Oh NO she ISN'T! Oh YES she IS!

For those of us who spend our time flitting from year to year and place to place examining the tangles and puzzles of history, this has been a busy year, so I suggest it's time we took a break. Since we have the facility at our disposal, I would like to take you to the Drury Lane Theatre

in London, in the early 1920s to enjoy a traditional British pantomime.

Unlike the mummenschanz or mime theater of performers like Marcel Marceau, pantomime became firmly established in England as a children's theater during the later years of Queen Victoria. An annual treat for the youngsters whose parents could afford it. Often taking well-known children's tales as the substance of the drama, and throwing in a few double entendres for the amusement of the adults (who, after all, were the paying patrons).

By 1921 Britain is starting to recover from the awful hardships of the Great War, and the 'flu epidemic that ravaged Europe in 1918 and the mood is decidedly upbeat. But just to be on the safe side, I recommend that we both get "Spanish" 'flu innoculations before we depart.

Principal boy (Vanessa Redgrave)	Dame (Les Dawson)	The Good Fairy	The Demon King
	Two clowns	Pantomime Horse (Dobbin)

While there have been some surprising departures from the typical children's story, such as James Bond, the Pantomime, the typical pantomime storylines have included:

• Aladdin
• Mother Goose
• Jack and the Beanstalk
• Babes in the Wood
• Dick Whittington
• Cinderella
  

While it isn't quite 1921 material (the song first appeared in 1934), the song below should give you a fair idea of the kind of entertainment I have in mind. The sheet music for the song can be downloaded in a PDF file.

