The Express.
London, England, 1859-12-27 00:00:00

(Stamped id. AdditionaL) [TWOPENCE.

PRINCESS'S.

After the satisfactory performance last evening of
Rene TrseAs, in wkkilt Mrs. Merles Taring, Mies Leoleroq,
Mr. O. Melville, Mr. Sham mud Mr. Preek Metthews wee
Mad to with exemplary patinas by the Okay, laughed
et
end weivicaelly applauded by the pit, and gently encou-
raged by approviag elks from the bins, "a wdrthful,
resgina, and comical" Cbrienues pantomime ws Fomented
with attire samosa. ♦ better opening we have not neat
or beard ft some years of experience in peeto-
=hese. The author it Jack Oa Ging dater ;
or, Zing Ardor sod ye Sosillas of ye Round Tohis, is Mr.
Byron, known as the writer of a great number of barlesqess.
To his Ideas of fan, width are very good in their way, the
actesepaintra and other preened einietante of Map efbot
have brought a most liberal aid. The &Wag, too, is of an
order which is not often amociated with the performance of
a pantomime. Miss Louis, Kathy plays Jack with
aa evident determination to make a pert of it.

• ballet was iotroduon, to the mires of which
X. Espinosa danced with a comic vigour as 'a-
rising as that which he saccifested in his "grand pas
de Dervisch." The haziequinade introduced a new clown to
public favour. A darn lot this kind is rarely brought under
our taloa. Whatever say be the rasa, untried clowns do
net generally pat keward as announcement of their first ap-
pearance. Of Mr. Fares; we have to ay thin In is vary
pliable to Me joiner, but a *deed( to his lanemonr. The
Harlequin, Mr. Cornea, is one a/ the nimblest we ever saw.
The sonny of Ask the theme Hiller is beautiful throughout.
The trendormatioa easy wl Ms emathaseaa darer,
drew

down vociferous implore, eudrieles kw the mewager , Kr
Hank, who appeared la obedience to the eall, end bowed
his acknowledgments. To soot up the mutts of the

Prinowe's pantomime, it is sprightly, well mounted, capitally
acted, folly supplied with the materials of laughter, and not
too long.

LYCEUM.

Madame Celeste commenced her Christmas enter-
tainment yesterday evening with an old Adel* favourite, The
Child of the Wreck, the priaolpel charterer of which, the dumb
boy Maurice, she has long ace made so completely her own.
Her pathetic pantomime wee on this comsat as graceful sad
affecting se ever, and quite arrested the attention of the
audience, making them almost forget the comic pantomime
which was to follow, and which of coarse they bad come ea-
' geesely in see. The entravaganss is entitled King Thrash-
lord, the Little Jig, and the Great Passion, with several
other aliases, for which we beg to refer to the bills. Mr.
Talfourd, the author, takes hie plot from the German fairy tale,
sad makes that generally popular character, Good Hamomr•
the destiny of the piece.
Of the dialogue, which consisted ancet entirely dram, it
may be said that no much of it es was dielially Meld went
of with ea average amount of explosion, sad that it was
very well delivered by the actors,who had all been creditably
awful in getting up their parte. It is hardly necessary to
add that Mlea Julia Elt.Gisorp made a gratefal King Thrash.
beard, or that she sang her music with mutates sad slat.
Mise Hudspeth did fall jamas to the temper of the Frames
Impeelay and Mr. Roues may be maid to have established
himself with a London audbaos by his personation of King
Paterfamilias. This patteresit is s decided apasition to
the Lyceum company. He ham plenty of vivacity, quick
intelligence, and scarcely any of that vulgarity which It is
so bard to avoid in his suburban walk.

Th. harlequinade that followed wsa of the arena quality,
but its shops and interiors rather Bat, after the splendid
scenery of the introduction. Clowns now-a-days rather
avoid politics, and sere abut indifferent tumblers since the
pantomime proper has mead to be the most attractive pec-
tin of the Christmas entertainment. One festers of lest

evening's extravaganza wee however well worthy of notice—
namely, the dancing, in which Miss Rain, the ooltuatdne,
received successive demonstrations of approval.

ST. JAMES'S.

