Title:	Harlequin £.s.d
Description:	Scene from Harlequin £.s.d, at the Surrey Theatre.
Theatre:	Surrey
Source:	The Illustrated London News, Dec 28, 1844, p. 409
Review:	The Illustrated London News, Dec 28, 1844, p. 410

SURREY.

This house opened with, as the bill says, a piece founded on Shakspeare's [sic] "Seven Ages of Man, or the End of Crime;" and, as far as we were able to judge from the usual confusion of a Boxing night, was tolerably successful: and the great feature of the evening, the pantomime, from the pen of the indefatigable Nelson Lee, who has christened it "£.s.d" is very good, and will, no doubt, be as remunerating to the lessee as the one of last year.

It commences with the tomb of Queen Anne, in the land of mist.  The sprite, Counterfeit, is taking his rest in quiet, when hearing that there is a dreadful commotion on earth with Lawful Coin, he is anxious for his liberty, and Queen Anne, who suddenly makes her appearance, banishes him from the place.  On the clouds dispersing, the interior of an "Enchanted Copper Mine" is discovered.  Queen Anne and King Fourpenny are delighted to meet each other, and hold a consultation as to the best means of increasing prosperity on the land by aid of Harmless Mirth.  A Penny is the coin that is sent with a mission, in order that he may, by his industry, become A Pound.  The Sprites, under the superintendence of their superiors, soon coin a charmed penny--"a perfect beauty."  The Save-all is opened, which is found to contain four farthings.  A bright penny piece appears; Queen Anne takes charge of him, in order to convey him to earth through Fairy Land, to gain the aid of Commerce.  We next journey to the exterior of the Golden Palace of King Sovereign.  The Princess Five Shillings, heiress to the Crown, is now introduced.  The Golden Monarch returns with his captives; he is welcomed by his Queen Half Sovereign, and, on preparing for the Royal banquet, the scene is changed for the Land of Plenty.  Commerce is joined by Wealth, a mustering of the Fairy Court takes place, and a festive ballet succeeds.  Queen Anne's cavalcade arrives in Fairy Land, where the Penny is changed to silver and goes to seek his fortune.  He falls in love with Princess Five Shillings, and offers her his hand, being aided by Commerce.  The offer is accepted, and they seek her parents' consent, which leads them to the Golden Palace on the coast of Guinea.  Two Half-crowns are in readiness to receive his Majesty, who arrives with his Queen.  The loss of The Princess is suddenly discovered, but she at last comes forward, hand-in-hand, with Penny-piece.  Royalty looks upon it as a disgrace, and The Queen is fearful of a race of Farthings inhabiting the land.  The King orders the Penny to be boiled alive, which catastrophe is prevented by the interposition of the Fairy Queen, who changes Silver Penny into Harlequin, the Princess Five Shillings into Columbine, the Queen Half Sovereign into Pantaloon, and the Golden Monarch into Clown.  The hits are happy--Walker's Needles and Moses' Clothes Mart, the Surrey Gardens, &c., are among the changes.

Mr. W. H. Harvey, as Harlequin, Mr. T. Ridgway, as Clown, Mr. H. Corri, as Pantaloon, Miss Slaiter, as Columbine, sustained their parts admirably.

Herr Von Joel considerably added to the evening's amusement, by giving his extraordinary Imitations of Beasts, Birds, &c. The house was literally crammed.