The Express.
London, England, 1861-06-21 00:00:00

LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, JUNE 21. 1861.

DRAMA.

OLYMPIC.

Last evening, at the Olympic, was produced a
new comedy in three acts, called A Charming Woman. The
playbill honestly avowed that it is " taken from the
French :" it did entry that it has been adapted by Mr. H.
Wigan ; be deserves equal credit as author and as actor.

Mrs. Moonily (Miss 'Amy Sedgwick), • widow of thirty,
has, whilst nursing Alfred Ardent (Mr. Frederick Robinson)
at the hones of her old friend, Alfred's uncle, Sir Mulberry
Matcheni (Mr. G. Cooke), succeeded cot only in winning
the nephew's heart and unsettling her own, but has attracted
first the notice, then the admiration, and finally the
love of Symptom (Mr. H. Wigan), • foolish, tiresome,
inept, though (paradoxical as it may seem) rather cheery
hypochondriac, who oscillates between the examination of
his own pulse and Mrs. Blooady's inclinations. He has
" 60,000/., purity of morals, and • conviction that a wife
ought to have her own way." Even the 60,0001. do not
counterbalance the latter diaqualifiaitions ; and ;though no
one can be surprised that the "charming woman" prefers
Alfred Ardent, who has " youth, genius, and happiness,''
and is Dot so obtrusive in his morality, but that he is madly
in love with her, sod engaged to his cousin Julia (Miss
Cottrell) at the same time, one is a little emptied
to find her, at the beginning of the second act, admi-
nistering so many minims of tosatend-water, followed
up by • lump of sugar, to her medicine-mad husband, Mr.
Symptom, at Folkestone. That she should have assumed
coarseness of speech sod manners in order to disgust Ardent
with herald fling him back upon a marriage with his cousin
is so moo► in keeping with most women's notions of high
morality that we meekly accept the sacrificial situation, but
' whet necessity there was for her marrying the ghost of an
apothecary's shop, it is difficult even for • moralist to say.
However, this "charming woman" asserts that " marriage
is an art which can be made comfortable only by MINIM ;"
and, if we accept this novel definition of matrimony, she is •
model wife. She ham plenty of opportunities for displaying her
powers ; for her own husband is always foolish, and Julia's
husband is always loving—sot to his wife—but to her. He
discover,, through the unconscious babbling of Symptom,
the deception practised upon hint, and becomes more ens,
mowed than ever. But he loves in vain ; the " charming
woman" will not hearken to his vows ; and finally, by a ruse,
extorts from him the condemnation of conduct analogous
to his own. Having shut him up in one cupboard, and a
Mrs. llitterbliss (Mrs. Stephens), a violently jealous wife, in
another, she gets Mr. liitterblias (Mr. W. Gordon) and Julia
to rehearse their parts, written by her for private
theatricals, so as they shall be overheard, the one by
her husband, the other by his wife. She so maddens, then
enlightens and propitiates, and eventually cures both.
No praise could be extravagant applied to Mr. Horace
Wigan. The character of Symptom is not an easy one ; bat
it is played to perfection. Mr. Cooke Is, as wmal, the most
genial of uncles. Miss Cottrell, who has very little to say,
says that little well. Mrs. Stephens is the incarnation of •
jealous tormenting woman ; and Mr. Robinson makes love
as astidactorily as one ever sees it made on an English
stage. Bliss Amy Sedgwick, who was most enthusiastically
received., is verysuccessful in her treatment of herhusband's
infirmities ; but we think that she would do well if she
would tone down her declamation in the scenes where she
soliloquised ou the passion of her lover, and the troubles
of her own heart. A Charming Woman was decidedly suc-
cessful ; and bouquets were showered with a prodigality,
peehapa, not quite so genuine as the unmistakeably spin-
' tame= applause which recalled the principal actors before
the curtain at the close of the comedy.

UNIVERSITY INTELLIGENCE.

CAMBRIDGE, JUNE 9:).
. .

At a congregation this day the undermentioned
drirwere conferral :
—E. H. Fisher, R. P. Holme, F. Jackson, Tri-
nity College • H. H. Bompan, J. W. Govan, G. S. Grown,
Joha's &les ; W. Amps, 1). F. Chewier, R. H.
Edasondsoo, St. ster's College ; A. B. Crosse, G. T.
Nuns, Caine College ; H. Blake, Corpus College ; Joseph
Thompson, Christ's College.
A.B.—Francis Nic. Smith, Trinity College.
At a congregation on the lath the following creations
took place :
D.D.—H. E Richards, St. John's College.
LL.D.—G. W. Cordon, Jesus College ; H. S. Roberts,
Queens' College.
31.1).—J. G. Dudley, St. John's College.
MLA.—Pekes, 3 ; Clare, 9 ; Pembroke 4 ; Caine, 14 ;
Trinity Hall, 3 ; Carpus Christi, 9 ; ; Queen s,
4 • Catharine 13 ; Jesus, 8 ; Christ's, 2 ; John' 43 ;
dagdalen, i ; Trinity 53 (including H. C. ad-
, milted N.A. MS, and 'Herbert Broom, 1854) ; Boiriamel,
12 ; Sidney, ; Downing, 2.
LL.M.—Jasees Acken, Trinity College.