Punch (77.1879)

August 16, 1879.]

PUNCH, OR THE LONDON

CHARIVARI.

71

A DANGEROUS RIVAL.

Fashionable Wife. "Good Heavens, Geokge ! you are not going out to
Dinner like that ! ? "

Athletic Husband. " Just ain't I though! Look here, Maria, I'll grant
you your Neck and Shouldebs, and your pbetty Face ; but I think I
beat you in the matter of Arms—and if so, "why shouldn't I shoav as

much of them as you do ? "

OUR REPRESENTATIVE MAN.

A Look-in at the Royalty and the Folly, and a Look-out again—A feio Words
about Pinafore —■ Lyceum — Absence — Novelty — Prospect—Suggestion—
Weather permitting.

Sir,—The other evening' I went into the Royalty Theatre, now under the
successful management of The Bruce, to see Crutch and Toothpick, a farcical
comedy by George R. Sims, followed by a mythological extravaganza— Venus,
written by Messrs. E. Rose and Augustus Harris. The last Venus I had seen
at this theatre was Miss Ada Cavendish, now tragedienne de la premiere classe
—quite the Sarah Bernhardt, in fact—when Lxion, or The Man at the
Wheel was all the rage, with Felix Rogers as an inimitable Minerva, Miss
Furtado for the dashing young hero, Lydia Maitland a most glorious Apollo,
poor Joe Robins a stout Ganymede, and David James a spring-heeled Mercury.

Crutch and Toothpick, from whatever it may have been adapted by Mr.
George R. Sims, is very funny in its situations and business, has some capital
dialogue, and is well acted all round. It is in for a long run—at least it sims
like it.

One of the best scenes is between Amy Jones and Cecil Leighton, two parts
capitally played by Miss Nellie Bromley and Mr. Lytton Sothern, though
by the time this appears in print the cast will probably have been altered. So
good a company ought to be kept together. Mr. Edgar Bruce is to be con-
gratulated on having effected a good start, and having gathered round him all
the materials of a good Palais Royal sort of Company, equally good at farce
and burlesque, ready for prose or verse, talking and walking, singing and
dancing, as occasion may require.

0 Royalty where are thy charms ? " The spectator who drops in at ten—
which he is wrong in doing, as he will miss Crutch and Toothpick, but better
late than never—will be able to answer this question satisfactorily.

Nellie Bromley
Looks so comely,
Edith Blandb
Very grand,
Alma Stanley
Bather manly;
I was took

"With little Miss Brooke,
"Who plays Gallus,
And nothing alius.

It will not occur to any but the poetic mind that ■1 no-
thing alius " is poetic licence for "nothing else."

Mr. Groves, a very good low comedian, of the Comp-
tonian school, who plays Vulcan, has some very funny
business with little Miss Brooke, who takes the part of
a diminutive page to Mars.

Of tender age,
She plays the page
To Phcbbe Don,
With helmet on ;
As Mars she charmed,
She's so well armed !

But I hadn't time to see more than the first scene,
which seemed to promise well.

My Mend said, " Stop ! see

Miss Emilie Copsey !

And, something still more,

Miss L. Gilmoke.

Stay half an hour,

You'll see Miss Gower,

Miss Daisy Clive

And others, five,

Miss Darncombe, Grey.

You'd better stay! "

My hand I kisses

To all these misses,
And so depart. At duty's call,
One Miss for me, and that's—miss all!

Moral.

The " direction," at least, is good, I admit;
With seventeen "Misses," he's scored one "hit."

So I went off to Another Drink, which seems to be
getting along far better than was at first expected, Mr.
Anson and Mdme. Dolaro being almost as good as they
are in The First Night—the first genuine success of the
Folly Theatre under Madame's management.

L'Assommoir didn't seem to me to be a good subject
for burlesque, but Authors and Actors have got lots of
fun out of it, and left lots in it. Mr. Wyatt, as Goujet,
is a good dancer. He has already distinguished himself
in burlesque at the Strand, when he took Mons. Marius's
part in Diplunacy, and gave a very good imitation of
Count Bankroff.

By the way, at the Royalty they've got a good Musical
Director, in Mr. Edward Solomon, who, in evening dress,
and baton in hand, might be advertised as " Solomon in
all his glory—every night at ten ! "

Pinafore has been to the front a good deal lately, and
now seems to have got mixed up with Trial■ by Jury.
The Company (Limited) of the Opera Comique have
been, apparently, ecarte, or rather, e-Z)' Oyley-carte'd.
H.M.8. Pinafore was boarded by the crew of H.M.S.
Director Ship, the defence of the first-named barque
being organised by Captain Barker, who seems to have
got himself considerably barked. Of course, now both
sides have let the steam off, it will all end m smoke ;
librettist and composer will weep on the directors' necks,
who, in turn, will join hands with Mr. Donkey Carte—
which he isn't by any means—and the Bark of the
Barker being silenced, the Noble Proprietor will call in the
worthy Architect, Mr. Fowler, and all play " Fowler
my Leader "—the Leader being Mr. Cellier—and all
end by going, piously, to Chappell.

But I have fled from Town: the Friendly Zulus
finished me.

I'm afraid I missed something in being away when
Miss Genevieve Ward

" Walked in silk attire,"

and the critics, out of consideration for the feelings of
our dear old " Pal," felt that they

" Zillah had to spare."

But, I say, Simpson & Co., what are you about ?

Is this an exemplar

Of you and Claude Templar ?