The Sun.
London, England, 1841-12-28 00:00:00

COVENT-GARDEN.

The announcement of the new Pantomime, as a matter
of course, drew a great crowd to this house, which at
half-price was filled to overflowing. The first performance
was Cclley Cibber's comedy of She Would and She
Would Not, the plot of which is so well-known that it
would be superfluous to analyze it. Like most of its au-
thor's, it is full of intrigues, the principal agents in which
are a sharp-witted servant (Harley), a brace of lovers
(Walter Lacy and Cooper), with the latter's sweet-heart
in male clothes (Mrs. Nesbitt) and her cunning maid
(Mrs. Walter Lacy) also in male attire; and the
humour of the piece consists in the strange tricks
these disguised characters play off on an obstinate,
proud old Spaniard (W. Farren), in order to compel
him to marry his daughter (Miss Cooper) to the
man of her choice. The comedy was exceedingly
well played, especially by Farren and. Harley,
the former of whom made a dull scene go off with
spirit and vivacity by his admirable bye-play, which
was so full of appropriate comic expression that every
point told. Hurley, too, as usual, abounded in sprightly
bustle, but he had so few good things to say that we,
were surprised he could make so much or pail. Mrs.
Nesbitt threw an air of archness and humour over a
character of great insignificance, and which, in the hands
of a less adroit performer, would have been a miserable
failure. On the whole the play went off flatly ; and no,
Wonder, fur it is deficient in the two leading requisites of
cdinedy, humour and character. The audience witnessed
itsperformance with remarkable patience ; and listened
to some of the drawling scenes in the first act with all the
gravity Of a congregation at a church. After the play,
the now pantomime entitled, Guy, Earl of Warwick ; or,
Harlequin and the Dun Cow, was produced. It opened
with a moving panoramic view of Warwick Castle and its
neighbourhood, and the return of the hero Guy and his
Squire from the Holy Land. With some difficulty Guy,
who was personated with infinite drollery by Mr. W. 11.
Payne, gets admission into his castle, when he finds that
his lady has given all the servants a holiday, so that he is
compelled to act as his own cook, housemaid, shoe-black,
&c. This part of the pantomime was received with much
impatience ; and not undeservedly so, for it was greatly
spun out, and the fun of the incidents.was by no means
obvious. The audience, however, were soon put into a
more favourable mood, by the uncommon splendour of
the moving panoramic scenes, illustrative of Guy's ex-
pedition to the enchanted castle of the Danish King
Eskeldered, where the Dun Cow is kept, which has
caused great destruction in the vicinity. After encounter-
ing divers difficulties, Guy contrives to fore() his way
into the enchanted abode of the Dane, kills his Majesty
and eke his Cow,, • and delivers the Ludy Phoebe, the
daughter of a Warwickshire nobleman, who had been in-
veigled from home 14 the artifices of the Royal magician.
The usual transformations now commence. Harlequin
(Mr. J. 11. Ridgeiay), Columbine
(Miss Fairbrother ,
Pantaloon (Mr. Garden), and Clown (Mr. T. Ridgway),
)
throw off their respective disguises, and set forward on
their merry etaseiesa whirl through life. The Albert
Gate at Hyde Park, " as it is to be," gave rise to some
I;vh;:nedh suddenly
rises ingenious tricks. Patent telescopes are brollght on T.
stage, and the spectators as they lookadthroriotu:elsis,thaentildt
wasgee
clearly Windier Castle in' the. distance, which
rises up between,ithe, ,pillars of the
young Prince of Wales fast asleep in his cradle. This
trick was managed with uncommon
'welcomed with shouts of applause. r.l.'lle Toy-shop was
also a clever bustling scene, particularly that portion of
it, when, by a gagle wave of Harlequin's wand, all the
toys suddenly blme animated, and the boa constrictors,
stretching out t' nn IMPPIIPP kV)/ threfqn to crush
the affrighted Clown within their scaly folds. In this
scene, Mr. J. H. Ridgway exhibited extraordi-
nary pliability of muscle, and, immediately after-
wards, with equal effect, the stiffness and rigidity of
deathp Jn thP vi9w Of Greenwich, and the
Railroad, as seen' frot4 fiery Cress, the Plewn 544.
denly enters and blows out the moon with 4 pair of het:
lows—an idea which seemed to occasion the gallerieq 9
world of diversion. 13at perhaps the cleverest conceit in