Olympic Theatre

Two cards on one page, the first announcing the postponement to 05/18/69: “NOTICE. The extensive preparations FOR MR. GEORGE L. FOX’S new Comic Pantomime, HICCORY DICCORY DOCK, not being entirely completely, IT IS UNAVOIDABLY POSTPONED UNTIL TO-MORROW (TUESDAY) EVENING.”

Announces postponement to 05/18/69.

“The new pantomime of ‘Hiccory Diccory Dock,’ which was to have been produced at the Olympic last evening, will positively be brought out to-night. Scenery and dresses are quite fresh. The comedians, of course, are Messrs. G. L. and C. K. Fox, and Mlle. Sangali, as heretofore, leads the dance.”

Little mention of music. “…Like all other pantomimes, this new one lacks plot, but contains a vast amount of fun and enjoyable nonsense, which, nowadays, is apparently relished by theatre-goers more keenly tha the best plot ever woven into intellectual story by the skill or cunning of a dramatic master… Another fault with the piece is the music. It is essentially a new pontomime [sic] set in old music, which considerably mars its effects and pleasures, and should be remedied at once.”

“The admirers of pantomime had an opportunity last evening of enjoying a new sensation in witnessing the first representation of the successor to ‘Humpty Dumpty’ at the Olympic Theatre. If they supposed that Mr. Fox had in his previous efforts exhausted his inventive resources, they were most agreeably disappointed. The whole entertainment was full of novel and striking effects, and though the usual mishaps and delays incident to a new piece interfered with the smoothness of its running, it kept the audience in a state of wonderment and delight from beginning to end. Among the other novelties presented may be mentioned a walking giant, a nondescript three-legged monster described in the bill as a Trilateraltridote, a real live tame bear, a velocipede made of two grindstones, a whale that swallows the clown, a shower of dead cats brought down by a single shot, and a flying velocipede. Several beautiful scenes, affording an opportunity for the display of a fine corps de ballet, occur to diversify the pantomimic performance, and there is a patriotic song and chorus, introducing Cuba as an applicant for admission into the Union, which was received with great applause. The only serious blemish we have to remark is a profane use of a passage of Scripture in the court scene, which we trust may be omitted in the future. With this single exception, there is nothing in the piece that does not deserve commendation, and it will undoubtedly command the same popular favor that was accorded to ‘Humpty Dumpty.’”

No mention of music.

“If we except a court scene, in which he, in defiance of all the laws of pantomime, makes a speech, and also a passage in which some vocal music, as irrelevant to the piece as it well can be, is interpreted with questionable skill, each scene offers opportunities for the artiste to elicit laughter by legitimate means.”

No mention of music.