Humpty Dumpty
Set Design
1959 (designed)
1959 (designed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Set model piece for an unidentified scene in 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.
<i>Humpty Dumpty</i> 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, descriped the finale to Act One:
"The scenery is lavish without being too artistic, and the pagent of the four seasons ends in a wonderous 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.
<i>Humpty Dumpty</i> 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, descriped the finale to Act One:
"The scenery is lavish without being too artistic, and the pagent of the four seasons ends in a wonderous 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 on plastic |
| Brief description | Set model piece for an unidentified scene in pantomime Humpty Dumpty, London Palladium, 1959 |
| Physical description | Set model piece for an unidentified scene in pantomime Humpty Dumpty, London Palladium, 1959. This piece details a section of set dressing. It has a floor that is gridded in silver with axes lining the sides. The axes have red and blue ribbons twisting around the pole. There is vellum with a drawn grid taped to cover over 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 an unidentified scene in 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. <i>Humpty Dumpty</i> 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, descriped the finale to Act One: "The scenery is lavish without being too artistic, and the pagent of the four seasons ends in a wonderous 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.1070-2015 |
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| Record created | June 26, 2015 |
| Record URL |
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