The Express.
London, England, 1866-04-03 00:00:00

ADELPELL

The old and popular Adelphi drama of The
Wreck Ashore has been revived at this house, supported by
the whole Adelphi Company, and Mr. Toole appears in two
of his light successful pieces.

Astley's has this season assumed the aspect of
a regular opera house. Lest night Mr. E. T. Smith gave
a brilliant performance of Der Frei/awn, which was got up
with great care, and (we should suppose) no smell cost, and
was attended with the success which it undoubtedly de.
served. The libretto is said in the bills to be re-written ex-
pressly for the lessee by Mr. John Oranford ; but this is
not exactly the case, and we should have regretted if it
bad been. Mr. Oxenford has adhered to the version which
has been used ever sines this most popular of operas
was first clothed in an English dries—the only dress
in which the English public has ever known it. He has
preserved the English names of the characters, and the
favourite songs, duets, ke., are given with the old familiar
words with which they are associated by every English

lover of Weber's most genial work. In this Mr. Oxonford
has acted with his rased good judgment ; and even in the
spoken portions he has only amplified the dialogue, retain-
ing all its salient point. The music is fully
and correctly preserved ; and the whole version
of the piece, as performed last night, was one of
the most complete that has been brought upon any stage-
The levee has provided, for this performance, means
MOM ample than might have been expected in a theatre
which has never been a regular musical house. His in-
strumental orchestra and chorus consist of above 100 per-
formers ; and though the band is too weak in the stringed
instruments, and would be marvellously strengthened by a
reinforcement of even half-a.losen, yet the performers are
individually so good, and then conductor, Mr. Tully,
is so able and experienced, that Weber's exqui-
site accompaniments suffered wonderfully little. The
choruses, too, sod scenes of concerted music, were sung
with satisfactory accuracy and effect. Several of the prin-
cipal characters were sustained by late members of the
Li-derma Royal Reglidi Opera Company at Covent-garden.
The opera, which lasted till a late hour, was followed by
a nets burlesque, entitled Bodbdil d C7eico, or, The Moor
tAe Merrier, by Mr. Burnand. We confer our inability to
sit it out ; but we saw enough of it to perceive that it is •
very good production of its class, and that it is sure to
have a run. It is a dazzling spectacle, the stage blame
with splendour ; end though a subject full of beautiful
Spanish romance is ruthlessly turned into s farrago of
absurdities, yet their very extravagance renders them
irresistibly laughable, end life laugh even while we are
angry with ourselves for laughing against our own better
judgment.

LYCEUM.
The legitimate attraction of the Mager of
Reseneseowi is found to be wiffieSeist for this house without

PRINCRBBIS.
Mr. Bout:deanWs ,reds of Lootlow, wits tb.
rtareing monk eileete of • home oa lee. owl the paao-
ralaia asselleacies of • view al Cluisiaipeon by tight, is

The Easter attradioni of Sydenham have been err
often described that there remains very little more to be
said upon the wal4ect. Those attractions do not, hovreven
affair to be in the hart diminished by the increased tarsi-
Rarity with them which every year must prevail ensongst
the elms for which they are chiefly designed. Yertiedny
en immense erred availed itself of every means of scant 1
which the numerous railway tauten no► offer, and the
Mearanoe of the centre transept and great orchestra filled I
with holiday people wee very striking. The whole palace
may, in feet, be said to have been " like a fair," an exprer
den which is the more appropriate, seeing that Hr.
Edmond', with his menagerie, was amongst the many can-
didates for public notice. The weather was unfortunately
not propitious, but that circumstance only served to bring
out with increased emphasis the unrivalled means which
the establishment pommies of entertaining an immense con-
course under cover. So far as we could learn, the arrange-
ments proved perfectly adequate to the immense strain
which was placed upon them. The number of visitors
was upwards of 29,000.

POLYTECHNIC.

in the 911natration of at, science, and manufac-
ture the maeageei of this institution am ever mindful
of the fact that their purpose is best served by combining
amusement with instruction, and as each holiday 1111110011
recurs some new entertainment is added to the standing
acientific attraction of the building. Upon the Easter
programme this year there are se►eral novelties, the min-
-461 of wldeh are some of the most wonderful optical
iflusione yet produoed by the " patent ghost " invention,
and a series of charming dissolving view illurtrating
"The Lady of the Lake.*