Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1894-12-30
BOXING NIGHT.
100 PAsrOHIHEs PRODUCED IN LONDON AND
VICINITY.
It is Estimated That The Holiday Furnished Anuss-
men. For 100000 Psopls in the Metropolis
Alons-Sousihing A6ou; he Origin and CHAR
actsr Of Boxing Night

s'Cinderelas, IL "Dick Wilmington
and His Cat" Robinson Crosoe," 8
cali Baba and the Forty Thieves" 8
Little Red Riding Hood, f" "Little
30 Peep" : "Sinbad the Sailor" 5
"Blue Beard" Aladdin and His Won
deriul Lamp" 9 Beauty and the
Beast" aud one each OF Jack and the
Bean Stalk Santa Claus, "Puss In
Boots" Little Boy Blue" and five
which were pantomimes of various
descriptions. In addition. all the music
halt had epecial Boxing Night" bills.
At the Palace, for instance. there was
Vatican ballet called LA Passionate, :"
in which Mile. Paladino was the pre-
miere danseuse. 1t is estimated that
100000 people enjoyed a holiday In
some manner or other, in the city, on
Boxing Night"
But there was sad note amid this
general festivity. Kitty Tyrrell was
playing in king Cat" at the Elephant
aud Cattle pantomime. In the second
scene after recltlng the line: Ibis road
TO fortune he'll pave Ger my corse, p"
Miss Tyrrell fell dead in the wings OF
heart disease.
For those who do rot know what
Boxing Night" means, it may be well
to explain that Christmas In London Is
kept more as Sunday than holiday,
and that the real festivities associated
with the advent of Santa Claus do not,
in strict etiquette, begin until after
Christmas. This day is the Que COM
monty chosen for the sending Of pres
ents-they are usually sent In boxes
hence boxing day. By the evening OF
that day, the festival being over, the
stomachs full, relatives aud neighbors
placated, the worthy British citizen is
ready TO be- amused, and on Boxing
Night" every door Of the temple or
pleasure stands wide open. Social
conditions and traditions all conduce to
designate Boxing Night" as the night
OF the year made absolutely his own by
king pAntomime.
Aud not more traditional is this than
that the great pantomime for London
ers is to be found at Drury Lane. This
years spectacle, which is TO be seen In
the United States later on, is 'Dick
Wilmington" and IL appropriately
ushered In the first year of Sir Angus
tus Harrs's tenancy OF the famous old
play house as direct lessee. Hitherto
during the many years that the for
tunes OF the Lane and Sir Augustus
have been linked together, be has been
the lessee from the company Of renters
who held direct from the ground land
lord, the Duke of Bedford. The COM
pany OF renters has come to an end. and
the Dukes actual tenant has now q d.
rect lease instead OF al agreement with
the lessee Sir Augustus will run the
Lane for seven years undisturbed.
"Dlck Wilmington" is gorgeous
spectacle, o far better show in many
ways than Drury Lane has known for
half dozen years. Sir Augustus has
upset tradition a little to take note Of
the change in public taste, which has
grown somewhat tired of the music hall,
serio-comic, knockabout variety OF pan
tomime, be it housed ever so gorgeously.
The scenery was more Of the modern
spectacular order than OF old. Eleven
scenes in all furnished the setting, and
gorgeous scenes they were.
Not the least important In London's
boxing night attractions was the pro.
duction by Oscar Barrett, at the Lyceum
Theatre, of hir fairy pantomime Santa
Claus" This more eveDsthan last years
cinderella" which was seen in New
York, emphasized the poetic and dainty
rombined with artistic costuming and
charming light effects. IL is divided Into
four sectlons,a poem called 1.-THE Noun
tain Home Of Santa Claus" where the
BABES in the Wood" were restored TO
life by Santa Claus. The frst and second
parts were located among the apple
trees and among the pine woods Of an
English estate, and then the epilogue,
or transformation, which developed to
the delighted eyes of the children pres
ent Dreamlsnd, PoppYland, Snowland
and Loyeiand.
An important theatrical event for
East Enders also marked boxing night,
the reopening of the rebuilt Pavilion
Theatre, in the Mile End road, White
Chapel, the theatre that is TO White
Chapel what DrurY Lane is to West
End. The Pavilion is the first London
theatre TO be constructed on the Amer
lean plan, Of having the principal floor
on the street level, without any struct-
urai distractions between the streets
and the sidewalks. Through all the
entrances and exits hanson cab could
be driven. The pantomime was THE
Babes in the Wood" and IL was mount
ed in keeping with the beautiful new
building.
The partomime production at the
CRYSTAL Palace is one of considerable
Importance. This year "Blue Beard"
was the subject, and the book was en-
trusted to Horace Leonard. with assist
ance from Oscar Barrett, who produces
the spectacle. IN writing the story,
Mr.. Leonard closely followed the out
lice OF the oriental tale and it was pre-
sented without any up-to-date dis6gure-
mentS. The music is from the pen OF
Mr.. Barrett aud the scsnerp was paint
ed bv J. Pritchard Barrett, whose trans
formation scene, the pearl at the
gate" was particularly beautiful.
Ia point OF numbers, of course, the
great 4how with which Olympia was re-
opened far surpassed any other London
sttraction-2,5 500 people appearing In
the cast. To very large extent THE
Orient" as the present Kiralfy specta-
Gle is called, could hardly be distin-
guished from its predecessor, as Con-
ssantinople and the Golden Horn are
much in evidence. In point OF gor-
geousness most harmoniously arranged,
THE Orient" as q spectacle.
wonlp be difficult to match. And
when Won add 10 this the beauty Of
LOCO dancing women, music and song,
the whole Is a show difficult TO do JUS
tice. There was practically no story.
A company Of Syrians gave very ex-
pert display Of the use OF the scImetar,
| and the pageaats we're further glorifsd
for the sehoolboy with elephants, cam