New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-12-20
CHRISTMAS PLAYS.
PANTOMIME AND FAIRY Sft| AZ Liza
MISS REHAN TO PLAY A NEW FAhl-hi'i VI

,rss pru.v TO PLAY NEW rART-Bl1Ls OF
THE WEEK AT THE THEATRES
The American public has never become iu"s ''"-
pressed with the duty Of going to see pd''o'"'ie
=, Rowing Night or as soon thereafter as con-
,ar,ort Tbore are probably several persons In the
United States who do not even know what boNiis
Night IT, The many who do know can snip NV
next sentences which will tell what BoA'nS ->isn'
IL to the few who do not know IL Is the "ls"'
after Christmas. 1T is so called from inc custom,
Of giving Christmas boxes, and not because Oh
boxing matches being customary held theh' ol
Christmas the theatres In London are closed ana
on Boxing Night they reopen often with new at
fractions and the ones that give Christmas panto-
mines give them for the first time then.
But though this custom docs not preVah mere
and though those who have seen the great pam
,omines AT Drury Lane say that there has never
been anything in America exactly Ike them' yet II
somehow happens that when Christmas COMICS
around there is always something III Town '"''
more or less resembles the sort or entertainments
that has so long been held sacred TO the christ
mas time in England. 1t is scarcely necessary 10
tell ANYBODY that the London Christmas panto-
mime is really not pantomme at all. or Is so
only In part. The chief requirement Is that IL
must be a huge spectacle After this condition IS
fulfilled there is general expco tation that it will
be based az 10 what plot ii has, on some iamllAr
fairy tale Consistently with this trick scenery Is
abundantly used
''Whv are they demons somebody used TO ask
in Miss Rosina Vokess farce. "A Paniomime kc-
hearsal" why because it's a pantomim" MISS
Nokcs answered And this would show II there
had been any doubt of il before. that demons were
appropriate TO the pantomme. When there are
demons there must be good spirits to overcome
their influence. The demons can keep the nero ana
the heroine under their control only till along tow
ard II o'clock. and then there must be good fairies
fairy queen. queen OF the KcalmS OF
Beauty o. something of that sort-to confound the
demons. rescue the innocent and 10 send the
children home happy after the transformation
scene Moreover IT is good to have the old friends
of the conventional pantomimc. who came over
from Italy and grew up with the country. Picrrot.
Pantaloon. Harlequin. Columbine. the policeman
and the baby.
This year. as usual there IS to be no theatrical
entertainment in Ncw-York which exactly CORE
spends 10 tho London pan iomime but there two
or three which Will in a measure take It's place.
and perhaps a little OF their American originality
Will not make them the worse. The one that has
the demons and the good fairy and tho trick seen
cry and the Perrot init is "Supcrba." which the
Iianlons Will presentat the Grand Opera House to-
morrow night 1t is not altogether new. The Han
Ions have been doing il IN form or another for
some six years and something Of the same sort for
a good many more years than that. But the effort
IS made TO keep # fresh and the spectator Is not
likely 10 be impressed with is antiquity except in
those particulars IN which antiquity is admissible
or even desirable
The IIanlons have always devoted much attention
10 tricks accomplished with scenery and properties
These are recognized part o. paurommo Of this
character. ana they always prove wonderfully d.
yorting to the children for whom thov are mostly
contriyod. II has been noticed that children under
eleven or twelve years oll are aiino-' alal,. de-
hcent or entries lacking ln The senre of humor