The Sun.
London, England, 1826-12-27 00:00:00

THE THEATRES-PANTOMIMES.

DRURY-LANE.
Perhaps throughout the wide range of human enjoymen4 than
is no gratification more purely delightful than the eight of, a
crowded English audience on the first night of a Grand Christmases
Pantomime. Time buoyant feeling of expectation—the frequent
reference to the play-bill,(on this occasion more than usually dif-
fuse, eloquent, and self-laudatory) the music of the orchestra—
loud of course, and therefore satisfactory—the third ringing of the
prompter's bell—the stirring moment that intervenes between it
and the rise of the curtain--and, above all, the anxious groupers of
hundreds of holiday folks, whose laughing innocent little feces,
stretched forward to the utmost extent that Pit, Box, and Gallery
will allow—these, we repeat, are sights us truly gratifying to all
whose hearts beat with a generous love of their kindred (we ex-
cept, of course, your thorough-bred political economists) as any
that this much-calumniated world can afford. For our own
parts, we have for years invariably attended the first nights of a
pantomime, and however philosophers may sneer—have drawn
from it this useful reflection—that nothing is beneath co/maiden-
tion which promotes (no matter by what means, provided they
be innocent) the happiness of man, woman, or child. But this
is begging the question; your Christmas pantomime steads on
higher vantage ground than being the mere instrument of pleasure
—it is a fine moral instructor—a splendid hondly ;we see in it
how those susceptible- lavers, Harlequin :ad Columbine. aftec
,:having been buffeted about the world by those wicked neeromen-
,era, the Clown and Pantaloon, are at last rewarded for their
constancy by marriage : thus exemplifying the highly beneficial
mural, that, " virtue is it's own reward." Can philosophy, we
ask, go higher ? No—methinlis we beer that chubby, round-
faced little girl seated just two boxes Mimi, reply. lu that cede
then, my young friend, a pantomime is true philosophy, and its
.„
characters, he, she, or epicene, the best of all possible philosophers,
with which very original observation, we proceed to our task of
analysis. And first of Drury-Lane, whose annual scene of en-
chantment, is entitled '‘"fhe Man in the Moon ; or Harlequin
Dogstar." It opens with a sketch of the coast of Greenland, in
which the chief characters are, a Dutch Skipper, and Spevultun
Von Dangerfelt, the Director of a Joint Stock Travelling Company,
who after a so:table invitation, " drops. in" to a friendly cup of
tea with tlqn Man in the Moon. All lunatics, however, are
inva-
riably capricious, and the King of Night (why is hie sex changed ?)
in eensequence of his guest having presumed to fall ims love with his
daugliter, Lunaria, (Miss Barnett, the Columbine) metamorphoses
him T. Blanchard) into Pantaloon, and the rest of the Moore ites„
consiating of the Dogstar, and the two Privy Councellors of hie
cree4nted Majesty, the first into Harlequin, and the two lees
into Clowns. The scene then shifts to earth, of which we have
a very striking view, executed (to borrow an Old Bailey places)
in Staufield's best manner. The Battle of Waterloo, rusiglead's
Glory as it is well termed, deserves equal praise; so also doers the
sketch of Vauxhall on a Gala Night, which must have occasioned
the menagers enormous expence. In this spirited representation
we melt not forget the passing satirical allusions to those male
prudes, the Surrey Magistrates, who, it will be remembered,
propommad a few months since, in full Divau ut Guildford, that the
Garderie should close at eleven o'clock; and that no one should
dsuee after supper without a certificate that he or she was daly
qualified fur the exhibition, by previous utsimpeachable and incor-
ruptible immorality. Time Young Lady's finishing Seminary is soother
equally pungent bit of small sarcasm : it is of course represented
as beingeamm respectable as such Seminaries are apt to be; with this
slight exception, that all the fair pupils contrive to elope our
night, and Mrs. Starch, the mistress, as well—the latter, of voureem
to look after them. The piece concludes with a representation of
the " Mansion of Mirth "—a splendid, judicious, and crowded
finale.