The Express.
London, England, 1851-04-22 00:00:00

PRINCESS'S THEATRE.

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At this theatrethe contribution to the Easter
stock of novelties was a Burlesque Extravaganza, partly
founded on one of Washington Irving's tales entitled " The
Alhambra; or, the Three Beautiful Princesses." We cannot
say much at the plot, for the simple reason that there is
very little plot to say anything about. Indeed it is princi-
pally introductory of and subservient to the scenery,
alicch was of a novel and effective character. Three
Christian captives, Sir Roped the Ready (Mrs.
Keeley), .sir Desperado the Dauntless (Mr. A.
Wigan), and Sir Totry the Timorous (Mr. Keeley),
fill into the power of Mohammed, a Moorish
King of Granada, whose three daughters fall in love a ith
the knights, and elope with them; are retaken, hut even-
tually escape with their lovers to Christendom. In the
working out of this plot some comical " situations"
are( presented, which, with the character of the dialogue,
tend to create and to maintain mirth among the audience

until the ft:none/neat. The scenery, however, is the main
attraction of the piece. It commences with a representation
of Brom pion-square by mounlight,and gives a bird's-eye view,
as seen by /maidens, in a balloon voyage from Ilrompton
to the Alhambra, passing over the Crptal Palace by night,
Dover, the liritish Chanuel, Calais, Paris, a valley in the
Pyrenees, leading to a mountain pass in the descent to
Granada• with a view of the Vega and City, the Alhambra
and the sierra Nevada in the distance, forming a complete
diorama repre.•senting the places named. In the course of
the piece a pas rnaureejse was beautifully danced by
Madlle. Auriol, and a pas romique by Mr. Flexmore, the
latter of which was encored; and we shonld not omit to
state that Mr. Flesmore's representation of is monkey, and
the antics of that imitative animal, kept the house inw roar
of laughter.

LYCEUM THEATRE.
The Easter novelty here was Mr. Planehe's new
Fairy Extravaganza, in two acts, entitled "The Queen of
the Frogs." The plot of the piece is rather intricate, hut
its principal incidents are capable of a more simple descrip-
tion. There is a valiant king, bight Pulminugo the Puq-
'mounts, the best of monarchs, husbands, and fathers (Mr.
Charles Mathews), and he is introduced to us in the midst
of his besieged army, whom he encourages, in a speech
' worthy of the occasion, to do or die. 1k is blessed by a de-
, voted spouse, Dulribello by name (Mrs. Frank Matthews).
and an only daughter, earissinta (Miss Julia St.
Ocorge), whom they both love " passing well." The
foe being driven off, this king, for some purpose or
other not very clearly explained, goes into the country,
and on the march his wife and daughter are parted from
the company in a dreary wood. After suffering an un-
utterable fnght from a storm, from wild beasts, and from
the goblin terrors of that weird forest, they arc suddenly
set on by one Leowt, otherwise the " fairy lioness" (Mr.
Robert Roxby), a sort of Circe, minus the charms of that
mystic personage. Her chief prey are great people, who
hnve be guilty of "lionising foreigners, foreigners, whom she
villanoudy transforms, and conveys into a cavern, which
will probably be discovered at the centre of the earth
when a shaft shall have been sunk thither. As her two
last raptures have not been guilty of this vice they are
merely condemned to perform the menial offices of rook
and hairdresser. The queen's first task is the compounding
of a pot,' of butterflies; and, as those insects are not
indigenous to the dismal domain of Leona, the poor queen
is in despair. At this juncture a loud croak draws her
attention to a huge raven, which is carrying off a frog for
its sapper. The royal captive, participating in the senti-
ment of Dido, and clothing it indeed in words, though cer-
tainly not in words quite so polished as those which the
Mantuan bard puts in the mouth of the 'f yrian queen,