The Hanlon Brothers: From Daredevil Acrobatics to Spectacle Pantomime, 1833-1931

Second Interlude: The Ravels

77 Second Interlude: The Ravels It was a strange case of happenstance, really. In January 1860, a decades-old theatrical phenomenon preceded James M. Nixon’s presentation of the Hanlon Brothers with Cooke’s Royal Amphitheatre at Niblo’s Garden. That theatrical phenomenon was “the Wonderful Ravels.” This French family of pantomimists and acrobats was a regular fixture on the famed stage of Niblo’s Garden. Making their first New York appearance in 1836, for the next three decades the Ravels entertained generations of appreciative American audiences. Charles Durang, one of the first historians of the American theatre, noted, “This corps of pantomimists, rope dancers and gymnasts, probably was the most extraordinary and universally enduring popular novelty that ever came to this country from the old world.”1 But Durang was writing years before the arrival of the Hanlon Brothers. Until their retirement in 1866, the Ravels were frequently seen in New York, America’s emerging theatrical capital. Concurrent with the nearing conclusion of the Ravels’ dynamic career, the Hanlon Brothers were making the first in a number of highly regarded appearances in New York. Like most popular performers, the Hanlons were parasitic, distilling what they viewed as the best, most comic, and most appealing parts of other artists’ routines, filtering these 78 second interlude gags through their own sensibilities and unveiling the reinvented bits in their own productions. It is tantalizing to speculate that the Hanlons saw the Ravels in New York during the early 1860s and were inspired by the French family’s comic ingenuity, striking transformations, acrobatics, and, of course, box of- fice success. The productions that the Hanlons evolved some fifteen years later displayed many similarities, as writers were quick to indicate over the course of their careers±or at least while memories still endured. After Le Voyage en Suisse’s American debut in 1881, a New York critic remarked, “There has been nothing since the days of the Ravels to rival the performance now being given by the Hanlons at the Park Theatre.”2 The Ravels hailed from Toulouse, France. The patriarch of the family, Gabriel Ravel, was a distinguished performer on the European continent renowned for his rope-walking routines. However, American audiences were most familiar with his children Gabriel, Jérôme, Angélique, Antoine, and François. Although the five siblings rarely appeared together, their family’s name was synonymous with the finest in pantomimic extravaganzas. The Ravels made their first appearance in the United States at New York’s Park Theatre in 1832, but for the duration of their careers they were intimately linked with Niblo’s Garden in Lower Manhattan. When the Hanlons performed Le Voyage en Suisse at the same house during the 1881 holiday season, the concurrence did not go unnoticed.3 The theatrical fare of the Ravels was remarkably similar to that which the Hanlons subsequently created. However, the Ravels had an immense repertoire. Besides the daredevil aerial stunts that characterized their early career, the Hanlons were known for just three productions, Le Voyage en Suisse, Fantasma, and Superba. In contrast, the Ravels had a seemingly endless supply of pantomimes that were regularly unveiled before laugh-hungry audiences in the United States. Jérôme Ravel was the author of the troupe, composing “nearly forty Fairy Pieces and Comic Pantomimes,” according to one newspaper advertisement.4 Many were inspired by the antics of the great French acrobatic pantomimist CharlesFran çois Mazurier, who in turn was inspired by many scenarios that had been played before the French public. Among Jérôme’s enduring stage entertainments were included such masterpieces as The Green Monster (1839) and Mazulme, or The Black Raven of the Tombs (1842). Typically, these were fairy-tale-like pieces in which two young lovers overcame a series of obstacles in order to achieve marital bliss. However, “the plot was never too important in such productions, for there were so many tricks, transformations and general tomfoolery mixed with charming dances that the audience merely enjoyed the fun and wonder of it.”5 The theatrical fare of the Hanlons demonstrated many of the same characteristics. If Jérôme was the lead author of the troupe, Gabriel was clearly the company’s main draw. Walter Leman remembered, “In all the mysteries and wonders of second interlude 79 French pantomime he was a perfect master of his art. He had no rival in his day.”6...