Transformation scene

The masques of Inigo Jones and Ben Jonson settled into a form that had an antimasque preceding a courtly display, the two parts being linked by a transformation scene.

[2] Comus, the masque written by the poet John Milton, implies a transformation scene heralded by the arrival of the character Sabrina.

[6] In the later 18th century, genres including the harlequinade and masque began or ended with a transformation scene to a temple, drawing to a close with the suggestion of harmony restored.

[8] A production in 1781 of Robinson Crusoe by Richard Brinsley Sheridan is credited with breaking down the rigid separation implied by the transformation, leading to the 19th century view of pantomime.

[9] In 1881, Percy Fitzgerald described the transformation scene of an extravaganza as follows: First the "gauzes" lift slowly one behind the other – perhaps the most pleasing of all scenic effects – giving glimpses of "the Realms of Bliss", seen behind in a tantalizing fashion.

Then, all motion ceases; the work is complete; the fumes of crimson, green and blue fire begin to rise at the wings; the music bursts into a crash of exultation; and, possibly to the general disenchantment, a burly man in a black frock steps out from the side and bows awkwardly.