The Sun.
London, England, 1861-12-27 00:00:00

DRURY-LANE.

The title of the pantomime at this theatre is
"Harlequin and the House that Jack Built; or,
1 Old Mother Hubbard and her Wonderful Dog,"
and is the production of the regular pantomime
. writer of the theatre, Mr. Blanchard. In the first
scene is represented the interior of Mother Hub-
bard's cottage, where she is receiving several of the
heroines of nursery books, as Dame Wiggins of
Lee, and Dame Trot and her Wonderful Cat. In
the neighbouring manor-house of Rook wood lives
a Squire who has a reputation for burning witches,
and a consultation is held by tke three elderly
ladies as to the best means of counteracting his
machinations. An incantation in the " Witches'
Glen" enables them to obtain some important in-
formation, the chief which is that by virtue of an
old forest charter anyone who gets a house built on
ground on a common between sunset and sunrise
has a right to hold the house and ground for ever.
A- pleasant, good-natured but "tattered and torn"
youth, known as Jack, is adopted by the schemers
as one adapted to promote their objects, and they
resolve to make him a much greater person than
the dreaded Squire. After the village festival, on
the occasion of the coming of age of the Squire, and
his installation into his property, which he shows
he has rather peculiar notions of managing, a troop
of dwarf builders set about constructing the "House
which Jack built," under the direction of Mother
Hubbard. The result, which is brought about
somehow, and it is needless to inquire too curiously
into the consequentiality of the means, is that the
Squire is duly punished and surrenders his estate
to Jack, and the transformation scene is led up to
in the usual way, and takes place in the " Will o'
the Wisp's Fairy Home." This, or something ap-
proaching to it, is an outline of the plot,upon which,
as everyone knows, very little indeed depends. In
truth, the design of the author is carried out with
much minuteness of detail; and there being no spe-
cialty in acting,or what is technically termed business
in the earlier scenes, the drama so called began to be
somewhat wearisome, though it was relieved by two
scenes of great beauty, notably "The Witches' Glen
and Waterfall," which is an admirable specimen of
scene-painting, as distinguished from mere glitter
and ornamentation. Here was poured on to the
stage an interminable corps de ballet—that is, their
number seemed to be without end, and by means of
skilful grouping they were caused to multiply them-
selves to an extent which can only be appreciated
by being seen. The dancing of the Misses Gunniss
was here a marked feature. There was a well-acted
Dog (Signor Lorenzo) to Mother Hubbard, although
his appearance was more that of a gorilla ; a capital
cat, an unexceptionable goose, and some singularly
lifelike and lively frogs ; but with all these adjuncts
the scenes went heavily until the introduction of a
large band of clever and well-trained children of
sizes dwindling down to little toddlekins, who, by
the apt and bustling way in which they worked at
the "building of Jack's House," made a decided
sensation, and brought down the first burst of ap-
plause which had been elicited by anything except
by the scenic art of Mr. Beverley. Matters went
better and with greater effect until the culminating
transformation scene, the" Will- o'-the-Wisp's Home
beneath the Waterfall," in which effects were pro-
duced which were really novel, And of course mag-
nificent. The electric light was used with the most
striking results, and a shower of golden spray
which descended from the place where the sky is
supposed to be, may be mentioned as being most)
rare in idea, and most effective in the carrying out.
Loud calls were here raised for manager and artist,
and amidst the most enthusiastic applause Mr. Smith
and Mr. Beverley had to bow their thanks.
The harlequinade then commenced with two Clowns,
Messrs. A Forrest and Huline ; two Pantaloons,
Messrs. Tanner and Morley ; two Columbines, the
Messes Gunniss ; and a battalion of sprites and
tumblers. This part of a pantomime is usually taken
on trust, and it may be sufficient to say that, though
the Clowns, one especially, were more acrobatic
than humorous, yet their spirits were high and
their exertions unflagging, so that everything went
well, and the bustle kept up in a satisfactory man-
ner. There can be little doubt that the pantomime
will have one of those runs, whichbelong as of course
to the Christmas pieces at Drury-lane. There
was a tremendous house; and it may be mentioned
that " God Save the Queen," when played at the
end of the overture, was received with strong feel-
ing by the audience, and on their unequivocal
demand played a second time.

ROYAL ENGLISH OPERA, COVENT-
GARDEN.

The entertainments here were the " Puritan's
Daughter" and the pantomime " Harlequin Gulli-
ver."

