1950-12-16 — Page 3

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,