Punch (74.1878)

4

PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.

[January 12, 1878.

S'

OUR REPRESENTATIVE MAN.

At the Gaiety afternoon—The Adelphi afternoon and evening—The
Folly—with most interesting and varied information about all
sorts of things.

IR,—Ik my capacity as Your
Representative, and, there
fore, reading everything, I
have been much struck by a series
of articles in The Globe, appearing
under tbe heading of " Our Light-
houses." I was saying to
myself, " What a delight-
ful occupation I a Light-
house Inspector ! " when it
suddenly occurred to me,
that, at all events, during
Christmas, I am Your
Lighthouse Inspector, or,
to speak by the card, Your
Inspector of the Light-
houses of London. For if
the Lyceum, with its Ir-
vingite service, and the
Princess's, with its Wills's
mixture, and the Queen's
(late National) with Fa-
therland, represent the
"heavy" business of the
theatrical world, then all
the other theatres in Town,
at this gay and festive sea-
son, are the Light Houses
of London, beginning with
the Prince of "Wales's, Vaudeville, and Court, as representing Light
Comedy—at least, the Court will represent Light Comedy when The
Last Days of the House of Damley have come to an end—the
Olympic as representing the revolving light of Comedy-drama, the
Oaiety and Strand as representing Light Comedy and lightest and
brightest Burlesque, the Haymarket, with its clever eccentricity (un-
musical), the Opera Comique, with its ditto (musical), the Royalty,
with its Opera Bouffe, the Folly, with its lightest of light musical
Farce, and, finally, Her Majesty's, with its Ballet Pantomime, Old
Drury and Covent Garden, with their Pantomimes, and the Gaiety
(again) and the Adelphi, with their Afternoon Pantomimes—aU these
certainly represent the London Light Houses of which, by special
appointments (time, date, and number of seat, being on the ticket),
Your Representative is the Inspector.

Of the first Lighthouse, Drury Lane, I have already spoken, and
spoken well, as everybody else does who has seen the Yokes et prce-
terea nil Pantomime of La Chatte-rton Blanche-a.rd. But before
the holidays are over and the inevitable Black Monday arrives, let
me recommend all who love taking children to Pantomimes, to see
the Gaiety afternoon Pantomime of Valentine and Orson, commenc-
ing at 2'30 p.m., with its thoroughly good old-fashioned genuine
Pantomime Scene, with very little talking in it, (and after all, who
wants to hear anything except a song or two in a Pantomime ?) be-
tween the D'Aubans and W. Wabde, and Lieutenant Cole to
follow, with his speaking figures, or as he might term them, his
"figures of speech." " Lieutenant" Cole ! Why he is far above
that rank ; he is King Cole, King of Ventriloquists, with an exhi-
bition of cleverness that no Cole, who has ever had anything to do
with any sort of exhibition, has ever equalled. He is the only Cole
that might be sent successfully to Newcastle. I don't like his
Jeremiah Broadbrim behind the screen; let King Cole take a
friendly hint and drop this particular figure of speech. The little
Girl who sings " The Dicky Bird out in the Snow," is excellent;
but the gem of the whole entertainment is the centre figure, the
irritating Old Gentleman who will interrupt on every possible occa-
sion, but who is so intensely disgusted when he himself is inter-
rupted by the laughter of the Black Boy on his left. It may be
safely said that for something light and brilliant, this is the very
best Cole anywhere.

There is another afternoon Pantomime at the Adelphi played
entirely by children. It is called Robin Hood and his Merry Little
Men. A more elegant Harlequin than Miss Annie Gilchbist
won't be seen this Christmastide anywhere, and I suppose Master
Beetle Coote is the only Clown in town who sings the queer old-
fashioned song of " Hot Codlings,'1'' which used to delight our grand-
fathers and our fathers, and up to within a very recent period was
regularly demanded every Boxing-Night by the Gallery, when com-
pliance with the request was regularly refused by the Clown. Now-a-
days no one in the Gallery calls out for " Hot Codlings,'' and I do
not believe that any Clown ever sings it, not even in private life.
Can any one of us, even of those privileged persons who know a
Clown to speak to,—who "know him at home," as Eton boys used

to say,—can anyone of us, I ask, really divest himself of the idea
that a Clown remains, just as he is, dormant throughout the year,
until suddenly revivified by the genial approach of Christmas ? Who
cannot imagine the gradual awakening of Clown ? The winter fires
feed the vital spark, and restore animation. Then, after the longest
run, after, perhaps, nearly three months of buffeting, bonneting,
of tumbling, of injuring himself all over with red-hot pokers, fancy
the sudden collapse of Clown on the blank inevitable To-morrow that
follows on the Last Night of the Pantomime.

