The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-27 00:00:00

some other occasion more minutely, and with a bet•
ter opportunity, before we express an opinion upon
its merits. Its principal feature is the rendering
persons, while speaking and acting, instantaneously
invisible, and vice versa.

nean palace, and the second scene opens at the end
of the 20 years, when the young Princess is brought
to the Court, and the Envoy of Prince Brown Fans
farinet:(Miss Louise Keeley) appears to demand her
hand in marriage for his master. The Princess and
the Envoy !all in love with each other, and after a
grand banquet and a very pretty dance by the corps
(le ballet, the young folks elope,] are pursued, and
overtaken. After some trials on all sides, the King
consents to the union of the truants, and the piece
ends happily, amidst the glow of coloured fires and
all the combined beauties of tropical scenery, real
and imaginary. Miss Louise Keeley played and
sang with great spirit, and Miss Neily :More, as
the Princess, was sufficiently fascinating to carry
away more hearts than that of the Envoy of Prince
Brown. Mr Compton, as the King, exercised his
great powers of burlesque with his usual success.
Mr Clarke, as the wicked old fairy, was humorously
spiteful, and Miss H. Lindley was judicious as the
attendant of the Princess. Miss Fanny Wright, as
the Enchanter, acted the part of Chorus to the
entertainment.

DRURY.LANE,

The Spirit of Pantomime reigned supreme last
night at Old Drury, and Mr E. L. Blanchard's 15th
Christmas offering at this theatre, " Hop o'my
Thumb and his Eleven Brothers, or Harlequin and
the Ogre and his Seven Leagued Boots," outrivailed
all his former productions, successful as they have
been. " -What a glorious house I'' was the expres-
sion of nearly every person within our hearing ; and
certainly the observation was literally true, for a
more animated or crowded holiday assembly it has
never been our good fortune to witness. Of course,
there was the usual differencea of opinion with
respect to the right to certain seats, and high words
sometimes ensued, but the observation "All right,
it's Christmas time," reproduced good humour, and
all went as merrily as the heartiest holiday-
maker could wish. The preparatory farce, " A
Young Man from the Country," was tolerated, we
cannot say listened to, although now and then
some good humoured personage would insist on
shouting out " Pantomime," but the green curtain
descended, and then occurred that peculiar perfor•
mance on a boxing night, viz., the gods exchanging
civilities with the pitites in the shape of showers of
orange peel and other unconsidered trifles. The
" wait" was patiently endured, but at length the
conductor of the band gave his signal for the
commencement of the overture, and amidst a jolly
cheer the music commenced. As the medley com-
position proceeded, many of the favourite ditties
were recognised by the gods, but when the first
few notes of the " Organ Grinder" were heard
the whole of the seathing mass in both galleries
burst out into a chorus, and thus we had a mon-
ster concert of the most animated description.
"Encore," cried many a one as the last note was
played, but there was no time for reflection, as
another well known ditty broke upon the ear, and
as in the previous instance, iC elicited a jolly chorus,
Amidst the most unbounded cheering the curtain
rose on the pantomime of 1864 5.
The first scene shows us the Welkin, with various
atmospheric changes, and where we find the witch
Okriki, with her two gigantic demon cobblers at
work at the seven-league boots of the Ogre. The
next scene is that of the Valley of Mosses and
Lichens, in which the brilliant Actinia, the active
principle of the Solar Rays, appears. This formid-
able sprite, Solar Ray, does not discover to us any
of her once enormous powers when she was sup-
posed to be the great gold producer, and the very
essence of the elixir of life, but she discourses of the
things of the day, and informs the spectators of the
