Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-05-16
THE BALLET GIRLS AT DRURY LANE

Il is pantomime / mean to describe.
Robinson Crusoe" is the theme, and a
fat.legged young lady in tights plays Rob-
inson. Robinson has a mother, who Is
naturally and relevantly played by man.
Another man, a red-nosed old duffer. is in
love with Mrs. Crusoe. He has daughter
who loves Robinson. Here, you see, we
have a nice little family arrangement.
There is bold, bad villain in striped tights
and red wig who loves Robinson's girl,
and seeks to win her. Robinson goes to
sea, is wrecked upon the island, meets =
cockatoo that talks English, captures some
cats and dogs, which are arranged like the
heifer in Eyangeline, "but which, FORUM
atelY, are not addicted TO that extraordl-
nary animals habits as to danclpg; ls
rescued by his friends, marries the girl,
and does all the other hum. drum regu-
lation things that are done in bur-
lesques. All this lasts to 10:45, when
there is q transformation scene, after
which there is genuine pantomime OF
rather rocky quality until ll:l5, when
you may go home if you like. If you are
an American citizen of respectable tenden-
cies, you do so. If you are British
"blood" you go and stand around the
stage door to speak to the ballet girls as
they come out of the theater. AS spec
tacle, the Christmas pantomime ut the
Drury Lane must have been something
superb when it was new. The scenery is
wonderfully vivid and picturesque, even
now. But the costumes are in the sere and
played. out leaf. They are clothes which
age has withered and custom stalled. One
fat girl has sat down upon her lunch, or
something that has left grease spots all
over ths -sacks of her blue tights, good
many lean ones have poked their knee-pans
through the delicate silk hosiery, and all of
them have besmooched themselves to an
unnecessary extent. The beautiful satire
of MIR. Gilbert, when he makes Grosvenor
tell of the fate of Teasing Tom, who
a. was lost totally,
And married girl in tho corps de ballet"
Can only be fully comprehended by ono
who has gazed upon the gentle damsel
alluded to. She is pretty bad lot, which
ia not to be very deeply wondered at, since
she only gets fromS2 so to SIS week. She
is ungraceful, hat-footed and brassy. She
unites portentous development below the
waist, scrawny outlook as to neck and
arms, which, alas tells its own tale of the
upholsterers art. She cuts her hair short
in the back, like man, and either
bang" it across her forehead or frizzes it
there in way which gives her head aim
gular top heavy appearance in front.
She perpetually bends forward lit.
tie, as though suffering from
slight attack OF cholera morbus.
frequently she has pretty face, and quite
often she is young. Always, when stand
ing still, she is looking with the eye Of
calm and deliberate speculation upon the
occupants of the stalls, and, when she is
supposed to dance or move her arms about
with gentle, rhythmic grace, she simply
hops from one foot to the other with as lit
tie labor as possible, or arches her arms in
unyielding, semi. i.circular curves that are
as unpoetic as the kick of camel. There
are about $50 of these women on the stage
of the Drury Lane during the pantomime
season. If they were pretty, or under
good discipline. or freshly clothed, they
might do for America. But in the IN.
sympathetic glare Of limelights upon worm
out costumes, and behaving generally as
though they were thoroughly bored, they
do not please. London Correspondence
| Boston Herald