LIVE BEAR IN PANTOMIME.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14299, 19 February 1910, Page 3 (Supplement)

LIVE BEAR IN PANTOMIME.

PURSUES COMEDIAN OFF STAGE AT - KENSINGTON". . As unrenearsed incident of an amusing > description, occurred .-". at : the Kensington Theatre recently, a live bear chasing the principal comedian from' the stage and interrupting the pantomime for some minutes. ' } The bear was introduced as an experiment, but he will not show again. . Last year's pantomime at Mr. Robert Athur's South London theatre :' got much fun, and not a few paragraphs, out of a highly intelligent pig. This season it struck Mr. Arthur Rigby, the quaint comedian who plays the name-part in " The Queen of Hearts," that he might go one better with a real live Teddy bear. V;: : He had been trying. is technically known as a "driven from home gag." In the character of a distressed female, Mr. Rigby appeared carrying a baby in his arms. After much quaint burlesque tragedy, he turned and examined the "chee-ild," and. then'•discovered it was only a stuffed Teddy bear. The idea .. of a real animal walking on the stage at this moment suggested great comic opportunities. ,•.,'. .■ On the afternoon, accordingly, Master Bruin, a fine shaggy animal, weighing some 1121b, stood in the wings. The comedian railed on about his infant, the cue was given, and the bear was loosed for his debut. " , . '-.„,-..•'- . One spectator, : suggests that the animal must have been suffering from a "sore head." At any rate he behaved: like the fabled animal with that complaint. /Instead' of adopting playful tactics, he ..was no sooner on he stage than he made a determined, and decidedly unfriendly, rush for the actor, growling , ; in most alarming fashion. :'■ V -.':. ' v .'V-^^ \ The favourite comedian ; fled into the. wings and the audience rocked with laughter. For the next ten minutes Mr. Bear held the . stage by himself, scoffing at all the attempts of his keeper to tempt him away with pieces of sugar;