morning performances of the pantomime in the
following neat manner :-
1 "After the late rams, look how verdure springs;
Late trains are really most convenient things I
Those living out of town well know them such,
The rural resident now sees so much.
But let us not forget we have some pleasant
Morning performances on hand at present."
The badinage of this scene is very cleverly written,
and at the same time carries on the story as the
Man in the Moon (Miss Weston) who enters, en-
gages ail the sunbeams in favour of his little pro•
tegj Hop o' My Thumb. This too is the grand bal-
let scene; and we think we may use the phrase,
though we have said it before, that in extent of
view, beauty of forms (it is a stalactite cave), and
the vast number of dancers, it is a scene of the
most effective nature. Great use is made of the
new lights, lime and other, and the most refills
gent effects are produced. The Misses Gunniss
perform the principal pas ; but the whole of the
ballet is very finely devised by Mr Oscar Byrne.
The third Scene introduces the more domestic
part of the story ; and here we are introduced into
the family of the Thumbs, consisting of Dame
Thumb (Mr G. Weston) and Daddy Thumb (Mr
Tom Matthews), with Hop and his eleven brothers.
The father, who it appears—and we believe for the
first time—was a decayed gambler, resolves to lcse
his overpowering family of children in the forest.
The Man in the Moon appears to Ifop, and pro-
mises him that he shall save his family. The
business of this scene is chiefly of a comic kind,
and, is humorously carried out by Mr (1, Weston,
Mr T. 'Matthews, and Master Percy Roselle.
The fourth scene carries us into the Depths of
the Pine Forest (a cipitally.painted scene), where
we are introduced to the grim Ogre (Mr Belmore),
who both acts and sings with a remark,:ble gusto
for devouring voting flesh. Here the little family
are abandoned, and are beset by a tro)p of Trolls,
who slide from the boughs of the pine trees, and
perform many strange tricks. The fifth scene gives
us the Great Ogre's Castle Hall, and we are intro-
troduced to his twelve daughters, who are repre,
sentatives of all the detestable qualities of pride,
spite, Sea. The youngest. however, is supposed to be
represented by Sungleam (Miss Lydia Thompson),
who has taken her form ; and she goes through the
various dances, which are received by the galleries
with absolute transport. The Ogre comes in, and
is eager for food, and is about to devour the
Thumbs, when they escape. The sixth scene is the
usual dark and gloomy one before the transforms.
tion, and it shows us the Ogle pursuing the
Thumbs over the Snowy Mountains and Icy Plains
of the North. He, however, lies down to sleep, and
Hop steals one of his boots and gets off. A grand
chace is seen on the summit of the Sun Mountains
of the Ogre pursuing Hoy; but Gloriosa calls the
Sun Sprites to her aid, and the mountains dissolve,
and the grand transformation scene rises amidst the
outpouring of the sunbeams, when all the powers
of stage light are brought into play, and certainly
with a gorgeousness that cannot be surpassed.
The great novelty here is that the suspended fairies
are in constant motion, and rise and fall in a per-
petual succession that is dazzling, They are in-
cased in gold gossamer wings, which expand and
glitter, and as they revolve produce a new and
dazzling effect. The entire scene is surpassingly
brilliant, and received long and loud approbation,
ending with a call for Mr Beverley, who responded
to '4-

The scenery, by Messrs. O'Connor and Morris,
was Extremely pretty, and the banquetting hall of
the palace and the view of " the Beautiful Islands,"
with which the piece terminates, were admirable
specimens of scenic excellence, and obtained a cor-
responding amount of applause. Altogether, it
may be taken as a successful production, and as
such was received by the audience, and no doubt
will be appreciated by •the young people who are
taken to this theatre with a certainty that a pretty
and elegant piece will be presented to them.

