AustLit

Also known as Harlequin Puss in Boots, this pantomime was adapted by George Fawcett from Charles Dance's burletta Puss in Boots (1837). The production incorporated numerous hits at local issues and personalities, and also included some well-known Melbourne settings, notably the Melbourne Cricket Ground and Sandridge Pier. One of the characters, the ogre O'Gobble Kilmore, is said to have represented the Victorian Chief Secretary, Mr O'Shanassy.

Though Fawcett began the story by presenting a parody of 'the witches' scene from Macbeth, the Age records that he adhered to the original Puss in Boots story with 'tolerable closeness'. Briefly, the pantomime tells of an old miller's youngest son, Ralph, who is bequeathed a cat by his recently departed father, while the elder son inherits the mill. When Ralph helps out Mother Hubbard, she extends her protection to him and endows the cat with extraordinary powers. Meanwhile, the king of the realm is in despair, having had all his game stolen. When Puss and Ralph are brought before His Majesty, Puss presents him with a rabbit and introduces his master as the latest addition to the colonial peerage. Impressed, the king insists on seeing Ralph's estates. This allows the introduction of a panorama of Australian scenery (corn fields, vineyards and the bush) before they all find themselves at a castle known as the 'Last Retreat of the Squatter Ogre.' When Puss slays the ogre, Ralph is set to inherit his estate and marry the king's daughter when he inadvertently blurts out his humble origins. The king is outraged at the deceit and only the arrival of Mother Hubbard saves Ralph from his wrath. She rapidly transports Ralph, Puss, the King, Princess Rosemead, and the court to the Palace of Jack and the Beanstalk, which heralds a magical transformation scene. The pantomime finished with a harlequinade filled with 'fun, frolic and agility' (27 December 1861, p.5).