Cirrus@Austlit

Described in advertising as having been 'faithfully translated from the original Arabic manuscript by E. L. Blanchard, Esq., with annotations local, vocal and jokal and Moke-al by Mr Frank Edwards, author of Der Schwartz Eggsbexperiences' (Argus 24 December 1877, p.8), the original pantomime (simply titled The Forty Thieves) had been staged in London the previous year. The Argus theatre critic was largely unimpressed by the Melbourne production overall, writing that there was not much to say about the acting and that the transformation scene had 'only a qualified claim to approval:'

The panorama of the Russo Turkish War [included in the first act], however, is in Mr Hennings' best manner, and is quite worthy of his reputation. It consists of 11 views... [which] are illustrative of the present war, and although they are apparently all taken from engravings with which we have been made familiar, they fully merit the distinction of originality on the score of colour effect. They are all excellent, but that which will probably impress itself most strongly upon the attention is 'The Mouth of the Blue Danube at Sunrise.' It is full of poetry.

With regard to the storyline, the same critic suggests that although 'dramatically represented in every conceivable fashion... it serves little else than to furnish an excuse for scenery and groupings. In respect of the dialogue it has not much to boast of, even in its original form, and the local matter which has been interpolated has but a small claim to be considered wit. It consists chiefly of allusions to the majority in the Legislative Assembly and the Berry Government, both of which people are by this time tolerably well tired of' (Argus 25 December 1877, p.7).

The synopsis of scenery, as published in the Argus is:

Act 1, Scene 1. Market Place in Bagdad;

Scene 2. The Date Grove;

Scene 3. Enchanted Cavern in the Depths of the Forrest;

Scene 4. The Divan of the Genii;

Act 2, Scene 1. Ali Baba's House in the City of Bagdad;

Scene 2. The Courtyard, by Moonlight with distant view of the City;

Scene 3. On the banks of the Tigris;

Scene 4. Grand Reception-room in Ali Baba's house;

Grand Transformation Scene 'The Four Seasons;'

Harlequinade and 'Gorgeous Last Scene.'

The first act also included 'Henning's Royal Map of the Turco-Russian WAR' [sic], comprising First View- The Black Sea, Dirty Weather, Turkish Fleet on the Alert; Second View - Mouth of the Blue Danube (Sunrise); Third View - First Turkish Disaster, Total Destruction of the Lufti D'Jill, Turkish Monitor; Fourth View - Famous Passage of the Danube by the Russians, 27th June 1877; Fifth View - A Russian Boat Struck by a Turkish Shell; Sixth View - Left on the Road, Food for the Vulture's Maw; Seventh View - Night Camp in the Balkans; Eight View - The Schipka Pass; Ninth View - Battle of Pievna; Tenth View - After the Battle; Last View - Bombardment of Nicopolis.

The story begins with a prologue, set on a beach at Sorrento, where the Stewart sisters and H. R. Harwood discuss the subject of the next pantomime. The demon Djin Al Kohol then enters and promises to aid the Frog King in his attempt to win the hand of Princess Zu Zu. In this scene "plentifully interlarded with local allusions" they contrive to carry off Princess Zu Zu if all else fails. The pantomime then moves to the palace of King Djol Sopht and Queen Schezatarta (the real power of the realm), Froggee arrives at the court and presses his suit for the hand of the princess, but his intentions are put on hold when the royal parents decree that the successful suitor must first procure a bottle of water from the fountain of dancing water, which is believed to exist somewhere but no one has yet found it. Froggee soon learns that his most ardent rival is, Prince Agib, who is being assisted by the good fairy Namoune.

After adventures in various locales, including the palace of King Loll-I-Pops, the Peri Lake, the cave of Al-Kohol (which sees him present a peep show panorama of the Prince of Wales' route to the East), and Banyon Groves. Eventually, with the help of the good fairy Prince Agib wins his quest and is granted the hand of Princess Zu Zu, who naturally has been in love with him all the time (Argus 28 December 1875, p.6). The panorama consisted of 12 views beginning with Windsor Castle and moving though Venice, the Red Sea, Madras, Calcutta and other localities.

