The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1852-10-19 00:00:00

first mentioned in the oldest known book. It was referred

to as a sort of identifying mark, the River
" the whole :and of Havilah, where ther
of the gold is sp2cified, and the objects
n with which it is found : " The gold of that

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s good, there is bdellium and the onyx stone." Fr'm

a very early period, too, it was the symbol of office, as it

various

from emperors down to

A DAY

MUSIC AND THE DRAMA.

THEATRE-ROYAL.-This " legitimate" house has been
converted, stage within stage, into a very elegant theatre
for surprisingly beautiful puppets, called " Marionettes ;"
and the public are liberal in their patronage. The little
figures are scarcely a yard in height, and are sumptuously
attired ; their limbs move with facility, and the under-jaw
is obedient to the words spoken. The deception is per-
fect ; and, but for the cords by which they are suspended,
and an occasional skating motion instead of walking, and
sometimes a walking on nothing, one could imagine him-
self in a theatre so large that living artists were reduced
by distance to those tint figures. The performances com-
mence with the following introductory address, very
pointedly delivered by a puppet •in the character of
to my probability of seeing what all seemed manager :

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN !

By ancient rizht

Or lee non scripti—let it pass to- •
A manager, no matter what his size is
Claims a few words before the curtain'rises

To-night a new experiment is tried,
On which we humbly ask that you'll decide
A Lilliputian army marches down,
To take that kind old Gulliver, the Town ;
And, if we can but bind him in alliance,
We'll set all bigger rivals at defiance.

But what can figures do ? Do ! Ask our Neckar,
The smiling chancellor of the exchequer.
He vows (and, like ourselves, he's Wood, you know)
There's nothing figures can't be made to show.

Some may object that actors made of wood
Can't copy feelings owned by flesh and blood
We hope that this objection won't be yours,
Seeing how many slicks the town endures.

Shall we cite precedents from former days ?
Ben Johnson wrote for puppets—see his plays.
Prince Hamlet wishes, in his liveliest sally,
Ophelia's self " could see the puppets daily."
In later times, when snuff-box, patch, and fan,
Were fashion's weapons, under good Queen Anne
The arbiter of all things, high and low,
The great SPECTATOR patronised our show.
Surely the nicest scruples are removed—
" Cato might do what Addison approved."

So deign to see—then give your gentle sentence—
We'il introduce you to some new acquaintance.
Our company—two hundred, rank and tlie—
Wait t,ut the favouring sunshine of your smile.
Tragedians and comedians, heroines fair,
The corps of ballet dancers, light as air ;
Singers of every range, from growl to scream,
Who don't sing small, however small they seem.
While for our scenes—Joe Miller let us quote,
And hope our canvas will command your vote.
The dresses you must like—l'm sure you will—
(I only wish you saw our tailor's bill).
With your permission, then, we'll do our best,
And to your kind indulgence leave the rest.
If in our frolics you consent to aid,
We'll make Arcadia here, in our Arcade.
Christmas is wont at dark his waits to bring
Back our light weights, and cheer our fairy-ring.
Laugh, when dull folks look grave on our vagaries—
And perhaps you'll call us a " Fast School of Fairies."
We dash at all things, be it understood.
Nor iet " I dare not" wait upon our " Wool)."
But let me cease our merits to extol,
Lest you should say, with Falstaff,—
" Peace, good Doll !"
This is followed by an appropriate sketch, called " The
Manager's Room ;" the characters being the manager, an
orignal author of foreign translations, leading actor, lead-
ing tragedy lady, premier dansenr, prima donna, and
servant. The dialogue between the manager and visitor
is sharp and piquant. Here is an extract :-
21fauager.—This house is pretty—that can't be denied.
Vamp.—Well, that's a point the public must decide.
You've spent some money here.
Man.— Ha! You said some,
A sum whose figures sometimes s•rike me dumb;
But if my patrons like my work —all's right.
Vamp.—You'll soon find out? When's theopening night ?
Man.—We'll fix it when we see our prospect clear.
No " unavoidable postponements" here;
No "serious illnesses," which mean, in fact,
An actor's sadly indisposed—to a:t.
No doctor's sham certificates sent down
By prima donnas dining out of town.
No mock sprained legs, when dancers' guar:els ranl'e,
And what puts out the temper, not the ankle—
Humbug, of which the town has seen enough.
Our well-stuffed actors scorn that kind of stuff.
Our troop is moral—nothing wrong is seen—
No green-room lounger comes behind the scene—
At our stage-door folks leave no billet doux—
Charged with false love, backed up by jewels true ;
No tinsel wreaths come down, nor laurels green,
To crown our prima donna as a queen.
No stale bouquets upon our footlights lodge—
We leave to larger folks that favourite dodge.
The dancing is most excellent. The first part of the en-
tertainment closes with a concert, in capital burlesque,
by ebony marionettes ; and a gorgeous spectacle, entitled
" Aladdin," brings the performances to a close. This
week the programme is somewhat varied, " Bombastes
Furioso" taking the place of one of the early pieces.

THE AMPHITHEATRE.-0a Friday, the performances
at this elegant place of amusement were for the benefit of
Miss Fanny Baker ; and the numerous attendance in all
parts of the house, showed that a Liverpool public ap-
preciated the talents of their fair townswoman. The first
piece was the comedy, entitled, "Time works wonders,"
which was well got up, and the respective parts were
delineated with much ability. This was followed by a new
farce, entitled, " Off to the Digeins," by Mr. Night
ingale, a member of the Liverpool Dramatic Society. The
plot was simple ; the connection with Australia being
accomplished by means of a dream, in which, by the aid
of effective scenery, a very good idea of the diggins was
given. The dialogue was full of witticisms, many having
a local tendency -; and the heartiness with which they
were applauded, showed the readiness with which they
were taken. At its conclusion the author was loudly
called for; and if we may judge by the cheering from all
par's of the house, the farce was decidedly successful. It
is, however, capable of improvement, and will, no doubt,
be judiciously amended for future representations. The
performances this week are almost entirely benefits ; that
of this evening being for that most obliging boxkeeper,
Mr. Weston.

THE BERNAIS SINGERS, SO favourably known here,
appear at the Concert-hall to-night and several nights
this week.
MR. HENRY RUSSELL gives his American Entertain-
ment every night next week, at the Concert-hall.

SATURDAY EVENING CONCERTS.—We paid our first
visit for the season to the Concert-hall on Saturday, when
we found an immense assembly enthusiastically applauding
a madrigal, with which the concert was begun. We soon
perceived that the audience was determined to have quid
pro quo in larger quantity, perhaps, than the physical
powers of the fair artistes could well render ; for nearly
everything throughout the evening received an encore.
This was scarcely judicious, though it was hearty ; and
though we could not say of the people that they were
appreciative, they at least did not err in pouring favour
on the best parts of the entertainment. Mrs. Alexander
Newton was the star of the evening, and we were charmed
with her voice and execution : the other lady, Miss
Ryalls, must triumph over a physical infirmity, which
impairs her singing, before she will rival her companion
in song ; nevertheless, she sang with feeling, and gave
much satisfaction. We have always a great treat in Mr.
Ryalls, whose voice is sweet, and execution elegant and
artistic. We would encourage Mr. J. Ward in his con-
certina performances. With command of the instrument,
he played tastefully, and brought out the sweetest harmony.
PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY.—The English Glee and
Madrigal Union, consisting of Mrs. Entlersohn, Miss
Williams, Mr. Lockey, Mr. Hobbs, and Mr. Henry
Phillips, are engaged for this evening (Tuesday), when
the admirers of English vocal music will have a rich treat.

THE MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS