Sa
Tac
THE CHINA. MAIL, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1950.
3
DAMES AND WICKED SISTERS SKYROM
ligh fantasie
of Pantomine
By BEVERLEY BAXTER
dramatic critic
"I I
receive two free seats shaped
for every new theatri-
no
wife,
can think of two Well
aensons,"
this
Блуз the
sayo
on
NOISEY.
"Father Christmas gave him a little carpenter's set["
favour,
Thus
not
that if this kind of thing con- Yes; but they indiente by thely Idtchen and dreams of better tinued the Roman Empire jokes that they will be quita things.
the docs would collapse. And so I did, all right. Even when they la even protend to be 'coy when which shows
that the critics down to sleep Mr Knox, takke the Prince offers his hand after
enre to place a largo rat
her un- finding
foot. aren't always wrong.
Cinders the 17th der Mr Nervo's pillow of leaves, knew a good thing when Aho was not until
saw it. entury that the pantomimic and Mr Nervo carefully pinces art spread to England, but his shoes on the other Babe's
pubile did not enthuse as face.
the
much as the Romans did about
the mythological legends. 30 eventually the popular form
was
the story of Columbisie AND who is their
and Harlequin Columbine WED
village
And
heart,
Personally I have never bean convinced that the size of a maiden's foot WAR Auflelent reason for marringe.
But na-
to
ture in mother?
her determination preserve the conilnulty of the prese it
human race, moves in her own mysterious, inexorable way. It is well known that the daugh- of the British aristocracy ters nearly all have large feel, doubt due to the amount of
her Blcss which J
mpic Monrewer Eddie elmpic
Grey with his alcoholic nose, his Harlequin
pro moustache and his note carefully, was always be- digious
French phrases. ing chased by comle constables, exquisite
course Monsower is of Thus
to see the The we begin
Damc and when sho unfolding of the pattern which, the
hcr
in the temper exclusively Bri- loses has become
kitchen does she send
the youth. tish." Instead of being
Babes Dgure of awe,
1$
in
no
exercise they take In their
political
for
But perhaps reasons, the Prince to bed without support felt that it would be wiser to
by the Not a bit of it. She hits them
О
In a wager.
There
TIO
prefe
8PM
NIGHTI
LOBING
"Probably goes back to the cal production in the West Elizabethane," declares the End, as well as the smaller eriti pompously,
"when girls suburbs. used to be played by boys. theatrea in the
That's why Shakespeare was This sounds very agreeable, always dressing his boys up in and indeed it has its boys' clothes because they were
the policeman Dad pleasurable side, but 4
more convincing that way than
always worsted London Express Egretos.
comics who have the enthusi- over the head with a broom marry a commoner. critic must see plays which dressed as girls."
skirt off, mean
aslic support of the Improve for the Pantomimista
children while they pull her
two no sane man would
Auch spindly think
their atrevealing the audience in stupid wife
that when a boy in Rome when Caligula looked
legs that the Monsewer admis of doing. As a professional dresses up as a boy he looks will remember (at any rate you
them with
You tempts to evade arrest
is in grave-digger
There more like we have
giri."
every normal he won them from a sparrow THE Americans cannot under- aland our passion for panto- that child an instinctive love the
of you don't) Where did
to if thentrient ought
mime. To them it just doesn't } warning as to the condition
his was so devoted to
abourd and the incongruous. extravaganza
Pantomime Callgula
But the finer things are not make sense, but that of course DECIAL of the corpses.
begin? Of course the average tor.
horse that he made it a sena It demonstrates itself even in
forgotten.
In compul- in Its charm. Pantomim Yet once a year the critic person would say that pan-
I've often met a senator the first months of life when abandona his lofty
pose of tomime is as English as Brus- who proved to be an has. bit baby will throw dishes from its sory education in Pantomims doesn't make sense, and if it superiority and becomer as seja sprouts, that it spray this was the first time, I am al-
But if you go to one think satisfaction aver go to school where Bud Flana- gullible
gurgle with
on of its long history and its an- henry other citizen. from the soil of England and mont certain of my facts, that high chair on to the floor, and in real life, so off the Babes ever does it will die, when Mr Ller invites has never really taken root in a horse was made a senator. the deed. The baby well knowa gan, (I admit that this is
in its own him
breaking the law, all star cast I am assembling), cient origin, how to "Mother Goose."
or any other country. That an- But again
history that this fa
the schoolmaster who
it is tho way
human spirit Jack Hylton to "Aladdin," or swer Is about twenty-three telling the
cares Tom
Anding relief from the same story twice, as well as the dishes, but that to "Cinderella," centuries wrong in the matter Caligula's Arnold
only
to the crime, writes on the blackboard:- adds zest
and
drabness the Not only that, it likes to
of averyday Christmas is at hand and the of origin.
authentic origin of the Panto its father stand on his head, or
How much
life. Above all, when you Pantomime Season is about to
IS mime horse at Christmas, the put on his wife's hat, or fall
laugh at the comedians give a one with the wide gia and the down
Too and Too?
thought to the great Grimaldi, Kots a great lough from the
the collapsible back legs,
Mr Nervo says
"the genuine drell, the ing, filching, irresistible Caligula however, does not dear le cherub), or crawl la "Too Much" whereupon deserve as much credit as under the sofa and bark like a and the other Babe give teacher Nero who not only played the dog.
