The Sun.
London, England, 1833-12-27 00:00:00

CO VENT- GARDEN.

The 'Pantomime at this Theatre last night was Old
Mother Hubbard and her Dog. It contains some splen-
did scenery, and the usual bustle, but not the usual fun
and ingenuity of such exhibitions. The first portion is
eminently calculated to gratify " the little dears," whose
smiling faces are at this season of the year our chief
theatrical attraction. Nor do we limit our praise to this,
for children of a larger growth may also derive no incon-
siderable amusement from witnessing the practical exem-
plification of the wonderful tales which once passed
current in the nursery. The first scene gives us an
allegorical representation of Night and Morning, with
an exceedingly pretty representation of Venus rising
from the sea in her coral bower, and the descent
.of Cupid on a butterfly. Venus scolds Cupid for
his absence ; but he succeeds in appeasing the
angry goddess by a song. He then describes his wander.
ings, and his adventures on the Isle of the Flat Heads, the
chief of whom, King Rundytundy 0, had resolved upon
marrying the Duchess Griffinwiskleblowsabella, a de-
vilish rich and diabolically ugly old hag. Cupid inter-
cedes with his mother in behalf of King Rundytundy's
daughter, the Princess Graciosa, and asks permission to
rescue her from the tyranny of her intended stepmother,
and Perci-
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—introducing himself at Court as a drummer and into
Mother Hubbard's cottage as wanderer, when he sets
the old beldame asleep, assumes her dress, and presses her
dog Shock into his service as valet. The proceedings of
the dog are infinitely amusing—in short, he is the very
dog of the nursery tale—but his most mischievous
tricks are played off in the palace. Here Shock steals
the honey pot, upsets the Duchess, climbs up the
chimney, tumbles down upon the King's money
bags, and bites Rundytundy by the leg till
he falls out of the window upon the fat Cook, just in
the most interesting moment of his confabulation with
the Maid. In the mean time the Prince and Princess
escape, an alarm is given, and they are pursued and
overtaken in the withered Wood, where they are rescued
by Cupid. Here the changes take place, and then the
Harlequinade commences. Rundytundy (Mr. W. 11.
PAYNE) is turned into the Dandy Lover; Prince
Percinett (Mr. ELLA ft) into Harlequin; the Duchess
(Mr. BARNES) into Pantaloon ; the Cook (Mr. T.
MArrums) into Clown ; and the Princess (Miss
FOSTER) into Columbine. The whole concluded with a
representation of the la,e Polar Expedition of the gallant
Captain Ross, the modern " Lion of the North." It is
in seven sections representing as many different stages of
the Expedition, and is highly creditable to Messr..
GRIETE, particularly the scene of Fury Beach and the

winter encampment, which is by far the best.
Pantomime was given out for repetition, but not witho
several dissentient voices. Miss Poor.; who has oil
imptoved, sung two songs very prettily, and played WO;
her usual archness. Master W. Mrormisori was a Of'
good Shock, and the two Master SoLoatotis as Pt
Savoyards, sung exceedingly well, and with great got
taste ; whilst the grotesque appearance of the Flatheso'
kept the audience in roars of laughter during their conti'',
nuance upon the stage.—We subjoin a list of the dransai!
persona and the seenery
Cupid, Mi.s Poole; Venus, Miss Lee; Town Crita'
Mr. G. Smith ; Old Mother Hubbard, Mr. WielanO,
Shock (her Dog), Master William Michenson.

Harlequin, Mr. Ellar ; Pantaloon, Mr. Barnes; Cloo*
Mr. T. MattherVs ; Dandy Lover, Mr. W. H. Payo6,
Columbine, Misa Foster.

