Complete libretto to the 1878 Drury Lane pantomime by E. L. Blanchard. Starting in the 1850s, London's Drury Lane Christmas pantomimes were the preeminent entertainment of this kind. Many of today's pantomime traditions, such as pantomime dames and transformation scenes, were first introduced at the Drury Lane. The productions included elaborate scenery and theatrical effects, fanciful expensive costumes, and hundreds of actors. By the 1880s, under Augustus Harris management, the pantomimes had grown so extravagant that they cost three million dollars in today's equivalent to produce. For many, it was the only time they ever went to the theatre. Published as part of Theatre Arts Press' Classic Panto Series,