Cirrus@Austlit

This adaptation of the classic fairytale is very likely to have been based on Frank Neil's 1922 pantomime, with the addition of new songs, comic business, and situations. The Argus theatre critic, who describes the production as being rich in its spectacle, writes, 'There was a great variety of scenes of which just a few were the attractive village, the King's palace, a giant meccano set [sic], the Ogre's den of mystery and the candy cave... The transformation scene - a feature which has not been given in recent pantomimes - was reintroduced. From an old-world garden it took the spectator to the lands of bluebell, of daffodils, and of roses, and then to the hall of roses, ending with a shower of gold' (28 December 1926, p.16). Another effective scene according to the Age critic was the transformation at the conclusion of the pantomime of the Ogre (played by Howard Hall) into a mouse (28 December 1926, p.7).

Of Jim Gerald as Puss in Boots, the Argus critic writes:

'Mr Gerald can be comic, very comic, even when he is a cat, but his humour has freer play when he is human, and those who had enjoyed his fun-making in revue found quite as much reason to enjoy it in pantomime. There was certainly a considerable share of audacity in the character of the cat who caused his master to become Marquis of Carabas... Did he not instruct the Marquis not only in the way to make a fortune, but also in the art of winning the affections of Princess Rose? He melodiously instructed the audience, too, on life in a garden suburb and on many other matters quaint and amusing. None of the ogres with whom one has been acquainted could have failed to yield to Billy's more or less gentle persuasions, which ensured a marquisate and vast estates for Colin, the miller's youngest son' (28 December 1926, p.16).

One particular novelty was the stunt whereby Gerald wandered around the auditorium during the interval, creating much amusement with his agility as he made his way from 'the stalls to the circles to the gods' (Age 28 December 1926, p.7).