The Sun.
London, England, 1852-12-28 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDQN, TUESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 28, 1852.

worth his weight in gold to the management. The
best bit of advice we can give to seekers after
amusement is—Go and see Huline. His comrade,
" The aged vice, the grey iniquity,"
Paulo,Pantaloon
was given with orthodox senility bM y r. ,
whom long practice in the part has rendered con-
ventionally perfect. He played right well up to
the mark. In countenance, form, and motion,
Miss Carlotta Le Clercq more expressively realises
our conception of the bright and graceful Colum-
bine—light as a zephyr, and radiant with animation
and activity—than any representative we have ever
seen of the sprightly semi-sylph. The elegant sim-
plicity of her dress last evening was most tasteful
and becoming, and she danced and moved as beauti-
fully and spiritedly as she looked—an embodied sun-
beam, gaily glancing among the grotesque mysteries
of the motley group. Harlequin has never been better
represented on our modern stage than by Mr. Cor-
mack, and last night he fully sustained his first-:
rate reputation. His briskness and agility, and
the exceeding neatness and finish of his dancing
were as conspicuous as ever, while the variegated
lustre of his glittering garb emulated the vivid
hues of tropical plumage. The combination of
pantomimic talents presented by this party of four,
constitutes an ensemble of excellence altogether un-
equalled in attraction, and this we say without any
disparagement to other artists or establishments.
Among the most pleasing features were two cha-
racter dances, picturesquely dressed and brilliantly
executed by Miss Le Clercq and Mr. Cormack, and
which coramanded'a,pplause as fervent as had at-
tended their reception. Nor should a very extra-
ordinary performance to witness be passed in si-
lence ; a " Topsy," thirteen feet in stature, and
the clown on stilts, achieving a pas de deux with
the utmost facility and spirit. There was
likewise a pas extraordinaire, in which har-
lequin, clown, and pantaloon, figured in a very
extraordinary style indeed. With its many astonish-
ing attractions, Cherry and Fair Star cannot but
fill the benches of the Princess's for many an even-
ing with the lovers of ocular excitement, and the
patrons of 11-aline and Co. None but an incurable
son of wormwood will find his visit otherwise
than thoroughly satisfactory.
The pantomine was preceded by Colman's play
of The Iron Chest, in which Mr. Charles. Kean
played with consummate art, and was admirably
supported by Messrs. Addison, Ryder, Harley,
Meadows, and Cathcart. The house was filled to
overflowing long before half price.

HAYMARKET.

After Masks and Faces, an extravaganza was
produced last night at this theatre, with the title
of Leo the Terrible, which is said to owe its parent-
age to two authors who have successfully exerted
themselves in the service of the town on more than
one occasion. The genius of burlesque, however—
for it is as well to speak the truth at once—has not
smiled upon their joint endeavours in the present
instance with the same graciousness as heretofore.
They have been unfortunate in their fable, and a
structural defect sorely weakens the constitution
of a dramatic piece as well as of a man. The
authors have neither selected a fairy tale. nor an
historical incident for illustration ; they have wan-
deredfar a-field in the realms of imagination, and have
presented the audience with an airy nothing, which
bursts almost before the eye has determined what
is its shape and hue. It is really very difficult to
say what the plot of Leo the Terrible is, but we
find ourselves, after some introductory observa-
tions between Common Sense and the deceased poet
Gay, on the banks of Styx, transported to Noton-
aneemap, a considerable district of country trend-
ing along the "sea coast of Bohemia," where King
Leo holds his Court, composed of almost every
bird and beast that ever entered Noah's Ark. Ise-
grim (the wolf), of whom the old monarch stands
much in awe, comes to Court to demand the hand
of the Princess Leonilla, which she refuses, except
to his ears, and Isegrim makes his exit Ma rage hurl-
ing defiance against his leonine sovereign and all his
subject beasts. Norval de Battersea, a " fast young
English yachting man" (Mrs. L. S. Buckingham),
who, with his friend and follower, Timoleon Sinbad
Potts (Mr. Keeley) has been cast upon the shores
of Notonaneemap, undertakes, at the King's re-
quest, to destroy the robber Isegrim and his band ;
and, having penetrated into his fastnesses, lulls
him to sleep by reading a portion of a modern five-
act play, and strikes off his head. In the mean-
while Folly has been getting up a revolution in the
palace, but Common Sense, in the garb of a don-
key, obtains the parchment to which the conspira-
tors have attached their names, and denounces the
whole of them to the King. While he threatens
them with vengeance, news is brought that Isegrim
(without a head) and his wolves have assailed the
city, and they soon force their way into the palace,
and are about to carry off the maids of honour anti
the silver spoons, when Norval de Battersea inter-
poses, and challenges the headless wolf to a single
combat, which is interrupted by the entrance of
Common Sense in his own form, and his restoring
all the beasts to human shape. Folly takes her
flight in a balloon, seated, like Madame Poitevin
upon a bull, and a grand tableau and plenty of
coloured fire concludes this very extravagant extra-
vaganza. It is to be regretted, for the sake of the
management, whose liberality was evinced by the
sumptuous manner in which the piece was placed
upon the stage, and also on account of the actors,
who took great pains with their parts, that there
were but faint manifestations of applause when the
curtain fell. No one came forward to announce
that the extravaganza would be repeated " every
evening until further notice ;" but, nevertheless,
with a judicious use of the pruning knife, we think
that it may prove attractive to a certain extent as
a spectacle during the Christmas holidays.