PRINCESS'S THEATRE.
The pice de resistance provided at the Princess's
est night, was a pantomimic extravaganza, founded
on the plot of Auber's celebrated opera, " Le Cheval
Bronze," entitled "The Magic Horse and the Ice-
Maiden Princess." Messrs Best and Bellingham are
the joint authors of the travestie, and it is merely
an act of justice to record that their production
achieved a complete and legitimate success, re-
ceiving an unqualified success. The theatre was
well filled, though not overcrowded ; and those
who were present constituted the best specimen of
a holiday gathering we ever remember to have wit-
nessed. Departing from the rule almost invariably
adopted by managers on Boxing-nights, Mr Vining
commenced his Christmas entertainment with the
burlesque novelty, instead of holding it in reserve
until after the performance amidst tumultuous and
discordant cries or manifestations amounting to dish
edifying impatience of some revived tragic drama of
the " Jane Shore," " Paul Clifford," or " Ernestine"
class. This judicious innovation was accepted in a
becoming spirit, and it had the doubly beneficial
effect of securing for Dion Boucicault's "Streets of
London," which immediately followed the extravae
ganza, an amount of attention commensurate with
its features of attraction, and an eager appreciation
of its intrinsic merit. In working out the travestie
of " The Magic Horse," Messrs Bellingham and Best,
who are favourably known as jocose and facile bur•
lesque writers, have followed pretty closely the
story of the opera, and by means of smartly, if not
brilliantly*written dialogue, agreeably rhymed
songs, pleasant verbal pyrotechuy, the attractions
of exquisite scenery, and the graceful grouping and
dancing of an extensive corps de ballet, they have
produced a lively and humorous Christmas bur-
lesque, which throughout the holidays must com-
mand a very large share of public approbation and
proportionately enrich that treasury over which Mr
Vining presides. The title of the pantomimic jocus
far extravaganza, " The Magic Horse and the lce-
Maiden Princess," fairly indicates the spirit of the
performance. Stella, the Ice-Maiden, played with
great intelligence and lady-like grace by Miss
Marston, is an enchanted and enchanting princess
in the power of a magician, King Cloud, a very
gay monarch (Miss Emma Barnet"), and by the
spell cast upon her, she is bound to use every art
of fascination towards the mortal visitors to Cloud-
land. By this means they are induced to I
embrace her, and having once touched her they I
instantly descend to the Pandemonium of Ice,
there to remain as frozen statutes till some less
susceptible hero shall have successfully resisted her
blandishments and broken the spell by blowing out
the magic lamp and seizing the enchanted ring.
Oginarma (Mr. C. Seyton), the father of Prince
Pluc-ki (Miss Minnie Davit), another of King
Cloud's victims, doomed by him to bold the rein of
the magic horse, a wonderful steed of brass, gifted
with the power of flight and of speed, the An-
thropogloss'lless of the playewhich transports mor-
tals from earth to (1:oud/ancl. At the opcuios ut
he travestie, a landscape in Tartary, we ere intro-
duced to Prince Pluc-ki on his return from a vain
search after the divinity of his dreams, the Princess
Stella, Overpowered with fatigue, he and his fol-
lowers sink to sleep, when the Prince is suddenly
aroused by the apparition of Oginarma, who con-
jures him to seek out the magic horse, mount to
Cloudland,and undo the spell that holds his father
in servitude. 'This appeal is followed by another
from Princess Stella, who descends on a star to earth,
and urges _ the Prince to her rescue. Thus cons
strained, Prince Pluc-ki awakes his followers and
proceeds in search of the magic horse. The under-
plot of the piece represents Pan-ting (Mr. D. Mur-
ray), a rich and corpulent old gentleman making
love to a country maiden, Peki (Miss Jenny Wil-
more), but he has a rival in her lover, Ko-An, the
Anthropogloss'Hoss's showman. An exhibition of
the latter curiosity leads to the ascent of Prince
Pluc-ki upon the horse's back. Ko-An (Miss
Gwynne) having revealed the secret of the Anthros
pogloss'Hoss, is transtormed to a statue and sinks
to the Artie Hades, Prince Pluc-ki, having reached
Cloudland and failed to resist the enticements of
Stella, meets the same doom, as does also Pan. Ting.
It is left to Peki to break the spell, and this she
does by assuming male attire, and as a pert young
cavalier laughing to scorn all Stella's blandishments
she extinguishes the lamp and seizes the ring, and
with this daring feat the kingdom of King Cloud
collapses, Prince Pluc-ki, Pan-Ting, and Ko-an,
discovered as statues, are restored to their normal
condition by Peki, now mistress of the spell, and
the union of the two lovers and thedissolving of their
ice prison follow at a natural conclusion. From the
manner in which ewe have already written of the
extravaganza it may easily be surmised that it
was produced with that combination of splendour
and taste for which the management of Mr. Vitas
1g is so remarkable. Where every scene was
was good it is difficult to paricularise ; but the
transformation scene, and the Pandemonium of Ice
dissolving into Flowery Realms, and the Bouquet
of Beauty is one of the most gorgeous, magnifi-
cent, and art:stically constructed, ever presented to
an English audience, It drew down heeety applause
and gained for the gifted designer and painter, Mr
F. Lloyd, who was called on the stage, no scant
rued of praise. Many of the female warrior group-
ings elicited the warmest expressions of admiration
by their picturesqueness, and the ascent of the An-
thropoglosa' Hoss to the stars was remarkably well
managed. Miss Minnie Davis, as Prince Pluc-ki,
has a part just suited to her naivete and vivacity.
Her make gap in imitation of the wonderful Menkin
of Mazeppa notoriety, was something wonderful,
and when bound upon the magic horse a la Menkin
and after the fashion of the Davenport Brothers in
their rope-tying trick, she convulsed the audience
with laughter. Miss Marston looked exceedingly
pretty, acted gracefully, and sang sweetly as Stella.
Mr Cathcart's embodiment of Tea-Gin (Pans Ting's
first wife), described in the official programme, as
" a very gin-teal party,' was a welt-conceived, gen-
uine, and creditable piece of acting. The smart
style and pert pleasantries of Miss Jenny Wilmore
gave additional charm to the character of Fels', and
Miss Emma Barnett played King Cloud with dae
burlesque propriety. Mr Charles Hall has arranged
tha music with the skill of a practised hand, "The
Streets of London '' seems to have lost none of its
popularity. It followed the burlesque, and gave
undiminished satisfaction, Mr Vining as Badger,
earning for himself hearty commendation.

