Punch: Punch (91.1886)

July 31, 1886.]

PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.

57

THE TOUR OF THE THEATRES.

Deab Me. Nlbbs,

Before leaving town you asked me to drop you a line to tell
you how " things theatrical" were progressing in London, during
your absence. _ You Rsked. f or a summary of the season, or as you

amusingly described it, (al-
luding no doubt to the sultry
time of the year) a "sum-
mery."

Here it is. All the Theatres
seem to be in full swing, I
should say swim (for your
obliging quibble has put me
in the vein for word-twisting),
as the Managers are keeping
their heads above water.
Being a little pressed _ for
time, and moreover anxious
to let you know at the earliest
possible moment how matters
are going, I have been doing
a couple of Theatres a-night.
On one evening I saw two-
thirds of the Pickpocket, and
Mr. Dlxey as "Irving" at
the Gaiety. On another I
knocked off the School Mis-
tress at the Court, and all
that was best worth seeing

(the outside) at the Avenue.
An Irraigite from Dixey's Land. X „ ,i- A ' T „ j

° J On a third 1 made up my

mind to do the Fool's Revenge at the Opera Comique, and whatever

was being played at the house opposite. This did not come off, as I

could not get my dinner over before eleven, on account of one of my

guests insisting upon describing what he had seen of the Pastoral

Players at Wimbledon. From this you will observe that I have not

been wasting my time.

Before I visited the Globe, of course I.had read most of the notices

°* the Pickpocket. And the " consensus of opinion," seemed to be

the play ought to be a failure, but as a mistake was made by the

papers about the Private Secretary, "it's best not to prophesy before

you know." Quite so. The new farcical comedy or pantomimical

farce, or whatever it may be, is one of the funniest pieces that

has been produced for a long time, and deserves the success it has

attained. Messrs. Hill and Penley are Messrs. Penley and Hill.

Wait and "Weight, a Character Sketch by the Hill-side.

They are quite themselves and consequently the best of good com-
pany. Mr. Hawtbey the lessee, is also amusing, a remark equally
'applicable to Mrs. Lei&h Mubeay. On the occasion of my visit, I
saw the late Attorney-General in the stalls. When I say "late," I
do not mean that Sir Chaeles Russell came in during the middle of
the Second Act, for as a matter of fact he was in his place before
the conclusion of the lever de rideau, (a pretty little piece nicely
played by Miss Geahame and others) but merely to mark the re-
signation of the Ministry. Sir Chaeles did not seem greatly amused,
and possibly was there to note the "makeup" of a certain actor,
described by Mr. Hill, (who, by the way, was one of the originals—
the very originals—of the Happy Zand) as the " Grand Old Maniac."
The Loed Chambeblain suggested an alteration in the dressing of
some of the characters in the extremely clever piece to which I have

just alluded, and the Pickpocket would give less scandal by his crimes,
were he to drop the notion he has stolen (or shall I say annexed ?) from
that play or elsewhere, before any interference comes from the'' powers
that be." The " get-up " in this instance is not funny, but merely
offensive. Verbum sap.

The Schoolmistress, at the Court, is delightful. Messrs Clayton
and Cecil (to say nothing of Mrs. John" Wood, and nothing but
good can be said of her), are as charmingly absurd as ever. The
piece goes with a roar from beginning to end, in spite of the hot

Scene in Court, " Such an Admiral!

weather. The Ievtng business at the Gaiety seems to amuse the
audience, but, for my part, I am rather tired of these imitations.
A propos, the best imitation I have recently seen is furnished by Mr.
Baeeaud, who has photographed Miss Ellen Teeey to perfection.
This clever imitator (ably assisted by Sol, the Sun—not the Father
—another smile-provoking quibble) has furnished wonderful like-
nesses of "three little girls from school" and the Mikado, the
heroine of Jim the Penman, and many others. May all these clever
people's shadows (as furnished by Mr. Babbaud) never grow less !

Lady Archibald Campbell, as I have already hinted, electrified
"the Royalty, Nobility, and Gentry of Wimbledon and its neigh-
bourhood." in Fair Rosamond, an abridgment of the play Lord Ten-
nyson will insist upon callingt " Beckew' Why his Lordship should
have dropped the proper prefix to the title-name I know not, unless
it be that, after several attempts to obtain a hearing from various
London Managers he has found it impossible to get the "d across the
footlights." Contrary to the original, Henry and Thomas play their
game of chess with Tennysonian jokes (!) in the wood, instead of
using an apartment for the purpose. Whether this alteration is
judicious is an open, an out-in-the-open, question. Perhaps they
don't mind draughts ! With this merry suggestion (1 call it merry,
for is not chess akin to draughts ?),

I remain always, my dear Mr. Kibes,

Chaeles—youe Feiend.

A Tribute to the Three.

[All England beat the Australians at Lord's on Wednesday, July 21, 1886,
by an innings and 106 runs, mainly owing to the splendid batting of Arthur
Shrewsbury, who made 164 runs, and the excellent bowling of Briggs and
Barlow.]

Thanks to you we 're dancing jigs,
Shbewsbuey, Baelow, and. Bhiggs.
Who '11 call England's cricket-star low,
Betggs, and Shbewsbuey, and Bablow ?
Here's your health, ye Glorious Three,
Baelow, Bbiggs, and Shbewsbuey !

" The Campbells are Coming."

The Campbells Mr. Punch refers to are the Campbells of that
admirable Institution the Royal Normal College for the Blind at
Norwood, the devoted Dr. Campbell himself chief among them.
And they are coming to ask the public to assist them in gathering
£6,000, in annual guinea subscriptions, by Christmas, 1887. As trie
St. James's Gazette says :—" A man who wants nothing for himseir,
but devotes his whole life to the service of others, ought to get it.
Quite so. Who '11 be one of the Six Thousand ?