoted no little tfinc and study both
to musical science nild to the genet-al question of popular
education_and cultivation ; and the result of his labours
in the present ease, we hear, Is considered eminently
satisfactory. The performers to -whom the execution will
be entrusted are among the best the town and peighbour-
hord afford, and the music exactly suits their several
voices.

The plan of the entertainment is this dialogue
spoken iu character, on a species of stage, with scenery
and appropriate decorations, introduces a body of
"Christmas Minstrels," who sing the story of the
Nativity, in costume; while a series of scenes, including
the peculiar and beautiful effects which can be produced
by dissolving views, with the oxy-hydrogen light, repre-
sent the historical events of the scripture story. The
introductory dialogue is in the usual blank verse of the
dramatic poets; and the tongs. duets, and concerted
piece", for the most part, are in lyrical poetry. The
,whole winds op. after the representation of the Adoration,
of the Wi:e Men, with a song and quartett, expressing
the adoration offered to the Divine Infant, as typified by
the gifts and homage of the Wise Men.
The music, wa hear troll critical listeners, is of a
festive kind, rather than of theextrethe severity which
characterises tno much of our sacred music ; but at the
same time. of a pure and re&aed character, atulremoved
from everything merely theatrical or vulgar. *.