The fairy characters in the opening were very
charmingly embodied by Miss Weston as the Man
in the Moon, Miss Hudspeth as Actinia, Miss L.
Thompson as Sungleam, Miss E. Falconer as Sun-
beam, and Master Percy Roselle as Tiny Hop o'
my Thumb, was accaz:ngly clever.

The harlequinade was supported in capital style
by Messrs Cormack and Saville as Harlequins,
Madame Boleno and Mdlle. Gunniss as Colum•
bines, and Messrs. Boleno, Lauri, Barnes, and
Morris as Clowns and Pantaloons. The fun was
kept up with without the slightest intermission,
and the gloriously refulgent last scene brought the
curtain down amidst a perfect hurricane of sp.
planse.

We have again to congratulate Messrs Falconer
and Chatterton upon the triumphant success of the
Christmas entertainment, which we do in the
heartiest manner, and at the same time we pre.
dict an extraordicary run for their brilliant pan,
tomime of "Hop o' my Thumb."

The drama of the " Workmen of Paris," and Mr
Tcole's reappearance at this house in the "Area
Belle," after his late successful provincial tour, were
found to he sufficient attraction for a holiday
audifn::.e. Mr Toole was very warmly received, and

THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 27, 1864.

a new farce on the " Davenport" subject is to
produced for him next Thursday, Miss Bateman, in
Leah," is announced for next Monday.

LYCEUM.

Mr Fechter has departed from his custom this
year by producing a little piece of wild absurdity as
a Christmas offering, called "Bear.faced impostors,"
No author's name is given to this piece, which is
called an "Oriental Farcical Extravaganza," but
we believe it was written about ten years ago for
the garrison theatricals at Canterbury. This is a
thoroughly seasonable farce, and it was admirably
acted. Mr Fechter still appears in " Ruy Blas,"
and it will probably be some little time before he
will find it necessary to produce any new drama.

invented and written, as usual, by Mr Martin Dutnal, and
for the scenic effects of which the invaluable aid of Mr IV.
Calcot has been secured. The plot turns on the story of
the Lion-heart King, not narrated strictly according to his-
tory, but interwoven with fairy lore. The pantomimists
aro "little" Rowella, a very good clown—Mr John Beck-
ingham, Pantaloon—Mr Fred Evans, Harlequin; Madame
Schmidt and Miss Emma Collins, Columbines. The entire
pantomime has been arranged and produced by Mr Shep-
herd.