LYCEUM.
Wonderful and beautiful as have been the scenic

effects produced at this theatre of late years, in
each succeeding holiday novelty, by the pencil of
Beverly, and the tasteful liberality of Madame
Vestris, the Christmas piece produced here last
night, under the title of The Good Woman in the
Wood, surpasses in splendour and magnificence
probably anything ever seen, even on the Ly-
ceum stage. Forsaking the Countess d'Anois,
Mr. Planche has this year chosen to draw his plot
from La Bonne Femme of Mdlle. Be la Force.
Madame Vestris, relict of the late Sir Gallant Gol-
denheart, and living in retirement, is the Good
Woman in the Wood. There she finds one day a
Prince and two Princesses, whom she carefully
brings up. Prince Almond and Princess Olive are
brother and sister, the children of King Philbert
the Fair, who was murdered by his brother, King
Bruin, a usurper. The other Princess is named
Sylvia, and is the daughter of Bruin's wife by a
former marriage. These three young people, living
in the wood, and having charms, by rubbing which
all their wishes are gratified, very speedily test the
power of scene-painters and the management.
Their forest home ds converted into a house and
garden of roses. Prince Almond falls in love with
Princess Sylvia, who proves her happiness by find-
ing a lover for his sister. ' This turns out to be
Prince Sylvan, Sylvia's brother, the heir presump-
tive of King Bruin, who, of course, has made other
matrimonial arrangements
.for the Prince. When
King Bruin discovers the attachment of his heir at
the House of Roses in the wood, like a cruel tyrant,
he proceeds there with the most murderous inten-
tions, but the Good Woman and her youthful
charge escape to Fairy-land, where, amidst en-
chanted rocks and charmed waters, and everything
that can delight the eye or ravish the senses, they
seem to be made permanently happy, while their
tormentor finds the roses and flowers of their former
home turned into thorns and nettles at his touch.
So ends the first act. In the second, the young
heroes and heroines are found tempted by an evil
spirit across the boundaries of Fairy-land, and
transferred to the tender mercies of King Bruin.
The self devotion of the Good Woman in the
Wood, and the timely aid of the Fairy Queen, save
them from destruction, and the piece terminates
with a grand tableau.
It is scarcely sufficient to say, that every one
concerned in the production of the piece has done
their duty—on this occasion they have surpassed
themselves. Mr. Planche gives us a dialogue full
of hits and allusion smart and brilliant as any of
his former efforts. Mr. Beverley and his assistants

have performed their part with such skill that we
feel it to be really and without delusion a scene of
enchantment before our eyes, while the costumier
and other artists, having carte blanche for their
instructions, and the exquisite taste of the manage-
ment to guide them, were equally successful in the
splendours of the ,oyal Court and in the graceful
beauties of Fairy land. The closing scene of the
first act—Lake Lucid—was painted in Mr. Bever-
ley's best style, and elicited loud bursts 'of admira-
while the closing tableau, for tasteful splen-
dour and novelty of effect, was decidedly the most
successful of any of those wonderful combinations
which have rendered this theatre so celebrated.
We must not forget the music, which was far be-
yond the average ; the songs were smartly written,
and. well selected from the most popular airs,
operatic and others. The piece was most success-
ful throughout, and we have no doubt will have as
long a run as any of its predecessors.

