The Sun.
London, England, 1838-12-27 00:00:00

COVENT GARDEN

The Christmas pantomime at this theatre, Harlequin an,,
Fair Rosamond, is one of the completest in its construc-
tion, and most diversified in its details, that has been e% ei
produced. The pantomime proper grows out of the bur-
letta of Fair Rosamond, as that associates itself with the
contest between Old Dame Nature and the Fairy Art,
which constitutes the introduction, and is amicably settled
at the conclusion. The scenery of the contest is painted
poetry of the subject. Nature has her quiet valley, birds
fluttering on the wing, swans floating on the stream, the
sun setting in calm splendour, and all things gradually
sinking into repose, when Art calls up her Egyptian pyra-
mids, Grecian temples, trophies of arms and arts, and, as a
last achievement, her arch-supported railways with their
rapid burdens cutting along through the air, " the most un-
kindest cut of all" upon the heart of Old Dame Nature.
The powers of the contending Genii are tried by consent
on the lovely Clifford, and we thus pass, somewhat re-
luctantly, from this beautiful introduction, this exquisite
frame-work of the piece, into the burletta portion, in which
Baron Fitzallan (Mr. C. J. Smith), and King Henry (Mr.
Payne), contend in the burletta fashion for the prize of the
lady's love. Both these characters are performed with rich
comic humour, and the rival serenadings with bagpipes and
trombone are alike irresistible. The Signora Gouriette is a
very fair Rosamond, quite a fairing, and takes her bowl of
prussid acid, as capacious as a washing-tub, with affecting
resignation. At this point the Genii interpose ; Nature
disowns the whole party, makes Queen Elinor's form
as clownish and mischievous as her mind, admonishes his
Majesty to look after his dominions, pantaloons old Baron
Clifford, and sends Fitzallan and Rosamond dancing
through the world. Then come the thievings and buffeting s,
the tricks and transformations, amongst which were the
change of a coach-load of luggage into a bottle of Harvey's
sauce, that of the stock of a match shop into little live Luci-
fers, and the multiplication all over the stage of Mr. Double-
knock's door, and change of all his windows into doors,
each with its self-moving knocker, until the whole
scene is one great knockery, a pantoknock that fairly bears
the bell of the pantomime. As if to include every possible
variety, the Bayadercs (whose shawl-dance was encored),
the dramatic beasts, with their magnificent red lion, into
whose mouth the Clown thrusts not only his head but his
whole body. and a dioramic view of the Duomo at Milan,
the burning of the Royal Exchange, the departure of the
Great. Western, &c., are introduced, and the whole wound
up by the reconciliation of the parties and the union of
Nature and Art. In fact, the pantomime is overlaid with
materials, and will be much improved by curtailment. The
machinery occasionally did not work well, and the effect of
some of the changes was marred. The repetition was an-
nounced, and no mistake; and, if this be realised, and the
performance compressed into less time by an hour than was
occupied last night, a continuous enjoyment may be ex-
pected for the young holiday-makers, and not less for their
maturer friends. Even those who have wearied of harle-
quinading, whom we suspect to be a greater number than
will own to the fact, will look with complacency on the
motley shield when nature and art are thus poetically en-
listed as its supporters.