 In September 1808 , a fire at the Covent Garden theatre destroyed much of the Mother Goose scenery ; the production transferred to the Haymarket Theatre where it completed its run . While Kemble and Harris raised funds and renovated Covent Garden , Grimaldi made provincial appearances in Manchester and Liverpool . The Covent Garden theatre re @-@ opened in December 1809 with a revival of Mother Goose . In an attempt to recover the costs incurred by the rebuilding , Kemble raised the theatre 's seat prices , causing audiences to protest violently for more than two months , and the management was forced to reinstate the old prices . Grimaldi 's 1809 – 10 productions included Don Juan , in which he appeared as Scaramouche , and Castles in the Air , as Clown . Later in 1810 , he appeared in Birmingham in a benefit performance in aid of his sister @-@ in @-@ law . The following year , Grimaldi sang " Tippitywitchet " for the first time at Sadler 's Wells in Charles Dibdin 's pantomime Bang up , or , Harlequin Prime ; it became one of his most popular songs . 
