The Express.
London, England, 1854-01-10 00:00:00

DRAMA.

DRURY-LANE.
Mr. Mark Lemon's new drama, Pos. Lazarro, produced
at this theatre lest analog, is • compound of Spanish
brigaxdage, Spanish revenge, and Bpaaish cachues, mixed
tip with some of the skill that might be expected from so
practised a hand, bat not quits so much =tons in results es
has attended former endeavoun. The scene opens at •
farmer's hoses in Bstramadura, the farmer himself lig
benevolently employed in making up a match betimes toe
foundlings, to wham he has performed the duties of pats&
nity from their infester upwards. The 'Aug lady, of
course, turns out to be the daughter of a marquess, sad
onsequently it becomes highly improper that she
should many a muleteer. Peals, the heroine of the pima,
then appears spout the geese, accompanied by her father,
a blind, sad, in Mr. Yews heads, • most ferocious mendi•
mat, sad the latter amertaias that the fosadling's new.
Moil tether is as old enemy, egtimt whom he hes a
wallets, whisk ma only be satiellod by heroin his house,
merying of the young lady. • bead of Ladresee
mad into requisition, mad the Adoption is droned dories
a masked ball. The imodiessat, his daughter, and Ids
prey, all fly off to the mammals home of the eobbese,"
where Paula performs prodigies of disinterested air.
two, and the pima wioda up with the discovery
that Limn., the meadloun, hoe been wreaking his
vengeance on his ewe AOC and he is shot fa
the rescue wick which the play very properly concludes.
The plea is one of lumina exeisudnly, and many of the
Aso are well brought out. Bat the plot is rather ham,
▪ than is webs, is the dialogue to raise it Awe (be
ordinery level of melodrama. The actors netted thaw
sates • good deal, especially Mr. Mead, who segued at
Drury for the Ant time, mid the away, be
Wilma;
more thee used ow co the mountiog. it was liththei
very pood-humenredly throughout, and in poses pleas
cheered, but ea the whole had • cool reception, mad eras sot
enamored far repaitiee.

OLYMPIC.
Lost eveolog Mr. Wigan produced the little Condo
drum, The First Night, in which he first appeared with
immeime sumer at the Prime's's. We need scarcely my
anything of a piece which is so well known to our theatrical
readers--our Loam readers at least—and which has
given them so much amusement. But we may remind
them that it is an Buell& venire of the admirable
petite caddie, La Pere de to Delmtgate, adapted
to our stage by Mr. Wigan himself, aid in which
be performs Vernet's original part—the eld French
actor, who Nettie's, in spite of unheard-of digital-
ties, to get his clever daughter brought out as a prime
donna at one of the English theatres. Mr. Wipe makes it
one of the most perfect pieces of light mobs acting that can
be imagined ; Vernet himself could not have surpassed it;
and the whale Mese, in its Olympia dregs, could not have
gone off with greater gaiety and spirit, even is its native
locality, the Theatre dee Variitis. Its effect is infinitely
enhanced by the acquisition of Miss P. Hostoe, who dou-
bles the effect of Mr. Wigan's acting by the
admirable meaner in which she " seta up to it."
It is impossible to dseeribe Wigan's picture of the poor old
Frenchman. It is so quaint, so Indictees, and yet so effect-
ing ; so thoroughly French, se rich in humour, and yet so
quiet, unexaggermed, and astute!, that it may be mid to be
• thing quite unique ea our stage. We have nothing like
it, nor, in its way, onesperable to it. The whole piece is
capitally performed; Mr. Leslie, as
the maser, Mr.
linden ea the stage-mmeger, and Mr. H. Cmper, es the
dramatic author, who is so comically," tickled" by the old
Frenchmatessettmawder—are all ezeallent ; and the mice
en scene has all the neatness of the Parisian stage. The
peammeassoflast night had quite the beelines, of novelty ;
shouts of laughter throughout every scene, and acclamations
, and loud calls for Mr. Wigan and Mir Mertes at
the curtain, showed with what zest it was enjoyed by the
salience