[Source: Australian Variety Theatre Archive]

Described as an 'original extravaganza' on the Turandot theme, with songs, ballet, lavish spectacle, transformation scene, and harlequinade, the pantomime was written expressly for the Opera House by Garnet Walch. The production also contained numerous references to the current Melbourne scene, personalities, and issues (including Free Trade and Protection, strikes, and railways). The Age theatre critic records that while many of the topical hits furnished a good deal of fun for the audience, 'the impression left by the first performance [was] that the majority of the puns [were] far fetched and the brilliancy of [Walch's] wit obscured' (24 December 1874, p.4).

The story begins in the Royal Observatory near the city of Romanta, where Phokuss, the Royal Astronomer, has been commanded by the king to forecast the wedding day of his daughter, Princess Adamanta. An upholder of women's rights, the young woman does not believe in marriage, much to the consternation of her parents and the court. Complications arise when a declaration of war is made between Venus (Goddess of Love and Beauty) and Argentiextenibronides (the Spirit of Evil). Venus believes that all the princess needs is to find love, and decides that a hungry traveller, the Pilgrim of Love, will be her champion. Knowing that he will be in danger, she gives the pilgrim magic tokens that help protect him on his quest. Argentiextenibronides, in the meantime, orchestrates a plan that sees the Court Riddler put forward a challenge, the winner gaining the hand of the princess. Six suitors 'bearing extraordinary resemblance to well-known Melbourne celebrities' are beheaded for failing to guess the answers to riddles. According to the Age, these personalities included Mr Butters, the ex-king of Fiji, a well-known bookmaker, the Commissioner of Customs, a popular Collins-street doctor, and the importer of the first donkey. Not surprisingly, the pilgrim succeeds in answering the riddle. Intrigued, the princess attempts to find out his identity, but she is not the only one interested. Argentiextenibronides is also angered by the pilgrim's victory and he has his demons torture Phlunki so that they can find out who he is. When Phlunki accidentally reveals the pilgrim's name, both he and the pilgrim are imprisoned, along with Phokuss. All ends happily, however, when the princess realises she loves the mysterious stranger and announces that she will marry him. This leads to the Transit of Venus and the transformation scene, titled 'Vision of Ecstatic Bliss'.

The musical aspects of the production saw numerous popular songs introduced, along with incidental compositions by John Hill and a number of operatic airs. Advertising for the pantomime claimed, too, that 'for the first time in the annals of Australian Theatricals a full operatic orchestra and chorus [would be used] thus rendering the work as complete from a musical point of view' (Age 24 December 1874, p.4).

The harlequinade was played out in three scenes: Scene 1 Stafford's Sewing Machine Warehouse, Scene 2 The Interior of a Lodging House, and Scene 3 The Grotto of Despair.

Adapted from John Strachan's Humpty Dumpty (1873, Prince of Wales Theatre, Birmingham, England), with songs to operatic and other music, the Age proposed that this localised version by Messrs Carrington and J. Eville 'received an Australian complexion that adds to its native cleverness. Thanks to the labours of these gentlemen', wrote the paper's theatre critic, 'several leading incidents of the past year have been turned to merry account, and folly and fraud are held up to ridicule and contempt' (28 December 1874, p.3).

The story concerns Flameau the Fire King, who attempts to increase his power by forcing Princess Roseleaf to marry his close ally, the evil and ugly Humpty Dumpty. With the aid of Fairy Fern, queen of the fairies, Prince Prettyboy overcomes their dire intentions and wins the hand of the princess. A review of the premiere production notes that, as the pantomime progressed, the growth of Humpty Dumpty's head was 'cultivated at the expense of the other portions of his body, and he [came] on stage looking like a goblin that [had] just stepped out of an illustrated children's fairy book' (28 December 1874, p.3).

Numerous references to the Melbourne scene, politics, theatre (including J. C. Williamson's Struck Oil and Trollope's Bogus Clarke productions) were incorporated into the storyline. One of the topical hits saw J. R. Greville dressed as an overgrown boy dressed in knickerbockers and socks singing 'the song of the lively larrikin, in which an altogether groundless aspersion [was] cast upon a recent decision given in the Melbourne General Sessions' (28 December 1874, p.3).

