THE WAXWORKS GALLERY.
This capital form of amusement has attained great and deserved popularity. It shares with Living Pictures the merit of giving employment to several performers at once, and has the special advantage of being far more easily organized. The idea is that of a Waxwork Exhibition, the characters being personated, after a burlesque fashion, by living performers. Each “figure” is first duly described by the exhibitor, and then “wound up,” and made to go through certain characteristic movements.
The collection is supposed to be that of the far-famed Mrs. Jarley, of “Old Curiosity Shop” celebrity. She may be assisted, if thought desirable, by “Little Nell,” and a couple of man-servants, John and Peter. The costume of Mrs. Jarley is a black or chintz dress, bright shawl, and huge bonnet; that of Little Nell may be a calico dress, and white apron, with hat slung over her arm. John and Peter may be dressed in livery suits, and should be provided with a watchman’s rattle, screw-driver, hammer, nails, and oil-can. At the rise of the curtain the figures are seen ranged in a semicircle at the back of the stage, and Little Nell is discovered dusting them with a long feather brush. Mrs. Jarley stands in front, and delivers her descriptive orations, directing her men to bring forward each figure before she describes it. After having been duly described, the figure is “wound” up, and goes through its peculiar movement, and when it stops it is moved back to its place.
If the stage is small, or it is desired that the same actors shall appear in various characters in succession, the figures may be exhibited in successive groups or compartments, the curtain being lowered to permit one party to retire, and another to take their places. After the whole of the figures of a given chamber have been described, the assistants wind them all up, and they go through their various movements simultaneously, to a pianoforte accompaniment, which should gradually grow faster, coming at last to a sudden stop, when the figures become motionless, and the curtain falls.
If it is found impracticable to procure a lady to deliver the descriptions effectively, Mrs. Jarley may be made a silent character, sitting on one side, and occasionally making believe to dust or arrange a figure, while the “patter” is delivered by a male exhibitor. Or Mrs. Jarley may, if preferred, be suppressed altogether, and the exhibitor appear as (say) Artemus Ward, or in ordinary evening costume, without assuming any special character. A good deal of fun may be made of the supposed tendency of any particular figure to tip over, and the application, by John and Peter, of wooden wedges, penny pieces, etc., under its feet to keep it upright. Supposed defective working, causing the figure to stop suddenly in the middle of its movement, and involving the re-winding or oiling of its internal mechanism, will also produce a good deal of amusement. The “winding up” may be done with a bed-winch, a bottle-jack key, or the winch of a kitchen range, the click of the mechanism being imitated by means of a watchman’s rattle, or by the even simpler expedient of drawing a piece of hard wood smartly along a notched stick. (This, of course, should be done out of sight of the audience.) The movement of the figure should be accompanied by the piano, to a slow or lively measure, as may be most appropriate.
The arrangement being complete, and the curtain raised, Mrs. Jarley delivers her opening speech, about as follows:—
“Ladies and Gentlemen,—You here behold Mrs. Jarley! one of the most remarkable women of the world, who has traveled all over the country with her curious Collection of Waxworks. These figures have been gathered, at great expense, from every clime and country, and are here shown together for the first time. I shall describe each one of them for your benefit, and, after I have given you their history, I shall have each one of them wound up, for they are all fitted with clockwork inside, and they can thus go through the same motions they did when living. In fact, they execute their movements so naturally that many people have supposed them to be alive; but I assure you that they are all made of wood and wax;—blockheads every one.
“Without further prelude, I shall now introduce to your notice each one of my figures, beginning, as usual, with the last one first.”