X:65 % number
T:Nobody loves a Fairy % title
C:Arthur Le Clerq % composer
O:http://www.raspberrytarts.com/fairyfifty.shtml % origin.
P:ABABAB
M:4/4 % meter
L:1/4 % length of shortest note
Q:120 % tempo
%%staves 1 { (2 3) 4 }
V:1 clef=treble name="Voice" sname="Vc." % voice 1
V:2 clef=treble name="Piano" sname="Pno."
V:3 clef=treble
V:4 clef=bass
K:C % key
[P:A verse]
[Q: "allegro " 1/4=120]
[V:1] Z5 |
[V:2] G {B}c G {B} c | [L:1/8] B>^ABd g4 | _A>_e A2 _A>_e A2 | [L:1/4] G {^c}d {^f}g z | z [ECG,] z [ECG,] |
[V:4] C, [ECG,] G,, [ECG,] | D, [FB,G,] G,, [FB,G,] | [_E2C2_G,2] [E2C2G,2] | [D3B,3F,3] (3G,,/A,,/B,,/ | C, z G,, z |
%============================================================================================================================
[V:1] z2 z E | "C" G G "C6" A A | "Cmaj7" B B "C6" A2 | "C" z4 | "G7" z2 z D |
w:1.For years a Fair-y Queen I've bin', For
w:2.For years I reigned in Fair-y Dell, I
[V:2] z [ECG,] z [ECG,] | [GEC] [GEC] [AGEC] [AGEC] | [BGEC] [BGEC] z [CEG] | G {d}e G {d}e |
[f/d/][e/c/][d/B/][c/A/] [BG] D |
[V:3] Z7 | z2 A2 | z4 | z4 |
[V:4] C, z G, z | [C,C,,] z G,, z | [C,C,,] z G,, z | C, [ECG,] G,, [ECG,] | D, [FB,G,] [FB,G,] z |
%=====================================================================================================================================
[V:1] F F G G | "Dm7" A A "G7" G2 | z4 | "C" z2 "C6" z2 | "E7" E ^F ^G E |
w:years I foiled the De-mon king, But a-las I'm
w:waved my wand, and waved it well, If I can't do
[V:2] [FDB,] [FDB,] [GFDB,] [GFDB,] | [AFDC] [AFDC] z [FDB,] | G {c}d G {c}d | [e/c/][d/B/][c/A/][B/G/] [AE] z | [ED] [^FD] [^GD] [ED] |
[V:3] Z | z2 G2 | Z3 |
[V:4][D,D,,] z [G,,] z | [D,D,,] z [G,,] z | D, [DB,G,] G,, [DB,G,] | C, [ECG,] [ECG,] z | B,, E, E,, E, |
%=========================================================================================================
[V:1] "Am" A B c A | "E7" E ^F ^G E | "Am" A2-A z {E} | "D7" D E ^F D | "G" G A "E7" B B |
w:get-ting on, the years have flown some-how,_ And I feel that Fair-y Snow-drop
w:all I did, I'm sat-is-fied be-cos'-I'd soon-er be a "has-been" than I
[V:2] [AC] [BD] [cE] [AC] | [DE] [D^F] [D^G] [DE] |z [EC] [EC] [EC] | [DC] [EC] [^FC] [DC] | [GB,] [AC] [B^GD] [BGD] |
[V:3] Z2 | A4 | Z2 |
[V:4] A,, E, E,, E, | B, E, E,, E, | A,, E, A, =G, | ^F, G, A, F, | G, D, E, E,, |
%=========================================================================================================
[V:1] "Cm" c c "D7" B A | "G" A2-A z | "G7" Z | Z | [L:1/8] "Ab7" Z |[L:1/4] "G7" z2 z |
w:isn'-t want-ed now._
w:would a "nev-er was."_
[V:2] [c=G_E] [cGE] [B^FD] [AFC] | G2-G G | [fcA]/[eBG]/[DAF]/[CGE]/ [BFD] [AEC] | [GDB,] [DAF] [gdB] z | [L:1/8] (3_a_ba g>a _e'>ae'>a |[L:1/4] g z z |
[V:3] Z | z [DB,] [DB,] z | Z2 | [L:1/8] [_ec_G]6 [ecG]2 |[L:1/4] [dBF] z z |
[V:4] A,,2 D, D, | G, {^C,}D, G,, z | Z2 | [L:1/8] Z |[L:1/4] z {^C,}D, G,, |
%=========================================================================================================
P:B chorus
[V:1] [Q: "allegretto " 1/4=240] E |: "C" G E "G7" F D | "C" E G A c | "Fm6" d2 d2-| "G7" d3 e | "C" d c B c |
w:No-bo-dy loves a fair-y when she's for-ty,_ No-bo-dy loves a
[V:2] E |: [GE] [EC] [FB,] [DB,] | [EC] [GEC] [AEC] [cEC] | d2 d2-| d2 d z | [dGD] [cGC] [BGB,] [cGC] |
[V:3] z |: z4 | z4 | z [_AFD] z [AFD] | z [BF] z [eBe] | Z |
[V:4] z |: C, G, G,, G, | C, G, G,, G, | F, C C, C | G, z G,, G, | E, G, G,, G, |
%=========================================================================================================
[V:1] d c G "D#" ^F | "Dm" F4-| "A7" F3 E | "Dm" F F F F | "A7" A A A A |
w:fair-y when she's old._ She may still have a ma-gic power, but
[V:2] [dGD] [cGC] [GC] [^FCA,] | F4-|F3 E | [FDA,] [FDA,] [FDA,] [FDA,] | [AG^CA,] [AGCA] [AGCA] [AGCA] |
[V:3] Z | z [DA,] z [DA,] | z [A,G,] z [^CA,G,] | Z2 |
[V:4] E, G, E, ^D, | D,2 A,,2 | ^C,2 A,,2 | D, z A,, z | E, z A,, z |
%=========================================================================================================
[V:1] "Dm" F F F F | "A7" A3 G | "D7" ^F ^E F G | A ^G A c | "G" B B "F#" A A |
w:that is not e-nough, They like their bit of ma-gic from a young-er bit of
