The Old Showmen and the Old London FairsFrost, Thomas
History
The Old Showmen and the Old London Fairs
Frost, Thomas
Fairs -- England -- London; London (England) -- Social life and customs
Yates's company performed _The Fair Bride_, which the bills curiously
describe as "containing many surprising Occurrences at Sea, which could
not possibly happen at Land. The Performance will be highly enlivened with
several entertaining Scenes between England, France, Ireland, and
Scotland, in the diverting Personages of Ben Bowling, an English Sailor;
Mons. Soup-Maigre, a French Captain; O'Flannaghan, an Irish Officer;
M'Pherson, a Scotch Officer. Through which the Manners of each Nation will
be characteristically and humorously depicted. In which will be introduced
as singular and curious a Procession as was ever exhibited in this Nation.
The objects that comprise the Pageantry are both Exotic and British. The
Principal Figure is the Glory and Delight of OLD ENGLAND, and Envy of our
ENEMIES. With Variety of Entertainments of Singing and Dancing. The whole
to conclude with a Loyal Song on the approaching Marriage of our great and
glorious Sovereign King GEORGE and the Princess CHARLOTTE of
Mecklenberg."
There were two shows in George Yard, in one of which "the famous learned
canary bird" was exhibited, the other consisting of a moving picture of a
city, with an artificial cascade, and "a magnificent temple, with two
mechanical birds which have all the exact motions of living animals; they
perform a variety of tunes, either singular or in concert. During the
performance, the just swelling of the throat, the quick motions of the
bills, and the joyous fluttering of the wings, strike every spectator with
pleasing astonishment."
Shuter seems to have been the last actor who played at Bartholomew Fair
while engaged at a permanent theatre. Some amusing stories are told of his
powers of mimicry. When Foote introduced in a comedy a duet supposed to be
performed by two cats, in imitation of Bisset's feline opera, he engaged
for the purpose one Harris, who was famous for his power of producing the
vocal sounds peculiar to the species. Harris being absent one day from
rehearsal, Shuter went in search of him, and not knowing the number of the
house in which Cat Harris, as he was called, resided, he began to perform
a feline solo as soon as he entered the court in which lived the man of
whom he was in search. Harris opened his window at the sound, and
responded with a beautiful _meeyow_.
"You are the man!" said Shuter. "Come along! We can't begin the cats'
opera without you."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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