Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, No. 752, May 25, 1878Various
History
Chambers's Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, No. 752, May 25, 1878
Various
Periodicals
At a performance of _Norma_ at the Cork Theatre, in which Cruvelli
played the heroine, the little daughters of the carpenter were pressed
into service to represent the children of the priestess. As the curtain
drew up on the second act they were seen lying on Norma’s couch quiet
enough, for they were frightened nearly to death by the glare of light,
the noise in front, and their unaccustomed surroundings. Their fright
increased as Norma vented her jealous rage in recitative; and when,
dagger in hand, she rushed towards them, they gave a shriek, tumbled
off their couch, and ran off the stage as fast as their legs would take
them, while the theatre rang with laughter, and Norma herself was fain
to sit down until she had recovered from the effect of the unexpected
episode.
Boleno the clown never evoked heartier merriment than that caused by
his first appearance in public as one of the ‘principal waves’ in
the nautical piece _Paul Jones_. It was at Sadler’s Wells Theatre,
soon after the ‘real water,’ for which that house was long famous,
had given place to the conventional canvas sea with its wave-rolling
boys underneath. The last scene represented the ocean, bearing on its
expanse of waters two ships preparing for action. The waves rolled as
the boys bobbed up and down, and all would have gone well, had not
Master Harry discovered a small hole in the canvas above him. Into this
hole he put two fingers, intending to take a peep at the front of the
house. The rotten stuff gave way; the waters of the Atlantic divided,
and disclosed a small head besmeared with blue paint—the result of
friction against the painted cloth. Catching sight of this, young Joe
Grimaldi, who was the captain in command of one of the vessels, called
out: ‘Man overboard!’ while the stage-carpenter shook his fist at the
appalled offender, causing that luckless young rascal to disappear from
view, and bob with such vigour at a remote distance, that a sudden
storm seemed to have broken over the ocean far away.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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