Extravaganza of “The Ninth Statue; or, the Jewels and the Gem,” at the Haymarket Theatre. 1849. Source: The Illustrated London News. Click on image to enlarge it.
After the “Loving Woman," and “King Rind’s Daughter," a grand extravaganza, entitled the “Ninth Statue; or, the Jewels and the Gem,” by the Messrs. Brough, was produced. Alasnam (Miss P. Horton), over-fond, though a King, of beer, is subject to a visionary state of mind, and dreams of a grotto with eight statues in it — such grotto, with its superabundant wealth, having its correspondent reality in the waking world. By means of a subterranean passage, Alasnam finds his way to it, and there meets with Rumfogi (Mr. Bland), the chief Monarch of the genii, who proposes to add a ninth statue to the group, on condition that Alasnam provides him with a faultless maiden. Ultimately, he fulfils this condition by selecting Zuleika (Miss Kathleen Fitzwilliam), whose modesty and personal charms succeed in attracting his own heart; but Rumfogi is inflexible, and has her carried off by violence, leaving his subject Monarch to melancholy and despair, and the reproaches of an angry mother, who thinks that the loss of a wife is not a thing to grieve for. Rumfogi* however, at length settles all differences like a gentle geni, shewing Zuleika on the pedestal as the ninth statue, and bestowing her on her once disappointed but now happy lover.
Mias Kathleen Fitzwilliam made her first appearance here in the character of the faultless maiden, and played enchantingly. Of Mr. Bland and Miss Horton, it is sufficient to state that they threw their usual exuberance of spirit into their respective parts. Mr. Munyard, also, as secretary to the amorous Monarch, had some humorous business to do, and some burlesque parodies to sing, which proved highly amusing. The audience was respectable as well as numerous, and the evening passed off without the slightest disturbance. It was composed of the class who could afford to be wise as well as merry.
The scene engraved is the entrance of Alasnam the young King, into the grotto of eight statues.
Bibliography
“Christmas Pantomimes and Extravaganzas.” Illustrated London News. 15 (29 December 1849): 437. Hathi Trust Digital Library version of a copy in the University of Michigan Library. Web. 26 December 2015. The text above was created from the Hathi page images with ABBYY FineReader. — George P. Landow
Last modified 27 December 2015