Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1893-12-15

IN PANTOMIME.
IRENE. The corners of the mouth were
turned up for comic characters and down
for characters of a serious kind. After
ward, when the actors had lines to repeat,
the lips of the masks were shaped like the
end of atrumpet to aid the voice to carry
over the huge circuits which the theaters
then comprised.
It is worthy of note that among the an
cient Romans the word "pantomime" de.
noted the actor and not the play, though
the transition in meanings easily account
ed for. Augustus Caesar showed great IA
vor to this class of performers, and mention
of them is frequent in the early literature
of the empire, though they are not noticed
at all in the chronicles of the republic.
Nero even went so far in his patronage of
them as to act the part of a pantomime
himself, which is pretty good evidence that
he had achieved the intellectual level of
the average modern small boy, who would
willingly give up all future hope of being
president for the present opportunity of en-
acting the part of Harlequin.
1t is a long stretch from the present time
back to Nero, and it is not Il short steu
from the United States over to reunited
Italy. But if we take the step and find, as
we shall, that the characters and ever the
names of our pantomimic favorites are Dor.
rowed from the extemporized comedies OF
the peasantry, in which they figure as Co.
lumbina, Arlecchino and Pantalone, it will
not take any great effort of the imagina.
ton or very close study of history to trace
them backward to the classical ages and
forward to the last new p%antomime. When,
wherefore and wherefrom the clown was
introduced is not so easily apparent, fo1
nobody seems to have gone to the trouble
of tracing his genealogy, but no doubt his
evolution could also be traced if one only
had time for the special study.
France, Spain and Germany lave also
borrowed the characters and retained thei,
names, as England has, but the French
have so improved upon the originals that
they are scarcely recognizable. The lates,
development of French %panton,ime doe:
not delineate the old familiar story which
aroused our enthusiasm when Jack the
Giant Killer and Jack and the Been.
stalk" had begun to excite our suspicious as
to their probability. Pure comedy is now
in the line of their endeavor, and with
what success the recent triumphs of Edwin
Cleary's French troop in "L'Infant Pro
digue" will testify.
The modern holiday pantomime had it,
genesis on the English stage as long ago a.
100, when q dancing master named Weav
er produced a piece in all essentials the
counterpart of those we are familiar with.
and unprecedentedly gorgeous in it's scenic
attractions. 1t had the same little prelu.
sive story of true love that didn't run
smooth. There was the same village beauty
pining for love of the same poor but worthy
and ambitious swain. The same stern par.
ent or wicked guardian. and the same rich
but boorish lover prosecuted the forlorr
maiden. The same good fairy godmothel
changed them all in Il twinklinS to Column.
bine and Harlequin, Pantaloon and Clown.
Then they Went melrily on with similar
gymnastic feats and much of the same buff
foonery to Il grand apo,heosis OF the good
and punishment of the wicked, which was
as effective i'll its time as anything of which
the latter day stage can boast.
Since then the Christmas rantomime has
been Il British institution as firmly estaL.
lished as the Bank OF England, and, like
most good things that are English, and
some that are not good, of course it was
brought over the water to us. Its develop.
ment on the American stage owes much to
the genius of the late q. l.. Fox, who de
AlHlVSu NC" 4 " IL ScIlcItl lOl tHO
with his famous ''Humpty Dumpty."
Since his time there have been no good
American pantomimicc clowns, and we have
generally had to get along with foreign tai
ent. The Hanlons furnish about the only
%pantomime obtainable nowadays. but theirs
are not essentially Christmas entertain
ments, and their genius and humor nave a
foreign flavor.
To All old timer it looks as if the growing
generation of American babies would never
have II chance to learn what pantomime
really ought to be, rs if they would be com
PEELED to put up with the tawdry substi-
tutes offered them in the Spectacular
dramas" of the BLACK Crook" order-taw-
dry in matter and motive RS well as in seen.
cry. But perhaps they will be blessed be.
You'd the old timers expectations. Some
new genius nay arise to meet the demand
for really admirable clowning, and our old
friends may be able to tell in gesture their
DER true but fantastic tale to crowded gal
leries of children as their prototypes did in
days gone hY. Il WILL Al.E1InY