Humpty Dumpty
Set Design
1959 (designed)
1959 (designed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Set model piece for the pantomime Humpty Dumpty, London Palladium, 1959.
In 1947, Val Parnell took over the management of the London Palladium, one of the largest theatres in Britain. Under Parnell, the Palladium presented large-scale spectacular pantomimes until 1987 and became known as the Home of Pantomime due to its lavish productions featuring the biggest celebrity names of the time.
Humpty Dumpty starred Harry Secombe as Humpty Dumpty and Roy Castle as Simple Simon. The show’s scenery was designed by Tod Kingman and Edward Delany and was said to be so spectacular that, according to the Times, there were “times when the stage [could] almost be heard to creak under the loads of scenery.”
The Observer commended the production’s “imaginatively designed costumes and sets” and many newspapers, including the Guardian, described the finale to act one:
“The scenery is lavish without being too artistic, and the pageant of the four seasons ends in a wondrous snowfall, with the entry aloft of Father Christmas’s sleigh (real) which suddenly – when your heart is already in your mouth – bursts into twinkling lights, and tough men find they are gulping.” Guardian.
In 1947, Val Parnell took over the management of the London Palladium, one of the largest theatres in Britain. Under Parnell, the Palladium presented large-scale spectacular pantomimes until 1987 and became known as the Home of Pantomime due to its lavish productions featuring the biggest celebrity names of the time.
Humpty Dumpty starred Harry Secombe as Humpty Dumpty and Roy Castle as Simple Simon. The show’s scenery was designed by Tod Kingman and Edward Delany and was said to be so spectacular that, according to the Times, there were “times when the stage [could] almost be heard to creak under the loads of scenery.”
The Observer commended the production’s “imaginatively designed costumes and sets” and many newspapers, including the Guardian, described the finale to act one:
“The scenery is lavish without being too artistic, and the pageant of the four seasons ends in a wondrous snowfall, with the entry aloft of Father Christmas’s sleigh (real) which suddenly – when your heart is already in your mouth – bursts into twinkling lights, and tough men find they are gulping.” Guardian.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Humpty Dumpty (popular title) |
| Materials and techniques | Gouache and watercolour and pencil on card |
| Brief description | Set model piece or property for the pantomime Humpty Dumpty, London Palladium, 1959 |
| Physical description | Set model piece for the pantomime Humpty Dumpty, London Palladium, 1959. The set model piece is painted in tones of brown and black. It features a large cornice style lantern with projecting corners and a high point projecting from the centre of the canopy at the top. The lantern is mounted on the top of a square column with a small plinth decorated with scroll work at the top. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Given by Roger Fox |
| Summary | Set model piece for the pantomime Humpty Dumpty, London Palladium, 1959. In 1947, Val Parnell took over the management of the London Palladium, one of the largest theatres in Britain. Under Parnell, the Palladium presented large-scale spectacular pantomimes until 1987 and became known as the Home of Pantomime due to its lavish productions featuring the biggest celebrity names of the time. Humpty Dumpty starred Harry Secombe as Humpty Dumpty and Roy Castle as Simple Simon. The show’s scenery was designed by Tod Kingman and Edward Delany and was said to be so spectacular that, according to the Times, there were “times when the stage [could] almost be heard to creak under the loads of scenery.” The Observer commended the production’s “imaginatively designed costumes and sets” and many newspapers, including the Guardian, described the finale to act one: “The scenery is lavish without being too artistic, and the pageant of the four seasons ends in a wondrous snowfall, with the entry aloft of Father Christmas’s sleigh (real) which suddenly – when your heart is already in your mouth – bursts into twinkling lights, and tough men find they are gulping.” Guardian. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.2536-2014 |
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| Record created | December 23, 2014 |
| Record URL |
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