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'at DRURY LANE.iU\THE TITLE “PANTOMIMEABOLISHED,MR. COLLINS’S VIEW.On Boxing Day Mr. Arthur Collins will produce the seventeenth Christmas annual given under his direction as manager of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. “Yes;” said Mr. Collinsto a Standard* representative yesterday, “ itis a big past to look back upon, and Ithink creates a record. There is only one change that I would like to .make in its history, and that is, entirely to eliminate the word ‘ pantomime * as a description of our annual show. As a matter of fact, this famous old theatre has for several decades past been providing London with an entertainment that possesses all the qualities of the much talked-twA/lnun * mini a * nirif U n on /I nf mnciDfllof modern * revue/ with a blend of musicalcomedy, a hint of extravaganza, and an enveloping mantle of magnificent spectacle. Therefore to label a Drury Lane winter production as a ‘ Christmas pantomime ’ is a distinct misnomer. It belongs to no special season, but tradition demands its appearance at Yuletide, and custom has given it the title of ‘ pantomime/ and, so instead of running ‘our annual ‘■revue* through a whole year or , more, we have to cut it off short in the flood-tide of its success and produce something else, eimply because an entertainment that is cariled a ‘Christmas pantomime' cannot reasonably .foe expected to last over Easter. This was the case last year with ‘ Sleeping Beauty,’ which we have ‘ Reawakened ’ this season, and which will, I think, make people realise that Drury Lane provides a running commentary on the current events of the day, and is invariably ahead of time in stage ‘effects/ Why, in 1889 we had a ‘ staircase scene * on this stage that, in the opinion of those who remember its production, outshone any of the much-vaunted pictures of its kind that have recently foeen hailed as ‘ novelties.AT REHEARSAL.. As Mr. Collins talked, he was seated in the shelter of the huge three-leaved screen that at rehearsal time is one of the fixtures of Drury Lane's stage. Near him was Mr. George R. Sims, while on the big table that stood before them were heaped manuscripts, tiny models of scenes and mechanical' effects, and all the paraphernalia of that immense system of preliminary architecture that go toward the building up ” of a Drury Lane spectacle. Since the Drury Lane manager objects so completely to the word “ pantomime,” it seems a little difficult to invent a title that sufficiently describes the entertainment, and Mr. Collins expressed himself as unable at present to suggest an adequate substitute. At any rate, all the vast quantity of scenery and properties and people and costumes will be marshalled into perfect order by to-day, and what looked like chaos on Saturday by this morning will have assumed that appearance of well-ordered quietude that proclaims the fact that all will be well “on the night” when “SleepingBeauty” will “reawaken/* - “ Of course,” said Mr. Collins in answer toa question, “ our work this year has been to a certain extent simplified, because we have only had to add fresh material to an emphatic success, and to bring cup to date the points that last winter were most appreciated.^ But in a task Hke this one comes in contact with the difficulty of overdoing a good thing, and giving the public too much, which is a fatal error of judgment. An indigestion of enjoyment is a horrid complaint, and oner against which the astute manager sometimes fails to guard his public. But I think that this year Mr. Sims and I have measured our material very well, and we shall be able to compress into reasonable time not only the twelve scenes that make up the two parts of our fairy tale, but also to have the harlequinade played on Box-ring Night, a thing that has not occurred at Drury Lane for a long time. We want to feel the pulse of the public, by lt;the way, about the Harlequinade. Old-fashioned people are always sighing for it; do they really want it, and, when they get it, will they like it? That’s what I want to know. Whimsical Walker comes back to us once more. He is one of the few clowns of the old school who remain, and I found him engaged in the very modern occupation of acting for cinematograph films! •THE NEW SCENES.flThere is another point that interests me in regard to the point of view of a Drury Lane fairy tale,” continued Mr. Collins. “ You will observe, by the way, that -I am persistently avoiding the use of the word ‘ pantomime * in chatting to you—but this by way of parenthesis, for I was talking about the public. iWhat we want to find put is whether the taste of the modern child and the modern ‘ grownup * does not agree in regard to its amusements. In my experience the child likes to stimulate its imagination, to exercise its brain, to listen to sweet sounds and watch wonderful colours. The heartiest and most appreciative' applause during holiday time comes from the audiences that are chiefly made up of children. They adore George Graves, and seem to regard his ‘ fine old crusted * humour as the apotheosis of bliss. This year I am sure they will appreciate the joy of seeing him dance the tango with Will Evans, for instance.New scenes? Yes, there are one or two in j our second edition, and one that will be specially novel, ‘ The Pine Forest/ which I think will be a success. Graves, it will bo found this year, has a good deal more to do than on former occasions. The Poluskis are not included in the show, and we have written up several new scenes for Mr. Graves that ought to give him a wide scope for humorous development. On Christmas Eve, as usual, we shall have a huge audience of London County Council school children to see the dress rehearsal, but if it were necessary we could produce ‘ Beauty Reawakened * to-night without ahitch, and include the Harlequinade as well, just as it will be given on Friday night. There will be time for supper on Boxing Night.”aGRIM NECKLACES IN PAPUASMOKE-DRIED HUMAN HANDS.^ Important exploration work is being undertaken in Papua. Mr. II. J. Ryan, Resident Magistrate of the Delta division, is penetrating into the unknown region in the western division between Kiko and Strickland river, whilst another expedition has been working in an entirely unknown region of the Fly river. In his last expedition (states Reuter’s Agency) Mr. Ryan found the natives very hostile. Not much ifc known ofd.be inhabitants except that /they are light-skinned and sturdy people of .the mountaineer type. They live at an altitude of some 6000ft., wear long cloaks, are armed with bows and arrows, and carrywooden shields. Whether they are cannibals is uncertain, but there was abundant evidence that they cut off the hands of their enemies, smoked them, and then wore them in rows round their necks.; In the Fly river district an important discovery was made of an extensive lake, and the expedition came into touch with the natives, who were found to be very wild.
Newspaper Details
London Standard
London, Middlesex, GB
Tue, Dec 23, 1913
Page 8
Full Page
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Anonymous
USA 02 May 2019
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