AustLit

Adapted by Thomas Pavey from William and Robert Brough's extravaganza The Enchanted Isle (itself a burlesque on Shakespeare's The Tempest), the pantomime is described in a review by the Age as 'being a picture of life in Victoria some fifty years ago or thereabouts.' Although the production advertised the use of 'elaborate mechanical transformations, tricks, machinery [and] costly decorative appliances never before attempted in this Colony', the Age's theatre critic was not impressed by the production, writing that 'we swallowed our disappointment... [with] the only redeeming feature in the piece [being] the scenery, which we are but too glad to pronounce excellent.' The reviewer then went on to suggest:

We are not unwilling to make every allowance for a first night, but stretching this indulgence to the utmost, we confess we never saw a pantomime go off so ill upon any stage ... some dreary attempts there were at tricks, and a melancholy failure at acrobatism ... the time-honoured "Tippitywichety" was ignominiously hissed ... the stereotyped shaving scene was "goosed," seeing that the barber had mislaid his razor; everything halted and fell short, and the audience loudly expressed their dissatisfaction. Harlequin was nowhere ... Signor Carandini's dancing days are over [and] Pantaloon was a thing not to be laughed at (27 December 1855, p.4).

Local scenes included 'By the Sad, Sea Waves Somewhere near St Kilda', 'The Village Wash-Houses', and 'Tops of the Houses.'