The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-23 00:00:00

DBURY-LANE TBEATBE.

The first series of six performances of Lai Cossapes,
a Bonapartist drama of the period of the Restoration of
the Bourbons, was produced on Saturday night, for the
first time in his country, at Drury-lane Theatre. The
performers were the entire company of the Paris Theatre
de la Gait 6, who, on the occasion of the visit-of the
French Emperor and Empress have come to England to
hold a congres dramatique, in other words, to present
this piece which has had a run of two hundred consecu-
tive nights in Paris, to the English public. The per-
formers all appeared in their original characters ; and
those who love excellent acting in the class to-which the
piece belongs, should pay a visit to Drury-lane • Theatre
before the' close of this series of performances.. The
work is in the nature of a melodrama, as regards form;
and it professes to be a patriotic production, in the-French
sense of the word, as it is understood in Franco at present,
but it has in reality a political object, and that &tied is to
strike the roots of the system 'called Bonapartism deep in
the hearts of the French people. _lt is in five acts and nine
tableaux, or rather scenes, such tableaux counting fdr
each dramatic division. • The story is of course founded
upon " the course of true love,", which' this ease, as
in so many others since the days of Mr.' Shalcspere,
does not "run smooth:" The ccillateral events are the
patriotic portions of the piece. A. certain Maurice (M.
G,ouget), an officer in the dissolved Imperial Guard, is
in love with the fair Louise (Mdlle. Melia Claris e),. the
daughter cf a blind lady, Madame Blancl.mcl (Madame
Lambquin), and, sooth to say, the lucky Maurice is
equally loved' in return. It so hapPene, however,' that
the Co-sacks then hold Paris ; and-with that di-regard
for their neighbours' rights, which dietinguishes this pa-
triotic people, from the Czar to the serf, the 'Russian
general in command of the district where the lovers dwell
falls in love with the fair Louise and determines she shall
marry him. To escape the tyranny of the Russian general
the disconsolate Maurice enters into a series of political
conspiracies, having for objects the ejection of the Cossacks
from France and the restoration of the elder Bonaparte;
and in the course of these conspiracies, in which
he is ably aided by an ex-sergeant of the Imperial guard,
Dureveau (M. Paulin Menier), and by an ex-corporal-of
the 47th of the line, Jean Panel (M.Alexandre), a variety
of narrow escapes occur, and the piece becomes the vehicle
for much. Bonapartist enthusiasm. The Count de Man-
zaroff, the Russian general (M. Clement Just), however,
succeeds in "netting" all the conspirators, apropos of an
echaufouree, which takes place in a suburban pleasure-
garden in Paris; and while the ex-sergeant and ex-corporal
are condemned to death, he spares the life of his rival,
Maude; as the price of the fair Louise's hand. Maurice,
however, happens to have attracted the affections also,
albeit unconsciously, of a female serf, Olga (Wile,
Augusta), attached to the Russian general is an equivo-
cal capacity, and the poor girl, though at first treacherous
to her rival, the fair Louise, ultimately becomes a Con-
vert to virtue, through the magnanimity of the maiden ;-
and not alone induces but compels Maurice to safe her from
her marriage with Manzaroff. Much of the amusement of
the mimic scene is created by the bye-play between 'an
enormous Cossack soldier and the buffoons of the piece,
the ex-serjeant and ex-corporal alluded to, who, by the
way are, in their respective parts, absolutely inimitable.
All ends happily, however; the Cossacks are expelled
Paris, and the lovers are united in eacred bonds, &e. It
would be unjust to a most meritorious actress, Mdlle.
Leontine, not to mention that her efforts in the agree-
able and indispensable part of a vivandiere, or fine du
regiment, added greatly to the success which Undoubt-
edly attended this, the first representation of Les Cos-
saques, in England ; and that without any exception the
minor performers, of which there are an immense number,
were all " well up" in their respective impersonations.
The life' the motion, and the energy Of the French stage
was, in fact, transferred bodily to the boards of Drury.
lane on this occasion ; and those who desire to witness
French acting, fresh and perfect, in this class of
performances, should not fail to visit that theatre within
the next week. At the conclusion of the eactuffouree,
already alluded to, which were, in fact, a melee between
the quasi Parisian populace and the Cossacks, the entire
company came forward and sang, in two or three several,
keys, "God Save the queen," winding up with " Par-
tent pour la Syne." The closing scene of the drama
was one of those grand scenic displays which the French
stage alone can produce in-perfection, and it was greatly.
and deservedly applauded. ,
The house was very well attended,' and, as lieforo
stated, the performance was perfectly successful.