Written largely in rhymed verse, this adaptation of W. S. Gilbert's comic drama Pygmalion and Galatea (1871) was described in advertising as 'an original, mythological, operatic and extremely erratic burlesque'. The Age theatre critic writes of Walch's version : 'The exigencies of [the] limited cast entail some deviation from the original plot... as in Gilbert's adaptation of the mythological tale. Otherwise the comedy, as recently played in the Theatre Royal [Melbourne], is pretty closely followed. The author has availed himself of the opportunity to hit off, more or less cleverly, the local celebrities and the leading follies of the day, and the dialogue bristles with puns whose chief merit lies in their pure audacity' (1 April 1873, p2). One of the local personalities satirised was Marcus Clarke.

The story concerns Pygmalion, a sculptor who is continually harassed by his wife, Cynisca. At the same time, however, she is flirting with a captain of the Royal Horse Hellenes. When the statue Pygmalion is sculpting comes to life and begins to flirt with him, all sorts of complications arise between the husband and wife. Eventually a voice from above deafens the pair and only releases them on the condition that they fix their marriage.

Described in advertising in 1873 as an 'Original Extravaganza' with ballet, spectacle, and songs to operatic and other music, the story opens with the Centre of Gravity and Salamanders' Retreat where Kantankeros, the Demon of Dullness, holds court amid rocks, in a general state of confusion. He and his ally Boblo (a determined minister of the state) plot to render Australians as dull and dispirited as their English brethren have become under the censorship of the Lord Chamberlain. In the second scene, set in 'the Willow Glen by Moonlight' amid invisible fairies, elves, and the Queen of Night, Mirth announces that he will sever his partnership with King Mischief. When the king arrives with his warriors, he is unphased by the news, causing Mirth to vent his rage upon the midnight air. A telegram then arrives from Kantankeros and Boblo, and Mischief decides to emigrate to Australia so as to join his confederates in Melbourne. Mirth overhears his plans, however, and puts into action a plan that he hopes will 'rescue that fair land from the clutches of three such arrant knaves'.

The story then moves to Bungaree Forest where Felix (Young Australia) lives with his parents, Old Australia and the Missus, and his sister Victoria (with whom he is very close) in a settler's hut. When his parents reveal that Victoria was found under a gum tree and is not their child, Young Australia and Victoria realise that they can unite their love through marriage. Just as they begin to celebrate, Kantankeros, Boblo, and Mischief arrive and weave a spell around him. Mirth, however, has conjured up a magic cricket bat to foil their schemes. He presents it to Felix and all adjoin to the MCC, where he is to take part in the match between England and Australia. When King Mischief learns of Mirth's plan, he responds by calling on Mosquito to plague and irritate his enemies. Felix also forgets Mirth's warning and allows the demon trio to trick the bat from him (along with all his money) in an under-and-over game. Kantankeros tells Mosquito to fly off to the Isle of Monkeys with the bat and then taunts Mirth over Felix's failure. He then dictates a challenge. If the bat is not returned within thirty-six hours, Mirth must agree to abandon Australia to its fate. However, Mirth has a staunch ally in Laughing Jackass, Felix's pet (and 'a very useful bird'), who overhears where Mosquito has gone. Mirth gives Felix's parents seven-league boots and, together with Laughing Jackass, they pursue Mosquito. Arriving on the island, the trio are captured by Simius, the King of the Apes, but Mirth sends his own warriors after them, and using a magic mirror they manage subdue the monkeys, release the captives, and regain the magic bat.

The next day finds Kantankeros, Boblo, and Mischief at Breakneck Gully, on the road to Hangman's Flat. With no news, the demonic allies begin gloating over what they believe is their triumph. The following scene, set at the Post Office Tower, sees Felix's parents rush in with the bat with seconds to spare, however. Kantankeros, in a desperate bid to escape, turns himself into a snake, thinking no one will notice if he slides away. He has forgotten one thing, though: Laughing Jackass is partial to reptiles, and dispatches his foe in double-quick time.

(Plot synopsis cited in Age 25 December 1873, p.3; Age 27 December 1873, p.6; and Argus 27 December 1873, p.6).

A good deal of local colour and topicalities were included in the pantomime (including references to Victorian politics, events, and personalities, such as anti-Chinese riots, the Tichbourne case, and W.G. Grace).

The musical element included a song written to the tune of the 'Gendarmes' duet from Genevieve, which was introduced during the cricket-match scene.

The story concerns a stupid but good-hearted princess, Amouretta, who prefers the deformed Riquet to the swell Prince Paragon. However, in choosing Riquet, she gains increased intellectual capacities. The 1872 production included an historical parade of characters and political allusions.