Now to spanking. well regulated child with violin, but also fancled himself as an actor. So he became one
normal Instincts this is exactly of the dumbest stars in the
how life ought to be. No Adolf Hitlerited where everything mine young my Brary van to
It is
open.
The critic discovers, to his surprise, that he is an intensely
popular follow, his merits be ing recognised not only by his mature friends but even more So by their sons and daughters. As for nephews, nieces and god-children, you are never
of their hearts ouc gladsome season.
al
this
WARMED by this unaccus-
Woned affection and inter-
of
0
THE original pantomimes came
to Rome
you sco
horse wns
from Etruria, (look it up on the mop your self, I'm too busy), in the year
They 364 B. C.
were called histrioncs, from
hister, a dancer, which accounts for the mogen word histrionic
which nothing to do with dancing all. But in those days the critics of his day who did not dancera were the only actors, went to be on the menu at the wearing masks and speaking Coliseum. ro lines.
nt
the stairs, (this always
EEP down in its little mind has history mot Pantomimes, and D the intent is making its
a was
Augustus became the great patron of this art, so much 6
[NFORTUNATELY Nero's in
in fact that he is regarded by ORe was not good. some, historians (from histoire,
Ho
unconscious protest
against
-
the
is
A
could
to
answer
he
any
who laboured so hard in bring- Ing laughter to London that he died prematurely, worn out by his exertions.
Sweet lodies and gentlemen,
the British I give
the wisdom of childhood alive in all of us.
ridiculed and every keep pompous thing cruel le punished. There wisdom as well as incon- gruity in the kingdom childhood's imagination.
4.
the drabness of life in later years, when we all begin slow- ly to die from creeping com- mon sense. And here lot bric soy that the wise man, and certainly the happy one, never entirely loses that early love
THE Pantomime which differs a tall story) as the inventor of took the view that since the ac- of absurdity. The keener
the more vivid the from all the others is "Cin dumb acting. If that is so he tors' faces
were masked, and mind,
the deeper
derella" and I wonder that the has an awful lot to answer for their voices were not used, the imagination,
the appreciation of the non- Labour Government permits it in die modern theatre.
audience on ht to he
sensical. Nothing but a supud to be shown. all know
In its romantis. Ia You
that history something for their money.
intellect could other words, he was in favour by cultivated repeats itself, so it is interest-
It unfolding
class dis- have written "Alice in Wonder- tinction, praises the profit mo-
extols being re- ing to note that the mimes, of the human body
tive, and preaches since it had to do all land" or "The Importance that is the dumb actors, became
the lesson being Earnest." so popular
with
that a really nice girl in lowly the knights the acting.
of development and nobles that there was
be careful to This may well have been the
the position should
Into great deal of fraternisation, and first discovery of the female Pantomime was shrewdly based marry
the aristocracy Thus in where there is a lot of money. I doubt it. At on child psychology, drinking of Hemlock Fizzles at Ier-although the local pub. This
modern made any rate the local Jane Rus-
times the rapturous
Cinders la Tiberius
It in true that very angry, Бо he sells verled up the old my- Boxing Day audience finds that checked all this by prohibiting 4hological
but she does tales
"Babes in the Wood" are fond of Buttons which were the nables to frequent actors the
am chosen theme, but I none other than those emment rot allow her head to be ruled comedians, Mr by her heart. Buttons is her взуя the houses or be seen walking glad to say that this exhibition- adult London
Are the only friend, except of course "T often wonder
them in the streets, why with
or lem did not take place without Nervo and Mr Knox.
frightened when they her
father, The early Christians Baber protest.
badgered DOOT, the Principal Boy is played by climbing the Seven Hills.
However,
things began to were right on the job and said are lost in the wood? In a way, but she has had enough of the
We
est the critle gets the tele- phone and actually purchases, Pox seady money, extra tickets In all directions. It is said that the nectacle A critic pur- chasing a ticket has caused even the most hard-boiled box office attendants to burst into tears.
Now
the strange part about all this is that the critic (and
shall diapose of him at together in a minute) actually dooks forward to accing the
Panternime. "It's
tun to go with the kids," he says. "They Uke all this nonsense ahous dames and 'brothers' men nod wicked sisters."
'And the principal boy?" **ys his wife sweetly. "Queer thing," crific.
a girl."
vealed
建
The
of
London Expreta Barpice.
AND HIS BANDI
ofeaturing
SATURDAY JOSEPHINE
2 A.M.
Ron
Sunday DARLING of MANILA
TEA
DANCE
5-7 PM
FOR RESERVATIONS DIAL.
DOWNTOWN, 3129)
SKYROOM, 26315
FOR THE
FINEST DIAMONDS...
*
TAI HANG JEWELLERY
Gple Agents for, LIBERTY DIAMOND WORKS LTD. Johannesburg.
Room 707, 7th Floor, Bank of East Aala Bldg.
Telephone 21388
All the
very
best
for his Christmas
From
Mackintosh's
13 Chater Road,