New Blog One: Humpty Dumpty Magazine

Humpty Dumpty Magazine

Humpty Dumpty (1868), a musical pantomime. [Olympic Theatre, 483 perf.] The musical recounted the adventures of Humpty Dumpty (George L. Fox), Goody Two Shoes (Emily Rigl), Dan Tucker (G. K. Fox), and One Two Button My Shoe (F. Lacy) as they visit not only the sights of New York, such as City Hall, a famous candy store, and the Olympic Theatre itself, but such marvelous places as the Farm of Plenty, an Enchanted Garden, and the Retreat of the Silver Sprites. Their cavortings at an end, they are transformed, in classic pantomime fashion, into Clown, Columbine, Pantaloon, and Harlequin. The longest‐running musical up to its day, it marked the apogee both of G. L. Fox's career and of traditional pantomime in America. Its authorship was by various hands, including A. Oakey Hall, once mayor of New York, and G. L. Fox himself. Music was attributed to one A. Reiff Jr. In the pattern of the time, the musical was regularly revised to prompt return visits.