The production of two new pieces in addition to a
pentoinlme, on Christman Eva, proved that the mil of the ma-
nagers of thin theatre is nit unflagging, while the character of
two oat of the thine novelties showed that experience has not
yet taught them wisdom in selectioe, or art in production.
More preposterous nonsense than Garsholds's ingliaAmars, •
farce which commenced the evening, wan probably never
sew. The notion that an English desks in ;pickles who had
some contract with the Hagan stony, should per Mosul: off
on his return as "Garibaldi's Ingliehman," sad that
he should in consequence become the hero of those debar
and designs only to be met with in Grose, might have bar
made funny enough had it been treated by Kr. Coyne or Mr.
Morton, who know every hick of the school; but the genius
en the present occaides, who la described In the bill as •
. .

"popular author;' teas given the menet conmational outline
of plot, set in ;Its dullest dialogue, and laden with the
heaviest fan. Mr. Charles Young worked hard, and did his
best with a part from which it was impossible to extract
humour, and Mr. Barrett had an opportunity of wearing
that singular deformity of forehead which he imaginal rr
presents old age, and of being generally bluff and hearty.
This damp and dismal farm was mocesded by a very pretty,
graceful, sparkling little sketch called TM RestosAold Airy,
The notion is originally French, but It has bees very cleverly
rendered by Mr. Frank Talfourd, who has supplied • great
deal of telling, pointed dialogue, and performed his work
throughout in a thoroughly artistic and eatiefecory otannet.
We presume it was for the sake of the attraction of the
Usk that the author called his pantomime Pooch wed
Jody. or Earle** end tAs Fairy of the Crystal Corer, for
the story has nothing to do with the old Italian sweet drama,
and the principal character, Punch, is dragged from his
proper sphere and made the hero of duller !oddest*,
and the speaker of duller witticisms, than have pre-
viously fades to his lot. The plot of the opals( le
totally unconnected; but what we gleaned from it
was, that Punch was angered by the Queen of Something to
Mei her armies against King Humbug (called by everybody
Umbur), that he sweets, overthrows the most notorious
humbugs of the day, Including Big Ben, the Palace Clock,
the Indicators, the Great Esetern, and the four Liverpool
merchants, dethrones the King, end causes the trans-
formation. The opening, indeed, is remarkable for
nothing but its dukes and its length; it is poorly acted too
by all except Miss C. Kanon, whose delightful self-sufficiency
is may quite preposeessbm. The transformation some
ailed forth a greet deal of applause, and locked as though it
had canoed a large outlay ; a portion of which might have been
judiciously turned to advantage on the costumes and made.
The heriequinede west telekly enough, principally through the
szardons of Kr. Paul Herring, one of the beat of old-
feehloned Clowns; his companion, Mr. Alfred Glanville, is
neat and agile; the Harlequin, Mr. Ash, Is a Lir dancer sad
posturer, but he should be instruoted to weer his mask con-
stantly on his face; and the Columbine, Mies Yowler, end
Pantaloon, Mr. Parker, are up to the average mark.
The house was crammed to inconvenience.

ADELPHI.
The Christmas piece at this theatre was an

Mangum, celled TA. Nymph of Larleybarg, or the Knight
sad the Naiads. Ae the title indicates it M a metrical version
of the Rhine Legend which treat. of the feats of the daring
young robber knight who sought the bend of the wealthy
water nymph, and wee punished for the mercenary motives
which induced him to make hie perilous journey beneath the
Rhine. It is the production of Me. H. J. Bros, sad is
founded on the operatic drama of "Larfins," which was
presented oacceasfally at the old Adeiphi several years
IV'

Wm Nelson, and MIN Bushel, are all dry well salted with
obaracters, and all ad sad sing dareingly. Mies Herbert,
who wo are glad tow hoe returned to her sikelaries at this
theatre, looked strikingly handsome, bat his dry little to
do. The villas ag the piece te played by Ills. linden with
a very diver paraphrase of Inliodragestio troordesoy.
The burlesque was thoroughly steoesdul, and deservedly
so; the public have so l•ag been served with fustian that
the real thud. ...mod to expo aged with tenfold vigour, end
doh Joke earned ft' distinct round of applause. The curtain
fall os a dry pretty allegorical representation of England's
glories sadist thunders of implode, and Mr. Breath (who,
we regret to say, looked extremely ill) bowed hts way acmes
the stage In compliance with a loud sad mere call.