The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-10 00:00:00

ASTLEY'S.

The Field against the Favourite is the title of the Easter
piece at this favourite place of amusement. It is from the
pen of Mr. Nelson Lee, and will, without doubt, prove
highly attractive. The drama has a more clearly deve-
loped plot than an Easter spectacle can always boast. A
young man stakes his all upon his horse Snapdragon,
which is the first favourite for the Derby. Snapdragon
is the best horse, p,nd is sure to win, but the villain of the
piece manages to gain over his trainer, a jockey of the old
school, very well acted by Mr. Campbell, and adminis-
ters a drug to the horse, which, with rare intelligence,
instantly drops in his stable as if senseless. Then we have
the Derby course at Epsom, never perhaps put upon the
stage with so much spirit and completeness, with its motley
multitude of Ethiopian serenaders, Cockey horsemen,
fashionably-attired ladies, swell drags, costermongers? and
police. The bell rings, the horses start and gallop across
the stage as in a real race ; the favourite is, of course,
"nowhere," and the owner is a ruined man. His perse-
cutor next determines to destroy the horse by fling the
stables, and the stables in flames present a grand tableau
of blazing rafters, falling roofs, and red fire. Snapdragon
is, however, previously removed by his trainer, and in the
second act the favourite turns up in Ireland, where he is
the "dark horse" of a grand race on the Curragh of Kil-
dare. Another grand triumphal tableau in the market-
place of Kildare exhibits the favourite victorious against
the field. The jockey "squares the race," restores Snap-
dragon to his owner, who had believed that he was de-
stroyed in tha conflagration, and the scene ends with the
triumph of persecuted virtue and the punishment of the de-
tected villain. The "Scenes in the Arena" followed, in
which we had the dashing riding Mdlle. Blanche as Joan
of Arc, and also the graceful performances of the fascinat-
ing Emily Cooke. Daring the recess the theatre has been
elegantly renovated and decorated by Messrs. Latilla, and
a splendid military act drop by Mr. Fenton perpetuates
the glories and tragic interest of the grand cavalry charge,
which the resources of Mr. Cooke's admirable steed en-
abled him recently to reproduce with so much scenic
effect. It affords unalloyed pleasure to witness the tide of
success which has set in at this theatre, for no manager
ever exerted himself more than Mr. Cooke has done to
merit the approbation of his patrons.

SADLER'S WELLS.
The legitimate dramatic monarch of the north having
for a season abdicated his throne, his territory was last
night invaded by a small, but powerful body from the
more central regions of the Strand, who, deserted, unfor-
tunately, from a sad necessity, by their own late chief,
had banded together with the praiseworthy purpose of
supplying the inhabitants of " merrie Islyngtone" with
that Easter amusement which otherwise would have been
wanting to them. In other words, the Lyceum company,
headed by Mr. Frank Matthews, vice Charles " of that ilk,"
commenced a short season at this theatre last evening, with
a view, apparently, of testing whether the solid and more
elevated tastes which Mr. Phelps has so assiduously and so
successfully cultivated among the audiences of this locality
had entirely destroyed their natural appreciation of the
lighter and more ephemeral school of dramatic art. The
comic drama of Husbands Rejoice, or: Serves him right,
was the first piece, in which the only variation from the
original cast was the substitution of Mr. F. Robinson for
Mr. C. Mathews, and it is but fair to the former gentleman
to say that, notwithstanding the severity of the compari-
son, he acquitted himself with considerable credit. The
Cozy Couple, in which, as in the former piece, the admir-
able natural acting of Mr. and Mrs. F. Matthews was fully
appreciated by the audience, followed, and the perform-,
ances concluded with the farce of Two Heads are Better
than One, in which the drolleries of Mr. Roxby served to
complete the entertainment of the evening.