The Express.
London, England, 1853-03-29 00:00:00

HAYMARKET.

With s new season a new dynasty commenced last
night, the n, w manager being that old favourite of the
public. Mr. Buckstone. The piece selected for the occasion
was TAe Ricals, and the capabilities of the company for
plays of that kind appear to be, if not transcendent, at
least respectable. The Sir Anthony Absolute was by a Mr.
Chippendale, an importation from New York. This gen-
tleman made a very favourable debut, at once assuming the
fiery testiness of Sir Anthony with great success, and im-
porting into the part much quiet humour, especially in his
scenes with Mrs. Malaprop. One could not help regretting,
however, to see this gentleman rendering the coarser por-
tions of the character with such painful emphasis.
Mr. William Farren, as Captain Absolute, and Mr.
Compton, as Acres, were capital ; but we may fairly
question whether the redoubtable Bob was intended by the
author to have been quite such a lout. Mr. Howe's Falk
land was a part of considerable merit, and the two hero-
ine.. Miss Reynolds as Lydia Languish, and Miss Ellen
Chaplin as Lucy, were quite satisfactory. Mr. H. Corri's
Sir Lucius O'Tngger, however, was a na• re coput mortuurn
—the words of the text minus all their humour. At the
fall of the curtain the characters, all and sundry, were called
fur, and they received an encouraging round of applause.
After a short interval the new lessee was introduced to the
house in a new extravaganza from the pen of Mr. blanche,
called Mr. Ihwhatone's Ascent of Mount Parnassus. Mr.
Buckatone is " discovered" in his study,dreseed in a singular
garment, and apparently in a no less singular state of per-
plexity as to the politics of his future dramatic reign. His
table groans under a pile of new piece., and taking up the
first hefinds that it is Arsenic, a tragedy in fifteen act..
He of course votes it a " drug ;" but he does not utterly sea t
it aside, for as he sagely observes, that—
" Though not the thing to lead his speculation,
It may be useful at the termination.

The Spirit of Fashion then suddenly appesn and gives
him some very useful advice, after which Fortune likewise
comes on the stage and takes the Manager under her special
protection. For his information she introduces hint to some
of her most recent favourites. Of course Mr. Albert Smith
and the lomat of Mont Blase are amongst these. The in-
trepid " eragsnian" is considerably quizzed, but he recom-
mends Buckstone to follow hii steps, and offers him his as-
sistance—conduct which the Manager says is handsome,
sad for which Fortune accounts by gravely adding that
" Mont Blane's • mountain far above all piques."
The Ilansger is fired with a noble ardour to emulate the
example, if he can only find another mountain which is not
yet quit* • cockney highway. The idea of Etna, and his
personal adventures in a Crater, strike his fancy ; and he
resolves in his mind the " taking " character of an adver-
tisement, announcing
"Mr. Buckstone's views of a volcano,
Accompanied by himself on a pi-a•no."

•
However, Fortune desires permission first to show him a
few others of her favourites ; and then comes that ferocious
absurdit the Corsican Brothers, which is tnraed into ea-
**B
entfun, and, with the aid of some clever parodies of
Mr. Charles Kean by Mr. Braid, is really irresistible. The
next introduction is a batch of nigen, who force from the
astonished Malinger the exclamatiou. " Oh, my prophetic
soot, my Uncle—Tom!" The Gold from Drurv,-lane,
sad a Basso Profundo from Coveat-garden, strut
a few mirth-eompelling minutes on the stage ; Out Mr.
Breksteas adhering to his first idea, Fortune suggests to
bin Mount Panama., and the piece from henceforth
assumes a panoramic and mythological form. The views
in Greece are really very beautiful, and there are plenty of
puns but the " ascent' proper is scarcely so funny as the
induction. The cross-fire of jokes throughout the earlier,
and indeed by far the greater portion of the extravaganza,
is really tremendous.
The crowded house, feeling that a powerful remedy had
been provided against the dismal weather which has lately
prevailed, received the announcement that the ascent
would be repeated until further notice with rapturous
applause.