The Royal Marionettes.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2969, 21 August 1878, Page 2

The Royal Marionettes.

The ■ Eoyal Marione.tes gave their second entertainment last night in the Academy of Music to a fair ; audience, considering the dirty slate of the weather, the gallery being well filled," the pit moderately so, but the chairs were mostly vacant. • Tbe entertainment was, similar to tht.t of.the previous evening. The little darkies caused much merriment, and hit off some good witticisms, with one or two local puns, and the singing was creditable ; • but the lady's' voice is at times too .noticeable, perhaps, though in itself good. The variety of extremely' beautiful and marvellously worked little creatures brought to view under the head of .the Italian Fantoccini are very pleasing, and'so cleverly is it managed I that in one case —La Tranca Zanfrella— a voice in the pit was heard to declare, " that's a living man." The animated, skeleton is capable of strange things. The pretty little play of " lied Biding Hood" seemed to please the audience.

The greatest fun, however, wa3 provoked by the unprecedented exploits of the two clowns, who kept the audience convulsed for about half-an-hour; so great indeed was the uproar that much of their capital dialogue was lost. Altogether the cntertainmeot is a most excellent one, and no one should miss seoiug it: it is wonderful in mechanism, grandly picturesque, and uproariously funny. We might suggest to the management, however, that if it would not mar the scenic effect, a little less light from behind the stage would prevent the strings or wires attached to the figures being so noticeable.