Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1882-01-27

held forth hardly more attractions
than the pantomime on Boxing
night, and everyone whose purse
has until then stood the strain. must
choose among the pantomimes. Was
1t to be Little Bopeep at Covent
Garden, Sinbad at the Standard
Forty Thieves at Sadlers' Wells.
Mother Bunch at the Surrey.
Jack Horner, at the Elephant
and Castle, Happy-goLueky" at
the Grecian, Dick Wilmington"
at the Pavilion, or = Robinson CRU
soc at Drury Lane? Robinson
Crusoe " was the tavorite, and WHO
could count the crowds Of people
waiting from early in the afternoon
for the doors Of "Old Drury" TO
open. ii half-past FIVE and Russell
Street, Drury Lane and Vinegar
Yard we're masses OF people. In
fifteen minutes the doors were open
and the crush began. In another
! fifteen minutes the house was filled,
and thousands were turned away.
! What sight il was inside, with
boxes. stalls, pit and five galleries
| filed t. OVERLOOKING There were
scuffies in upper regions, there
were dialogues between the pit and
galleries; there were remarks made
very audibly By the gods with
reference to occupants Of the boxes;
but there was the loudest and great
est good humour everywhere. At
half-past six the orchestra :" struck
up /" with : Poor Old Robinson
Crusoe. followed By all tie popular
songs of the day, the pit and galleries
Joining III the chorus with tremend-
Gus accord. Ill tell your mother
what you've done, 20, YOU little
darling, I'VE are merry family"
and others followed in quick sue
cession. the overture ending with
Rule Britannia and God save the
Queen, with the audience standing
and singing with might and main.
! Then up went the curtain and Rob
inson Crusoe proceeded TO go
through the most wonderful adven-
lures, and to see the most wonder
tul sights that ever were seen. For
the first time it was discovered that
his mother was an ;esthete, and
worshipped Oscar Wilde; that he had
had sweetheart called Polly Low
age; and that he was altogether diff
ferent from the Robinson CrusOe'
Defoe had shown him 10 be. Any
II ing Is allowable in a Christmas
pautomime. however, and Fanny
Leslie made the prettiest Robinson
| Crusoe. and danced such 4 wonder
ful Jig with Fridey. There were the
ballet of silver fishes, the pipe
| and Dresden China ballet by the
! fifty little girls, the grand Indian
| ballet, III which some seven hundred
| people took part, the wonderful pro-
ceasion of tn trades in honor OF
Crusoe's return, besides many dances
by the various leading performers.
The fun followed thick and fast, and
Robinson skipped blithely along
with his associates, arriving a little
before midnight at the grand trans
formation scene, which was called
the wedding cake, and was certainly
! the largest and most marvellous
wedding cake that ever was made.
What thunders of applause there
were, as it slowly changed and grew
and opened, disclosing real, full
grown fairies, and cupids riding on
butterflies, and issuing from roses
and lily bells. As soon as it had
reached its end, out stepped Clown,
Harlequin, Columhine and Panta-
looms. the wedding cake faded
away. nowhere st. took its place
and the pantomime proper began
The audience then rapidly thinned,
for the genuine pantonime has lost
its admirers, ard 50 ended the
second item Of Importance in the
Christmas holidays.
The post-man. the dust-man, the
turncock, the lamp-lighter, the
paper boy, the everybody who has
imagined or dreampt that he has
rendered some service in the past
year, has now hal his : Christmas
box present of money; the new
year has been rung in with much
ceremony; New Years Day has
passed unobserved and it i now
Twelfth Night, and parties are being
given IN hundreds of homes To-mor-
row Christmas greens will be torn
down, and Christmas viii then be