In the fall of 1723 two london theaters staged almost simultaneously pantomime performances of the faust story unlike traditional five act plays pantomime a bawdy hybrid of dance music spectacle and commedia dellarte featuring the familiar figure of the harlequin at its center was a theatrical experience of unprecedented accessibility. Harlequin britain book read reviews from worlds largest community for readers in the fall of 1723 two london theaters staged almost simultaneously . John obriens harlequin britain is an original and provocative study of the ways in which pantomime entertainment and modernity are entwined in english culture it adds significantly to our understanding of the role of the theater in the early eighteenth century and makes a compelling case for the significance of theatrical performance to the emergence of the habermasian bourgeois public . Download citation harlequin britain pantomime and entertainment 1690 1760 review theatre journal 572 2005 341 342 in harlequin britain john obrien skillfully traces the development of . Harlequin britain pantominme and entertainment 1690 1760 obrien john amazoncomau books