The folhwing is the succession of the Scenery

Scene l.—Night, Morning, and Day.
Scene 2.—The Island of Flat Hem's.
Scene 3.—King Rundytundy's Palace.
Scene 4.—lnterior of Mother Ilubbard's Cottage.
Scene s.—Romantic Glyn.
Scene 6.—Ensemble : The Garden, Kitchen, Parlegfr;
and Counting house of the Palace.
Scene 7.—The Gardens of the Palace.
Scene B.—The Grand Banquet Hall.
Scene ‘,.—The Withered Wood, and Magic Grove.
Scene Io.—England: The Custom House Quay.
Scene 11.—The Half-way House, and Laundress Cut'
tar.

Scene 12.—The Double-bedded Room in the Inn. '
Scene 13.—Holborn and Snow Hills.
•
Scene 11.—Doctor Titt's House, and the Matrimonial
Office.

Scene 15.—Vauxhall Bridge.
Scene 16.—Interior of Vauxhall Gardens, in which
will be exhibited, in seven sections, the Polar Expedition'
—Section 1. Captain Ross's Steam-ship refitting off Erie°
Fiord, View of the Whale Hands, and Cape Farewell./
2. A Whaler, with a Fish alongside-3: The Boat's Crelf
Shooting Walrusses, er Sea Horses-4. The Victory Err
tering the 134 y Ice-_S. The Victory Nipped and Wrecked
by a Flow of Ice-6. Fury Beach. The Winter Ea''
campment, and the Lunar Phenomenon-7. Mist an
Snow Drifr, which is dispersed, and discovers a Graph:
Naval Allegory, in which is placed the Temple of Pero'
verance, with the planting of the British Standard en OW
Magnetic Pole, surrounded by a brilliant Borealis.

VICTORIA.
Last night the Managers presented the accustomed offer'
ing at the shrine of Christmas. It was a melange far
tears and laughter, and met with a most favour'
able reception. The tragic portion was Bowie
traeedy of Jane Shore, and the food for merri'
ment was A. B. C., or Harlequin Guy Earl of War'
wick and the Dun Cow. The opening scene wee
extremely pretty. It was a distant view of Warwit4
Castle, the foreground being occupied by Dame Alpha''
cottage. All the accessories were got up in the true
Pantomime style. The ducks were in the pond, the dog
was at the door, the cat was on the ledge, the children
were os the forms, and the bees were humming round
the hive, all as natural as in that emporium of our earliest
and our greatest wonders, the nursery tales; and the
whole of the introduction is in the same spirit. It ie
from the pen of that great master in such mysteries, Mr.
THOMAS DISDIN. The rest of the Pantomime too ie.
good. It is of the old school, for it is not a mere jumble
of unmeaning absurdities, but every scene is, for the most
part, a picture of satire; and the strokes of the painter
are not the less efficient because they are done in the full
breadth of merriment. Some of the scenery was extremely
pretty. A sketch in Egypt was characterstic, and a midden
change from the head of Memnon in the burning sands to
the British Museum was exceedingly well conceived and
executed. The Swan with two Necks was a goad
pantomime scene, and a number of tricks and blunder'
incident to such an arena produced an abundance of
laughter. One of the best scenes of the vrimle, however,
was St. Paul's from Fleetstreet. It was an extremely,
clear painting ; and the Pantomime absurdities that were
introduced were worthy of the occasion. The blocks of
stone stuck up between Fleet_street and Ludgate_street.
amused theins-Ives with a jig, which was not at all more
extraordinary than that they should ever have been ported,
there for the purposes they have been. Some of the
mechanical changes did Mr. BRADWELL considerable
credit, and the tricks were very faily worked for a 5114
night. Of the performers the Columbine was immeasur-
ably the most successful. Mademoiselle Ronan was al
once active, graceful, and familiar with the spirit of the
entertainment. Mr. PAULO, as Clown, was also efficient;
hut of the Harlequin and Pantaloon we had rather 14
nothing. Two posture-masters exhibited some ver'
extraordinary feats, and their display had also the rare
merits of being neither vulgar nor overdone. On the
whole, A. B. C excited considerable laughter, and if
judiciously curtailed can hardly fail of being popular.