[Illustration: Little Tich and the Fine Fairy.]
That hardy annual known as The Drury Lane Pantomime is in full vigour
this year, its flowers of a more brilliant colour than ever, and its
leaves, as evidenced by the book of words, are fresh and vigorous.
In no other sense, however, does the Drury Lane Pantomime bear any
resemblance to "a plant." There is no "take in" about it, except that
even big Old Drury is not capable of holding all who would be present;
and so it happens nightly I believe, that many are turned away from
the doors bitterly disappointed. Such certainly was the case when the
present deponent was installed,--without any unnecessary ceremony,--on
a certain given night last week. "The book" is by the Every-knightly
DRURIOLANUS and his faithful Esquire, HARRY NICHOLLS, who, much
to everybody's regret, does not on this occasion appear as one of
the exponents of his own work. There are Miss FANNIE LESLIE--too
much "ie" in this name now, and one may ask "for why"?--Miss
MARIE (not "MARY"--oh dear now!) LLOYD, Miss PATTIE--not PATTY of
course--HEYWOOD, Mr. JOHN and Miss EMMA (dear me! _not_ EMMIE!)
D'AUBAN, and Messrs. HERBERT CAMPBELL as a grotesque monarch, Mr.
DAN LENO as _Queen of Hearts_, Mr. FRED WALTON, wonderful in a
frame as the living image of the _Knave of Hearts_, and a crowd of
clever people. But among the entire _dramatis personæ_, first and
foremost, both the least and the greatest, is the impersonator of
_Humpty-Dumpty_ himself, the _Yellow Dwarf_ alias Little TICH, who
shares with the gorgeous spectacle and the exquisite combination of
colours in Scene Eight, _The Wedding_, the first honours of the Great
Drury Lane Annual. It is emphatically a Pantomime for children to see
and to enjoy. The action is so rapid, song succeeds dance, and dance
succeeds song, and permutations and combinations of colour are so
brilliant and so frequent, that anyone who wants full change for his
money and a bonus into the bargain, will find it in the return he
will get for his outlay on visiting the Drury Lane Annual. And now
about the Harlequinade. The "Opening," as it used to be called,
which, terminating with the Grand Transformation Scene, ought to be,
theoretically at least, only the introduction to the real business
of the evening, that is, the "Pantomime business," concludes at
10·45, and allows three-quarters of an hour for what is called "the
Double Harlequinade"--which consists of one old-fashioned English
Pantomime-scene, followed by a comparatively modern--for 'tis not
absolutely "new and original"--French Pantomime-scene, and this
arrangement seems like, so to speak, pitting English Joey against
French Pierrot. This friendly rivalry has had the effect of waking up
the traditional Grimaldian spirit of Pantomime, and Mr. HARRY PAYNE's
scene, besides coming earlier than usual, is, in itself, full of fun
of the good old school-boyish kind; and if the Public, as Jury, is to
award a palm to either competitor, then it must give a hand--which
is much the same thing as "awarding a palm"--to its old friend,
HARRY PAYNE, who, with TULLY LEWIS as _Pantaloon_, has pulled himself
together, and given us a good quarter of an hour of genuine Old
English Pantomime, compared with which the other, though its fooling
is excellent in its own way, is only comic _ballet d'action_ after the
style of _Fun in a Fog_. I think that was the title, but am not sure,
of the gambols with which the MARTINETTI _troupe_ used to entertain
us. The new and improved style of ballet-dancing introduced by the now
celebrated _pas de quatre_ at the Gaiety, is charming, as here and now
represented by Miss MABEL LOVE and her graceful companions.
[Illustration: "'_Fin de siècle_' Clown! Why I've seen that sort o'
thing done years ago, when I was a boy!"]
To sum up; as the inspired poet of the immortal ode on Guy Fawkes' Day
saw no reason why that particular treason should ever be forgot, so I,
but uninspired, and only mortal, am unable to ascertain the existence
of any objection to the opinion that this Pantomime possesses staying
power sufficient to carry itself on for an extra long run of several
months over Easter, and, maybe, up to Whitsuntide. There is but one
DRURIOLANUS, and the Pantomime is his Profit! The two authors have
achieved what "all the King's horses and all the King's men" (not of
Cambridge, of course) could not effect!--they have set _Humpty-Dumpty_
on his legs again! And so congratulations to "all concerned"! And,
without prejudice to Sir DRURIOLANUS,