[V:2] [FDA,] [FDA,] [FDA,] [FDA,] | A3 G | [^FC] [^EC] [FC] [GC] | [A^FC] [^GFC] [AFC] [cFC] | [BGD] [BGD] [A_EC] [AEC] |
[V:3] Z | z [^CA] [CA] z | Z3 |
[V:4] D, z A,, z | E, G, G, z | A,, D, D,, D, | A,, D, D,, D, | G,2 ^F,2 |
%=========================================================================================================
[V:1] "G7" G3 E | "C" G E "G7" F D | "C" E G A c | "Fm6" d2 d2-| "G7" d2 d e |
w:stuff, When once your sil-ver star has lost its glit-ter._ And your
[V:2] G3 E | [GE] [EC] [FB,] [DB,] | [EC] [GEC] [AEC] [cEC] | d2 d2-|d2 [dBF] [eBG] |
[V:3] [DB,]3 z | Z2 | z [_AFD] z [_AFD] | z [BF] z2 |
[V:4] F, D, G,, z | C, G, G,, G, | C, G, G,, G, | F, C C, C | G, z G,, G, |
%=========================================================================================================
[V:1] "C" d c B c | "C7" d c G "C7+" ^G | "F" A4-"A7"| "Dm" A3 e | d c "Dm7" A F |
w:tin-sel looks like rust in-stead of gold._ Your fair-y days are
[V:2] [dGE] [cGE] [BGE] [cGE] | d c G ^G | A4-|A3 [ecAF] | d c A F |
[V:3] Z | [GE]2 [EC]2 | z [FC] z [GC] | z [FD] z [FD] | [AF]2 D2 |
[V:4] C, G, G,, G, | [_B,C,]2 [B,C,]2 | [F,F,,]2 [E,E,,]2 | [D,D,,] A,, D,, z | D,, z [CA,D,]2 |
%=========================================================================================================
[V:1] "G7" E D E F | "C" G G "D#" ^F G | "Ab7" _B _A2 z | "D7" A A ^G A |
w:end-ing when your wand has start-ed bend-ing. No-one loves a
[V:2] E D E F | [GC] [GC] [^FC] [GC] | [_B_AC] [_AGC]2 z | [A^FC] [AFC] [^GFC] [AFC] |
[V:3] B,2 B,2 | Z3 |
[V:4] G, F, G, F, | E, E, ^D, E, | [_A,_E,] [A,E,]2 z | [D,D,,] z [D,D,,] z |
%=========================================================================================================
[V:1] "G7" e d G d |[1 "C" c4-|c z z E :|[2 [L:1/16] "C" c16-|[L:1/4]c2-c z |]
w:fair-y when she's old._ No-
[V:2] [eBF] [dBF] [GF] [dGF] |[1 [cGE] {^f}g {^d}e {b}c | {^F}G z z E :|[2 [L:1/16] c16-|[L:1/4]c2 [c'gec] z |]
[V:3] Z3 :|[2 [L:1/16] [GE]4 [GE]3c [^F^D]3c [=F=D]3c |[L:1/4] [EC]2 z2 |]
[V:4] G,, z G,, z |[1 [C,C,,] z3 | z G,, G,2 :|[2 [L:1/16] C,16-|[L:1/4] [G,C,] [G,G,,] [C,C,,] !D.C.!z |]
%=========================================================================================================
W:Nobody loves a fairy when she's forty,
W:Nobody loves a fairy when she's old,
W:The face of this immortal one to many has appealed,
W:But gone is the illusion once you've had it soled and heeled¹.
W:When you have lost your little fairy dimples,
W:And the moth-holes in your dress let in the cold,
W:The goblins and the pixies turn their backs and say "Hi Nixey,"
W:No-one loves a fairy when she's old.
W:
W:Nobody loves a fairy when she's forty,
W:Nobody loves a fairy when she's old.
W:As far as I can see they try to push you off the map,
W:When once your wand has withered and your wings refuse to flap.
W:When you can't cast a spell without it spilling,
W:And a fairy tale for years you haven't told,
W:You stand there shouting "What-ho!" but they all pass by your grotto.
W:No-one loves a fairy when she's old.
W:
W:Nobody loves a fairy when she's forty,
W:Nobody loves a fairy when she's old.
W:They don't give you an earthly chance to make a livelihood,
W:They're building council houses² now in my enchanted wood.
W:When you are past the age for television,
W:And the air you use is government controlled,
W:It seems that they would sooner listen to a blinkin' crooner!³
W:No-one loves a fairy when she's old.

To convert the code above to sheet music, or listen to the tunes, copy the code for a single song, then paste it here and [submit].



1."soled and heeled"; earlier generations could not afford to replace footwear for anything less than catastrophic damage, so would take shoes to a cobbler to have the sole and/or heel replaced.
2."council houses"; after World War II, with the institution of the Welfare State in Great Britain, local councils were ordered to build housing to be made available at a fair rent to people unable to afford the expense of a mortgage.
3."Crooning"; a style of singing rooted in the bel canto tradition of Italian opera.