2-799-021 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Scene from the new pantomime of "The Key of the Kingdom", at the Princess' Theatre, 1845. London stage production: 'The bill says, "the story is taken from the unknown tale of the ponderous key, that fitted the ponderous lock, that locked the ponderous gates of the great capital of the capital great kingdom of the king Great Gumption, monarch of the imaginary isles of Skyaria." After this negative information, all research as to the authorities from which the tale is derived is entirely useless; but there is, nevertheless, great promise of adventures and disasters - of perilous escapes, and courses of true love running anything but smoothly, to satisfy the most inordinate gourmand of patomimic fare...Mr. W. H. Harvey is the Harlequin, Mr. Flexmore the Clown, Miss Bullen the Columbine, and Mr. T. Hill the Pantaloon'. From "Illustrated London News", 1845, Vol VII.