Theatrical and Circus Life: or, Secrets of the Stage, Green-Room and Sawdust ArenaJennings, John J. (John Joseph)
History
Theatrical and Circus Life: or, Secrets of the Stage, Green-Room and Sawdust Arena
Jennings, John J. (John Joseph)
Circus; Theater -- United States
There are two kinds of clowns familiar to people who patronize
amusements--the clown who juggles old jokes in the circus ring, and the
clown whose only language is that of facial expression, and whose grins
and grimaces together with his extraordinary antics and white face are
more acceptable to and interpretable by childhood than the ancient and
petrified humorisms of his brother laugh-maker of the sawdust circle.
There is no circus clown in the world could stretch the heart-strings
of an audience as far and hold them there longer than George L. Fox,
the king of pantomimic merry-makers. His was a face readable as the
pages of a book printed in good large type, and the wonderful swift
changes that came over it were like fleecy clouds and sunshine chasing
each other across a summer sky. Poor Fox, who sent a thrill of joy into
the hearts of thousands of little folks and caused their rosy lips
to over-bubble with silvery laughter, his was a hard, an undeserved
fate--death in a madhouse, without a glint of reason to light him
on his journey across the dark river. He has left no successor more
worthy of his place than George H. Adams, whose talent obtained him
the recognition of Adam Forepaugh, the showman, with whom he is now in
partnership. Frazier and clowns of minor merit fill the rest of the
places, but Adams is at the top of the heap, and may be fitly termed
the Grimaldi of to-day.
[Illustration: GEORGE H. ADAMS IN HUMPTY DUMPTY.]
It is pleasant to visit a theatre during the progress of a pantomime.
The house is filled with old and young in equal proportions, or if
there is any preponderence it is on the side of the little folks,
who clamber up on the backs of chairs and laugh freely and sweetly
as the birds in the forest sing, every time they catch sight of the
chalked head of the clown and the gray tuft standing like a turret
above poor old Pantaloon's wig. And the old people laugh all the
heartier because the innocent young people have their hearts and
mouths filled with joy. The pantomime may be "Humpty Dumpty" or "The
Magic Flute" or "The Merry Miller"--call it by whatever name you will,
an intense interest is taken in it, and new enjoyment is found in
every performance. The tricks are the same, the mechanical effects
identical with those of every other pantomime you may have seen, and
even the specialty sketches that divide the acts of the dumb show seem
to be of very close kindred with those of former attractions of this
kind. Still everybody enjoys the fun just as many people laugh at the
"chestnuts"--_vulgariter_, old jokes--of the man in motley attire, who
tries to make the patrons of the circus feel happy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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