The Express.
London, England, 1852-10-19 00:00:00

DRAMA.

Opened for the eee:on. lest night, and
This theatre LYCEUM.
tjo entertaiuments announced &UMW(' a very crowded
two
audience. The first piece was a new comic sams..
acts, sailed " Ale Mysterieo Lady," en Sdit:4lll Jim
usual) t,,m the French, and said to be from t, POI '
Bianchi. The original piece is • little vaisgeot:.'s, of the
little
most light and fungal description ;
of mere kiiiimige which go trippingly. et inn
tecalh theatre, without say pretension to eonmestoscy
probability, and without any attempt to excite interest.
one of tb,..we
The adapter has end ed to give a more substantial
sad serious eharaeter, and to raise its tone by writing the
dialogue is blank verse. The result his not been very
happy insled:sio alight/sem of the subject and the absurdity
of the ta are only rendered more apparent by this
elabmelesnede of tswousent. There is an old gentleman,
Sir Amoroadt Figaro, who has a great admiration fur the
dioroolopoCa rost,, sod sends his nephew on his travels for
Nis popes of his acquiring the accomplishments
salsa a~ tle NA a diameter. The uncle joins his
nephew at Antwerp, and is rejoiced to find that
his design has been successful, for the young gentleman
(llert.r.Fitsape) his, by his own account, made himself a
perfect Don Juan. But there are also at Antwerp a gentle-
man, named Bluestone, and hie daughter, who are there
for the purpose of umssking "young hopeful's" character
and exposing him to his uncle as a mere pretender to the
brilliant character he assumes. How Mr. Blackstone and his
daughter have come there, and wheelie their motive for their
plot, we confess ourselves unable to discover; but their
scheme cwaists in disguising themselves as a Corsican
count and countess, and persuading the uncle and
nephew that the count is a tremendous personage,
who puts any one to death who pays any attention to his
wife. The uncle is charmed with an adventure that will
give his nephew an opportunity of showing his spirit; but
Hector le frightened out of bin wits. Alter being terrified
in various ways, he is at length persuaded that the count
hes put a deadly poison in his wine after dianer. lie is in
agonies of horror, of course, of which he is not relieved till his
cowardice and false pretensions to the character of a eau &neon.
scamp are fully exposed. There is another character in the
piece, a properly behaved young gentleman, between whom
and the young lady there is an affair of the heart,
which ends in marriage ; but the connexion of this
underplot with the principal business was by no means
apparent. The principal part was performed by Mr.
Charles Mathews, who sated with great spirit, and made
the last scene very laughable; but this was the only cha-
racter that produced any effect. At the fall of the curtain
there was considerable applause; mixed, however, with
loud disapprobation; and this contention listed a good
many minutes before Mr. C. Mathews came before the cur-
tain with Miss Oliver, and made his bow hastily. A call
for the author, raised by two or three persons, was not
attended to.
The next, and principal entertainment of the evening,was
the favourite classical estrevaganu, " The Golden Fleece,"
which had so great a run at the Haymarket, and was now
produced hare by the permission of Mr. Webster. It is
needless to give any account of a piece which everybody
has seen. It is sufficient to say, that it was moat admirably
got up and performed, and is warmly received as ever. The
fair manageress, when she came forward in the part of
Aloha, was welcomed with the utmost enthusiasm. She
looked extremely well, showing no true of her recent
severe illness. Her acting was the perfection of burlesque,
combining classic grace and elegance with grotesque
and racy humour. Her mellow contralto voice
was as 'beautiful as ever, and her singing was de-
lightful. Her parody, in articular, of the old Scotch
ballad " John Andersen, my Jo," was exquisite, and re-
ceived with acclamation. The part of Jason (originally
Mrs. Keeley's) received amplejustin from Miss St. George,
who looked singularly handsome in her ancient Gramma
costume, and showed an amount of vocal talent we had me
ides she possessed. This piece, which is truly a oho.
(reruns of its clam, will no doubt have another run simile"
to what it had before.
The concluding piece was farce called "A House vat of
Windows," of French origin, end remarkable for ewe of
these ingenious scenic contrivances in which French
playwrights excel. The scene consists of a view of the
lint and second floors of a house, the windows of which
are fall in front of the audience, with the top of a lamp-
post ; the round-floor and the street not being visible. The
whole action of the piece is carried on at these windows
and balconies. The first floor is occupied by au aunt and
her niece ; in the second floor one room is occupied by the
landlord of the house widths other by a young artist. The
artist is the young lady's lover, and the old gentlemen is
, likewise her admirer . • end a series of very amusing advise.
tarts take place, with the usual denouement. The piece
was very well received, bat it dragged a little in some
place', being too much spun out considering the slightness
of its materials.