There was an enormous house, crowded from the
orohestra to the highest regions. The opera was
much curtailed for the sake of the pantomime.
The pantomime is from the practised pen of Mr.
J. M. Morton. It sets out with a representation of
the Temple of Pantomime in a ruined and dilapi-
dated state. The Genius of Pantomime appears in
the shape of an aged lady of somewhat seedy aspect,
who laments her fallen condition. She is in company
with a few of her ancient friends, now retired from
business—Mother Goose, Puss in Boots, Little Red
Riding Hood, Robinson Crusoe, and others, together
with two fairies, Fun and Farey. This conclave
rctolre to come to the relief of " gcnius in di,Att
by assisting ncr in getting op a Chtibtulio• cuter-
tainment for the public. They resolve to adopt, as
a subject, the adventures of Captain Lemuel Gulli-
ver, and this matter being settled, the drama begins.
We are transported to the enchanted realms of Fun
and Fancy--a beautiful scene, by the way, peopled
by groups of fairies, whose dances, as they surround
their Queen, in the person of Mdlle. Lamoureux, are
as pretty as anything of the kind we have ever seen.
Mdlle. Lamoureux is a danaeuse of the highest class
and reminds us, in the extreme lightness of her
movements, of the charming Cerito. We now see
the rocky coast of Brobdignag,with its gigantic cliffs
towering to the skies. Gulliver, accompanied by Mrs.
Gulliver, his better half,are in a boat pulling ashore.
Where they came from, or how they got there does
not appear, nor does it matter. They succeed in
landing, and are instantly surrounded by a host of
the animal aborigines—geese, and other fowls, gi-
gantic lobsters, oysters, and shrimps, who form
dances with the wondering strangers. Then Mr. and
Mrs. Gulliver are in the interior of a Brobdignag
menage. There is a monstrous bed with a gigantic
old gentleman occupying it, whose moonlike visage
is seen peering from between the curtains ; a gi-
gantic baby in an immense cradle--a cat, &c., all of
corresponding dimensions. The adventures of the
two pigmies among all these giants are grotesquely
fanciful enough. Various adventures now happen to
the pair, in the course of which the lady is lost—at
least she disappears we do not know how, and never
appears again; but Gulliver iscast ashore in a sense-
less state on the coast of Lilliput. While in this con-
dition he is surrounded by troops of Lilliputians,
who are at first terrified at the sight of the Man-
mountain ; but they succeed in binding him and
making him prisoner. The drama then follows the
steps of Dean Swift's' vermin's narrative, Gulliver

becomes a great man, captures the fleet of Ble-
fuscu, receives an ovation, and becomes com-
mander-in-chief of the forces; but at length
becomes obnoxious to the population and is
obliged to run for it in n•der to save his life ; and
here the adventures of Gulliver end, and the trans-
formations begin. All the Lilliputian scenes aro
really admirable. The scenic representation is so
skilfully managed as to create a complete illusion.
The animate and inanitmte objects were all so well
proportioned to each ober that the multitudinous
groups of Lulliputians—men, women, and children
—appeared of the ordinary size, while Gulliver in
the midst of them really looked like a giant. The
tiny performers who Personated the Lilliputian
sovereign and the court—the grave dignitaries of
the state, the soldiers and sailors, were most excel-
lently drilled, and enacted their parts with a gra-
vity that was often quaint in the extreme. There
is a grand review by the commander-in chief of all
the various Lilliputian volunteer rifle corps; and
there is a court ball, is which the man-mountain
figures in a minuet and gavotte with the Queen, a
most stately little lady vhose lofty plumes do not
reach his knees. All these things are exceedingly
happy, and met with great and deserved applause.
The transformation Eane, which as usual forms
the connecting link between the drama and the
harlequinade, is of such marvellous brilliancy—so
rich and gorgeous—that it is quite sufficient of itself
to draw crowds to the theatre for many nights to
come. Certainly we have never before seen on the
stage any such combination of light and colour.
The scene represents the bottom of the sea, with
shells, grovis of coral, and the other objects which
poets describe as filling the caves of the ocean, and
among them sea nymphs engaged in making their
toilet. Never has the pencil of Callcott been more
truly magical.
The last part of the performance—the harlequin-
ade—was very good; but such things are all alike,
and their constant sameness shows great poverty
of invention. The pantomime characters, however,
were excellently sustained. There were two Har-
lequins, Messrs. F. Payne and S.Lauri ; two Clowns,
Messrs. H. Payne and E. Lauri; Mr. H. Lauriwas
Pantaloon, and Miss Jenny Lauri Columbine. We
should have said before that the character of Gulli-
ver was performel by Mr. W, H. Payne, and that
Mr. F. Payne ma Mrs. Gulliver.