The Sun.
London, England, 1855-12-27 00:00:00

Princess's.

The subject of the harlequinade this year at this
theatre is the old story of "The Maid and the Magpie."
The pantomime opens with the fairy aviary of Paradisa,
the Queen of the Birds (Miss Kate Terry), who, with her
attendant court, are roused from their slumbers by our
old friend Chanticleer, the herald of the morn. The

Queen is the godmother and protectress of Annette, the
Maid of Palaiscan, who has lost her favourite magpie,
and is in great distress thereupon. Paradisa is at mor-
tal war with Hanky Panky (Mr. Terry), a foul magician,
and King of the Island of Beasts. This same magician
is the enemy and persecutor of Annette, as all vile en-
chanters have so proved themselves towards virtuous
maidens from time immemorial. Hanky Panky is deter-
mined to destroy Annette, and Paradisa is equally re-
resolved to support her. Private Magpie, of the Grena-
diers (Mr. Saker), in the service of the Fairy Queen, has
been found neglecting his outpost duty, and is sentenced
to be drummed out, and then shot ; but the guard de-
puted to execute upon him are either frightened or bad
marksmen, and he escapes from their deadly volley with-
out injury. He then flies to the:lsland of Hanky Panky,
who receives him with open arms as a renegade prepared
to assist in any scheme opposed to the wishes or interest
of his former mistress. The Magician, disguised as Ben-
jamin, an old Jew pedlar, sells the surreptitious magpie
to the unsuspecting Annette (Mrs. Daly). The mischief
then proceeds rapidly as in the original story. Annette
is in love with Henry (Mr. Cormack), the son of Farmer
and Dame Gervais Mr. Paulo and Mr. Collett), but is
persecuted by the addresses of Malcour, the parish beadle
(Mr. J. H. Turner), and half distracted by the danger of
her father, Corporal Gerald (Mr. Rolleston), who has de-
serted, is pursued by the gensdarmes, and throws him-
self on the protection of his child. The magpie steals
the silver ladle, which is discovered to be missing,
and Annette being accused of the theft is carried to
prison, tried, condemned, and sentenced to immediate
execution. Her father discovers the abducted ladle in
the belfry, to which the wicked magpie has transported
it, and Annette is saved just in the ♦ery nick
of time. The Fairy appears, triumphs over Hanky
Panky, whom she dismisses to the lower regions by a
stroke of her wand, and changes the court-house and
village church to the " golden bowers of groandsell and
silver avenues of chickweed." In this gorgeous locality
the transformation of the characters takes place. An-
nette becomes Columbine (Miss C. Adams) ; Henry, her
lover, Harlequin (Mr. Cormack) ; while Farmer Ger-
vais and the Beadle Malcour are metamorphosed into
Pantaloon (Mr. Paulo) and Clown (Mr. Huline).

A number of excellent comic scenes then succeed each
other, and the pantomime terminates, after the usual
manner, in a reconciliation and union of all the opposing
parties, who have chased each other throughout with
unrelaxing activity, and who finally wind up their wan-
derings and exertions in a grand fairy temple in the
kingdom of Queen Paradisa. Huline is the most active
of clowns. Cormack is an excellent Harlequin ; and
Miss C. Adams, who was suddenly called upon is con-
sequence of an accident, is a most interesting and grace-
ful substitute, for Miss P. Beale, the intended Colum-
i ne. The scenery, dresses, tricks, transformations, and
machinery reflect the highest credit on tke well-known
and established artists by whom they were superintended
and executed.