New-York tribune., 1911-01-08
LONDON PLAYS
Drury Lane Pantomime--HoIi-
day Pieces.
London. December q.

holiday amuSements Tor ch1ldren. A
few years ago when pantomime had de-
generated into musical comedy there
| were signs Of coarseness and vulgarity
In dialogue and lyrics. That tendency
has been arrested. There Is a revel Of
knockabout fun at Drury Lane In Jack
and the Beanstalk." especially In the
construction Of O. chicken run at Sour
Milk Farm and in the dungeons Of the
| Giants Castle. Mr.. George Graves as
Mrs. Halleybut and Mr.. Harry Randall
as Prince Spinach are allowed to let
themselves go and to be as funny az
they can; and there is an india rubber
page. who tumbles into taxicab
through the window and turns somer-
saults up and down stairs and across the
stage in a single circuit. Children were
convulsed with wholesome merriment on
Boxing night, and there was not an
equivocsl line nor an impure sugges-
tion from beginning to end
There are, moreover. marvels Of stag
ing to appeal to the imagination and TO
fascinate the eyes OF young and old
with visions Of loveliness. The closing
scenes Of the first act have never been
surpassed at Drury Lane In ingenuity
and beauty. The fairy pool and tho
enchanted wood are gradually trans
formed into Titania's bower. A red pin
nacle OF rock rises high in the centre,
and In the heart Of 1t Is a cascade. in
which naiads glide in endless circles and
wave their white arms. There Is full
muster of Titania'e subjects until there
is trail of crimson among the greens
all around the glistening waterfall and
high on the golden summit. 1t is the
common note Of color in hundreds Of
caps. and blending harmoniously with
Il are yellows. pinks and greens az the
hsrps are touched and the dancers move
in the daintiest Of whirling measures.
Above and below sparkle festoons OF
emerald lights until the radiant scene
is resplendert with dazzling beauty.
Such a picture that may well be the
beginning OF art education for sensitive
Youngsters; and II is only one OF many
lovely scenes. At the outset there Is a
bivouac Of boy scouts on the summit OF
Leith Hill, where Puck. Cobweo, Moth
and other Shakespearian sprites begin
| their pranks and antics. There is de-
lightful pastoral picture OF Haley
but Farm, where the wonderful sour
milk COW, Priscilla, receives supernat-
ural treatment from Puck and gives or
| binary sweet milk. This is followed oy
| an animated picture OF Widdicombe Fair,
| with peasants, soldiers, musicians, mar
ket people and droves OF cattle and hogs
and with the stampede of animals ana
mortals caused by a terrific tempest In
| the second act comes the scene or the
| growth of the magic beans for Which lhe
despised COW has been sold, and OF the
! gradual transformation OF the cottage
into a towering grove of scarlet luxuri-
ance. Afterward are seen the giants
| gardens and dungeons with unsightIy
| storks and other monsters, an enormous
hand and a towering top boot and az
! last there Is the pageant Of the triumph
of love. with knights of blue and statues
of silver and golden mists of radiance.
The original fable Of the nursery may
not be readily recognized in the richiy
embroidered pattern Of the pantomime
maker. Jacks first masquerade as
boy scout is an innocent variation pu'
the introduction of the fairy figures from
Midsummer Nights Dream is oe"i'-
dering. There Is also the artful expah-
sion of Sour Milk Farm, with all the
fun of Widdicombe Fair, before the
| ira additional sale OF the cow for the bag VI
beans is effected. To these airy IAN
tastes Is added the romance or jacks
passion for princess aftianced 10 frihce
Spinach, who is in love with her maio'
and before everything can be set rlght
full confessions from Mrs. Halleybut are
required and the two rivals are dec!aFeo
to have been changed in a bath aitsr
birth. The beanstalk, however. is there
with realism OF the most convincing
kind, although Jack is actually marking
time on a ladder when he Is apparently
climbing heavenward, and the giant Is
creature with a tremendous grip, TOT
does he not stretch out a monstrous hane
from the flies and claw up princess IN
| the tWluhIlHS Ol al eye
All the nursery stories are recounteo
at the metropolitan and suburban tne'
atres during this holiday season. Litus
Iris Hoey is the dainty Cinderella OF the
Lyceum. where the story is told IN
STRAIGHTFORWARD way without super
huous establishment; and there ID an
other delightful version Of 1t at ths
| Playhouse, with Miss Margery Maude
as the heroine and Mr.. Cyril Maude a.
the drollest Of barons-a gay old aos'
who sings and dances with the me'-
r,est. To hear and to watch him when
he Is quietly enjoying his topical song
| to find an antidote for melancholy ioI
the incoming year. Within ranius :"
Ave miles from Charing Cross can "
seen Alice In Wonderland "Alada"'
"Dick Wilmington" "Ali Baba," Jaen
| and I'LL" "Sinbad," Babes In the Woo'
and all the other favorite pantonii'ns.'
| At the Hippodrome there Is more n'o.
ern travesty Of Rostand's "Chantee's'
with MIR. Walter Passmore as ns.'.
Bantam and Miss Agnes Fraser a. ,,.
Pheasant. The handsome new rsA
dunn. at oxford Circus, which eh''
tained ten thousand paying gues's o
Boxing Day. has a beautiful ballet "'
sixty girls In dainty costume. as Hs sp
c,al "Yulet,de revel." with Mr. NAL.
Harvey. Decima Moore and Nine E''