Barnum and Van Amburgh’s Museum

[long review, no mention of music]  “The one at the museum bears the title of ‘Little Dewdrops. . . .'  It is framed on the English model—opening with a burlesque extravaganza, carried on in dialogue, and complete of itself as a story, which, however, serves but as an introduction to the real performance, the characters in the prologue—[one character being transformed into the other character].  he introductions are different in every piece of this kind, but after the transformation all the English pantomimes are alike . . . . For the first day or two of a pantomime is little more than rehearsed, so comment of the ‘Dewdrop’ performance yesterday would be rather unfair.  Everybody was eager enough to work, and the little 12-inch Gen. Grant as Neptune labored as hard as all the rest put together in a broadsword combat with his gigantic rival that put the French Spy display into the shade. For the first day or two of a pantomime is little more than rehearsed, so comment of the ‘Dewdrop’ performance yesterday would be rather unfair.”