PRINCESSES' PARTY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 15, 19 January 1939, Page 9

PRINCESSES' PARTY.

REAL PUPPET SHOW. 100 CHILDREN AT PALACE. THRONE HAS TO BE MOVED. (Special—By Air Mail.) LONDON, December 17. To enable the Princesses and 100 little guests to enjoy their Christmas party at Buckingham Palace this week . - the Throne of England was moved to ■ •'•- make room for a puppet show. The guests were ushered ceremoniously into the rather overwhelming Throne Room, where a small' stage was set, fronted by rows and rows of plain \ ■ gilt chairs. Programmes were handed out inscribed with such fascinating numbers as "Life in Any Port" with Bill the Bos'un and two comic street musicians, "Two Dark Subjects"— nigger minstrels, of course—Monsieur Pataluski, renderings on the piano, and, at the end, a circus. A song, a dance, a pantomime, a circus. In fact, ( all the most important Christmas attractions were there. It was Queen Mary's idea in the first place. She saw the puppets for the first time some months ago when she was visiting Lancashire. "I'd like my grand' children to see these," she said. Waldo Lanchester, who is brother to Elsa I>anchester, the film and stage star, pulled the strings and staged the show, with the help of his wife, Muriel Bell. A great deal of thought was put into . the staging of the "Command Perform- ; _ jg| ance" and, like all stajre players, old- .. timers not excepted. the were nervous. But they ra ' Be f*Js2!!S§|fiß laughs within tlie first five men***I carry them over the other 35- ! After tea the Princesses < ~\"' I children were taken M J&%S££2s§3Bm* r at the back of the **j*££?|iie^Sl§Pg