CRYSTAL PALACE.
The Crystal Palace still distances all competitors for
popular favour by the number, novelty, and variety of its
Christmas amusements; and with a preference that may
be regarded as instinctive, and a confidence in the genius
and resources of the management that the lapse of each
year only tends the more to strengthen, the holiday folk
yesterday bestowed their patronage upon its attractions
with a lavishness that has not often been equalled and sel-
dom surpassed. A mere enumeration of the entertainments
provided for this festive season would of itself make a greater
demand upon our space than we should find it convenient to
satisfy, the reader must therefore be content with a simple
glance at the more noticeable features, accompanied by
the assurance that a visit to Sydenham during tho present
week cannot fail to impart the highest gratification.
As usual, at Christmas, the palace is plentifully decorated
with flags, banners, and devices in evergreens; ever green
quotations also, principally from Shakspere, appropriate
and inappropriate to the festival, interspersed with welcome
and happy greetings, strike the eye in all directions; and
everywhere the symptoms are unequivocal that the spirit
of mirth is in the ascendant. The whole length of nave,
except where it is broken by the transept, has been devoted
to a fancy fair, where a busy traffic is conducted in an
exhaustless variety of articles suitable as ornaments or
presents. This proves a great attraction to the juveniles,
who gather round the stalls in thick clusters and invest
largely of their available capital in the treasures so
temptingly displayed to view. In the estimation of many
the great Christmas tree at the north end of the nave,
reaching from roof to roof, will be a sight long
worthy to be retained in the memory, and its brilliant ap-
pearance when lighted up is calculated to forme conspi-
cuous object in the pleasant dreams of childhood. Christ-
mas is a period of the year when the manager feels that ho
has an unquestioned right to introduce any description of
amusement that will afford the greatest amount of enjoy-
ment. In this respect he may boast of practically carry,.
hag out " the greatest-happiness-of-the-greatest-number"
theory. Accordingly he imports the most celebrated per-
formers as gymnasts, clowns, tumblers, rope dancers,
contortionists, comic singers, and pantomimists. Thus
we have Herr Willio as the "Flexible Gnome," a very
clever contortionist, who puts himself in the most ludi-
crous and unnatural postures with an ease and
facility truly marvellous. Then Jean Bond, from
far off Australia, goes through a series of interesting tricks
with his wonderful dog Prince, a sagacious and agile crea-
ture in whom instinct seems nearly allied to reason. A
séance a la Davenport is also given by the Brothers Nemo
as the Japanese clowns; but judging from the reception
they met with yesterday, which was by no means a flatter-
ing one, it may be concluded that the British public have
had pretty well enough of this entertainment; that the
humbug is exploded, and that the act of tying and
untying knots iu a cabinet is anywhere looked upon as
aught mysterious or occupying the agency of spirits, it
is only among the classes who arrogate to themselves a
monopoly of the refinement and education of the age. It
is a pity, however, that the Brothers Nemo did not get the
credit they certainly deserved for the skill and dexterity
with which they accomplished their task when bound by
ropes and enclosed in the cabinet, not in a darkened room,
but in the open face of day. Jackson Haines, the cham-
pion American skater, performed some beautiful evolutions
on his drawing-room skates. A most amusing scene, too,
that in which the Brothers Osman appeared as clowns, and
introduced Silvester as the charmed monster, who exe-
cuted some mast extraordinary feats in tumbling.
The two Ellistras followed with their trapeze perform-
ance. Thorn, the Parisian gro::esque, astonished the
audience by his curious antics, Barnes, the champion
vaulter, throw the orthodox "sixty summersaults." Ant'
the entertainments concluded with a pantomimic ballot from
the pen of Mr Nelson Lee, who also acted as master of the
ceremonies. The palace was brilliantly and effectively
illuminated in the evening; and the promenade, which
always ensues previously to the c mpany breaking up, was
enlivened by the strains of the great organ, at which Mr
Coward presided, and executed a selection of favourite airs.
We may add, in a postscript, that Edmond's menagerie has
been brought down to the immediate neighbourhood of the
palace, and that access is obtained to it from the north-wee
transept in the Sydenbam road.