The Sun.
London, England, 1854-12-27 00:00:00

SADLER'S WELLS.

The piece specially in honour of Christmas was the
pantomime of Harlequin Ali Baba and the Forty
Thieves ; or, Morgiana. In the introductory part the
demons Gloom, Care, Dulness, and Despondency are
appropriately dispelled by the want of amusement. Pic-
torial illustrations of the Arabian Nights pass before
the spectacle, and these are followed by an extravaganza
representation of the tale which forms the title of the
whole, including sufficient fun and frolic to pass for a
pantomime of itself. When the famous forty have been
extinguished with their leader, a transformation is
effected in the " realms of fancy," which presents the
following cast of characters ;—" Harlequin, Mr. C.
Fenton ; Columbine, Madlle. Nathalie ; Pantaloon,
Mr. Naylor ; Sprites, Masters William, Nicholas, and
Alexander Deulin ; Clown, Mr. Nicolo Deulin. The
tricks and hits generally were at least of an average de-
gree of merit, and, with one or two exceptions, the whole
performance went off well, the sprites playing a con-
spicuous part with their tumbling. The attendance was
as large as the capacity of the building would allow,
and, !save the little customary interludes before men-
tioned, the audience was extremely good-humoured.

MARYLEBONE.

The entertainments at this theatre last night com
menced—a few preliminary scuffles in the pit excepted—
with the Lady and the Devil, which was transformed
into a preliminary species of pantomime, not one word
reaching the foot-lights. This finished, " the" panto-
mime, which is from the pen of Mr. Nelson Lee, fol-
lowed. Its title is, Young Norval on the Grampian
Hilts ; or, harlequin Lord Ullin'o-Daughter. The pan-
tomime opened in the retreat of Barbarism —by which
we do not mean to say that it commenced in the pit—
who resolved in council to stay the progress of Civilisa-
tion. The council having broken up, there next ap-
peared the abode of Civilisation, who, in order to foil
the resolve of Barbarism, proposed, what did not at
first sight appear to be well calculated to the end in view
_a pantomime. To settle so grave a matter, of course
there must be a dance, which ended, as that style of
deliberation invariably does, in the ¶uestion being car-
ried 91011ine contradicente. We were then conducted to
the abode of Old Norval, and find the son of that " fru-
gal swain" amusing himself with a gigantic book of
battles, instead of attending to the parental concerns.
Robbers arrived, and, after a fight, in which some ad-
mirably burlesqued fencing was introduced, Young Nor-
val obtained a decisive ♦ictory over them. After this
there followed a scene in which a fete given by LordUllin
is introduced, and here the Scottish fetes at Lord Hol-
land's Park were done into extreme extravaganza. Norval
carried off all the prizes at the fete, and the papa not
viewing his advances with favour, finished by carrying
off Lord Olin's daughter also. In their flight they
come to Lochgyle, where the catastrophe of the intro-
ductory portion of the pantomime took place, the lovers
being wrecked. Upon this tho scene changed to the
Tricolour Palaces, and Civilisation came forward in her
golden car with a celerity which puts her slower progress
out of doors decidedly to shame. The transformations
then took place—Mr, Hasbury being Harlequin ; Ur,