The Sun.
London, England, 1852-10-08 00:00:00

QUEEN S ROYAL THEATRE

Tile admirers of dramatic entertainment who pa-
tronise this theatre have certainly no reason to com-
plain of any want of variety in its performances. The
public are not allowed to tire of any single represen-
tation, but a constant succession of novelties are pro-
duced, all admirable of their kind and well calculated
to ensure the gratification and amusement of the
crowded audiences that nightly frequent this de-
servedly popular place of amusement. On Saturday
evening were produced the romantic drama of Monte
Christo, and the magnificent burlesque extravaganza
of The Enchanted Wives. The former piece (as
may be gathered from its title) is a dramatic adapta-
tion of Dumas' gorgeous romance, "Le Chateau.
D'lf." The main incidents upon which the inte-
rest of this extraordinary work turns have been
brought together and closely wrought up, so as to
constitute a drama of deep interest. The
amusing interlude of the Spitalfields Weaver,
re quires some notice at our hands, as introducing
to the witty and laughter-loving audience of the
Queen's a new candidate for their smiles in the per-
son of Mr. J. L. Toole, who has proved himself a
successful aspirant to the highest honours of mimetic
art, and as a low comedian of undoubted talent has
won for himself the decided and most flattering en-
comiums of the London press. His recent success at
the Haymarket Theatre is spoken of as a perfect
triumph, and his reception by a Dublin audience on
Saturday evening would seem to ratify and confirm
the admiring approval accorded to his comic perform-
ances by our Cockney neighbours. Mr. Toole, whose
unmistakably Irish patronymic, as well as his racy
vein of comic humour, seem to distinguish him as a
son of the Emerald sod, has rendered himself eminent
as a reconteur and utterer of good things amidst the
social circles of London life. He is the son of Mr.
Toole, long known and appreciated in London and
its vicinity as " The Toast Master," one whose gifts
as an entertainer of company, whose capabilities as a
" master of revels," and whose sparkling wit and viva-
cious merriment as " lord of merry misrule," have ren-
dered his presence an indispensable requisite amongst a
thousand circles where wealth is more rife than wit, and
where the flashing repartees, and redundant anecdote,
and spirit-stirring "chansons au boire," of the veteran
Toast Master have been ever prized and welcome
accessories to the intellectual attraction of many a
costly banquet. Mr. Toole appeared as Simmons,
the hero of the piece called the Spitalfields Weaver.
His dressing of the part was in itself comic in the
extreme, and his acting was such as to indicate a
high degree of comic talent. The various ludicrous
contretemps incidental to Simmons's introduction into
polite society—in short, the blunders of a Cockney
Paul Doherty—brought out Mr. Toole in a line of
performance which seem to be his forte. He was
enthusiastically applauded. In the last scene Mr.
Toole favoured the audience with one of those reci-
tations a la Charles Mathews, entitled " The County
Election," in which he evinced a wondrous power of
vocal inflexion in imitating various characters, and
displayed a high development of mimic talent ; but
we must remind this clever aspirant that even a farce
has, or ought to have, its unities, and such a display
of mimetic power would have come better by itself.
However, the audience were delighted, and Mr.
Toole having been enthusiastically applauded before
the curtain, took occasion to thank the audience for
the kind reception accorded to him. The entertain-
ments will be repeated this evening, and Mr. Toole
will appear again as Simmons in the Spitulfields
Weaver.—Dublin Freeman's Journal, Oct. 4.