L—moi, qui parte—have spoken with most eminently respectable
and well-behaved individuals who, I have been told, are Clowns,
Pantaloons, Harlequins, and Columbines. In my heart of hearts, I
have never credited the information, but, of course, politeness would
forbid my expressing a doubt. I do not believe that the Panto-
mimists who are brought to us by Fairies at Christmas, and who
salute us with; "Here we are again!" can, at other times, be ordinary
mortals. If, in spite of my incredulity, it is nevertheless a fact,
then, as Mr. Fact comes of a stubborn family, I refuse to make his
acquaintance. Most of us prefer Fiction.

The Adelphi Pantomime assures me of the truth of,'at all events,
one of my Pantomime Theories, which was mimus nascitur non fit.
Clearly these Mimes are " born so," and here they may be seen all
a-blowing (after their dances), and all a-growing,—for some of them
are a good inch taller than they were last year.

But I have a bone to pick with Mb. Chattebton. In his pro-
gramme, now before me, he announces, not only for certain fixed
dates, but for " every evening," that at seven p.m. will commence
the Drama of Formosa, to be followed by The Enchanted Barber,
in which the Gieabds will appear. Outside the theatre the an-
nouncement was to the same effect, while inside the theatre The
Enchanted Barber was played at seven, Formosa soon after eight,
and the Gibards appeared after this. Now what I went to see, and
what I hope everyone capable of enjoyinga thoroughly original,
graceful, and very funny Harlequinade, will go and see, was not
For??iosa, or the Gibabds, but the performance of the 'Martinetti
Troupe in the after-part of The Enchanted Barber.

Anyone merely guided by the bills last week, and going in for the
Mabtinettis, would have been treated to some of Formosa, a taste
of the Gibabds, and nothing of what he wanted to see. Fortunately,
a well-informed person met me in time and warned me .Would that
all our Harlequinades could be remodelled on the Martinetti plan.
An intelligent plot runs through it, clearly told in dance and action,
graceful and grotesque, by first-rate pantomimists. I should
strongly recommend the management to stick to its first arrange-
ment, and put the cart before the horse—that is, Formosa (the cart)
before the Mabtinetti (the horse), as the horse will draw.

At the Folly may be seen a three-act Farce of the most utter
farcical description, avowedly made up from French materials, and
flavoured with French sauces. The comic business in the second
and third Acts is quite enough to carry it, as an audience is sure to
go into fits of laughter on seeing three funny people shut up in
three different cupboards, the low comedian escaping out of window,
and adopting the window curtains for trousers, and somebody else
being shut into a sort of divan, and sat upon. Mr. Hill seems too
big for this little house, or too broad; he reminds me strongly of
Wright and Paul Bedfobd (mixed together, two-thirds being Paul
Bedfobd) at the Adelphi, when;the essence of farce was being hidden
in cupboards, or up a chimney, sitting by accident on a baby, or
hiding the infant in a chest of drawers. Those who remember
Weight will recognise where the resemblance begins and ends. If
pretty Miss Violet Camebon will only make friends with Dramatic
Art, then, Nature having already been most kind to her, a brilliant
career in the lighter forms of the Drama should be before her.

Les Cloches de Corneville is announced for this theatre^ I saw it
in Paris, at a theatre about three times, at least, the size of the
Folly, for which house it will, therefore, be rather a tight fit.
There is a part in it equal to that of the Miser in La Fille de
L'Avare, magnificently played by Robson as Daddy Hardacre,
at the Olympic. If, with Les Cloches de Corneville, the manager of
the Folly will give us another RoBSon, it will be indeed a fortunate
chance for himself, the artist, and the public.

Morning performances of the most successful pieces, besides
Pantomimes, are now being given. The Haymarket, Engaged—at
the Opera Comique, The Sorcerer—at the Vaudeville, Our Boys,
and at the Strand, The Bed Rover, on Saturday next, the 12th of
January.

Our Boys nears its thousandth night. Of course it wiU be run to
its thousand-and-one'th representation, so as to rival the Arabian
Nights. After that a separate establishment should be opened for
Messrs. James, Thobne, & Co., to play new pieces in, while the
Vaudeville could be conducted by Lieutenant Cole, with moving
figures dressed as the characters in Our Boys. The Tussaud
Family might object, but, after all, it would only be one institution
more, which visitors from the country would be bound to visit once

£l y68/1*

At the Prince of Wales's, on the night of the 12th, will be