The Express.
London, England, 1853-02-01 00:00:00

DRAMA.

FRENCH PLAYS, ST. JAMES'S THEATRE.
These elegant entertainments commenced last night
with the t. of Monsieur Ravel, the celebrated
" low " the term usually applied is this ocinatry
to his gear*, though the epithet of ' low " is hardly suitable
to•style electing which often exhibits very high art.
Ravel ran aloe of the same class as Charles Mathews ;
awl, Indeed, there is • great similarity between them, *spo-
okily in the light, airy vivacity which they both porous in
seek as eminent degree ; in the cleverness of
their by-play, and Is the point and meaning which
emly glee to ultweeekma apparently the suet slight
OM Rat Ravel is quieter than Mathews, he
ihwende upea searMst movement and bustle, and does
Mem by the mbar et his features and the exquisite
=llldelleeks. lake Mathews_ too, his range is not
; the paste in which they both appear are gene-
main
s MIMI* tar them, and have a considerable re-
-11 imether. Last night Ravel appeared in
Use ehemeters, in whieh this family likeness, as it may be
Mink van wry apparent.
The bet was on a vaudeville called ..17n Mon-
d/me qui mit In Femmes' " whisk was brought
let at the Theitre de la Moulmein, about two
Mateo. It einem in the garden of the
which made a very pretty scene and moving
kliass—geople walking about, eating en chairs, reading
thejerainak, in the walks and under the trees. Hee-
air, a young man " about town," who is the " Monsieur
gel snit is Dames," is running about alter every pretty
Woes be sees ; and in doing so he has several adventures,
mil makes several piquant discoveries. At length he fol-
lane • lady, and persecute* her with his attentions " till, in
sal bra for an invitation to dine with him, ski invites
hit le p bama to dinner with her. He goes ;
b wombat am a superb house; and ill
lid by the lady that a party ar• coming to
Eimer, and that she bad naked him because it had struck
bce that there would be otherwise thirteen at table.
Baler is dismayed at the magnificence around him and the
Wet of his toilet; and soon finds that his hostess is only
making war of him. On every fresh arrival she intro-
ilaNn as ' Un Monsieur que je ne connais pas," till he is
ilhasealltad and covered with confusion ; which is aggra-
vated whet he finds that a young lady he is in love
with is of the party, being the niece of the lady
of the house. At length some friends of the family
arrive, whose awkward secrets he had discovered in
the morning married lady, whose 141 kt-down to a
lover he had picked up ; her husband, who had been in-
triguing with a chambermaid, and a gentleman who had
fought a duel with unloaded pistols. He turns the tables
by giving them hints of what he knows; and at length
(tightens them into a consent to hie marriage with the young
lady he loves. The whole piece rests upon Ravel, who is
constantly upon the stage from the beginning to the end.
la the other characters there is nothing at all remarkable,
wept in the way in which they are acted—that cotabina•
tion (in the ladies) of ease, quietness, and elegant vivacity,
which giv. a such a lifelike air, and such animation, to
the ensemble of a French comedy. Mdlle. Lambert and
Millie. Emma Fleury particularly distinguished themselves.
The other piece was a one act vaudeville, called "York ;
ou, Une Recompense Honnfte." In it Ravel performed
a character which seemed a twin-brother of the former,
end bore the same name, Herter. Of the subject, it is
enough to say that the hero's townies's* get him into various
'crapes, which afford ample scope for the actor's drollery;
and that " York " is • lady's pet dog which figures on
the stage.
Huth pieces were received with great applause by a full
and fashionable house. Between them " God save the
Queen" was eucg by the company, assisted by several
Enelish vocalists, among whom His Itausford was the
principal.

THE EQUF.STRICA STATUE OF TUE QUEEN, to be
erected in Glasgow, is approaching completion, and the
tri.%t rad of St. Vincent-place has been selected as its site.—
n.