old Pepys called - the successful rival of Madame
Querouaille, nothing, however, is seen. Mr. James
Rogers, in the most grotesque manner, represents
the " fair ladye" as a vendor off, apples, oranges,
biscuits, ginger beer, bills of the play"—and such a
beauty; while Mr. G. Honey in a not less grotesque
style burlesques the " Merrie Monarch" himself.
In the opening scene the demons of " Hatred,"
" Scandal, ' " Slander," and the other cardinal vices
meet in the " Serpentine Laboratory of Scorpion° "
and after discussing the merits and claims of Nelly,
finally bring in as their verdict that Slander must
stop Nelly. The good fairies, however, and the
firm of Charity and Co., protect the heroine from
the plots of the demons, and show what her charity
will one day raise, and a beautiful view of Chelsea
Hospital is shown in the distance, from which
emerge a troop of very juvenile pensioners. Nelly
is carried by Charles, aided by Lord Rochester,
both in disguise, to the palace, and her arrival is the
occasion of a grand fête (d'ete) in the garden of the
Palace of Whitehall. The interviews between the
Monarch and Nelly previous to her being carried off
from the piazzas of the old Covent-garden are amusing,
as well as the embarrassment of-the Monarch when
he finds himself, as was not unusually the case, if
scandal does not belie him, without the means of
paying the hotel bill. The remaining portions of
the pantomime are made up of the usual incidents,
but when we state that Mr. Flexmore was Clown,
Mr. W. A. Barnes Pantaloon, Mr. Bologna Harle-
quin, Mr. Le Barr, Sprite, and Miss Mitchenson,
Columbine, it will be unnecessary to state that the
character of the incidents were above the usual
average. Many of the scenes were exceedingly
effective and beautiful. One, representing the
Temple of Plenty, and the last tableau, represent-
ing the land of calm and content, with the-words,
" bon% let poor Nelly starve !"in flaming charac-
ters, was loudly and deservedly applauded. Among
other scenes deserving of notice were the " Old
Covent-garden Piazzas," the " Interior of the Mitre
Tavern," the " Gardens of Whitehall Palace," &c.
Mr. Flexmore was exceedingly happy and success-
ful in his Flexmorian imitations of dances, and was
several times encored. The dancing of Mdlle.
Auriol, and the arrangements of the ballet portions
generally, were also excellent. With some curtail-
ment, and a little more acquaintance with the me-
chanical parts, the piece will, we are confident, be
a decided favourite.

Mr. Batty's scenes in the arena, in which a perform-
ance on an organ by one horse and the dancing of
a minute by another were included, and. afforded,
as may be imagined, infinite delight to the juvenile
portion of the company. The Christmas panto-
mime, which followed next, is, we understand,
from the prolific hand of Mr. Nelson Lee, and bears
the title of Fortunio and his Horse Comrade, or
Harlequin and the Seven Gifted Men. The first
scene introduces us to the regions of Night, where
elves are joining in a mystic dance. These are
dispersed by the fairy Pomona, who orders them
to repair to the Court of their Queen, Sunlight,
in Fairyland. That august personage shortly
makes her appearance in a golden car of state
and informs the Court that the Emperor of No-
Man's-Land has lost his treasures, and is raising a
militia for the purpose of recovering them from the
despoiler, Prince Fal-de-Ral. The Emperor has
the good fortune to find favour in the eyes of a cer-
tain nobleman, who sends his three daughters, dis,
guised as young men, to assist in the recovery of
the treasures, and the Queen, being partial to For-
tunio, the youngest of the three, on account of her
amiable disposition, presents her with the horse
Comrade and the seven gifted servants, while the
two elder sisters are sent back to their father. For-
tunio, aided. by these useful presents, proceeds to
the palace of the Emperor, whom she relieves from
the annoyance of a fiery dragon which is inflicting
great mischief in the imperial dominions. The
scene next shifts to the Crochet Chamber in the
palace-of PrinceFal-de-Ral, where we find Fortunio
demanding a restoration of the treasures. After
some difficulty she obtains them, and, returning to
the imperial court, is rewarded for her exertions by
the Emperor's hand. A transformation then takes
place—the Emperor becomes Harlequin ; Fortunio,
Columbine ; the Princess, Pantaloon ; and Strong-
back (one of Fortunio's servants), Clown. Several
amusing scenes follow, in which the passing follies
of the day are ridiculed with various success. The
piece was, on the whole favourably received, and
will probably draw bumper houses during the
Christmas week.

of King Coffee and Congou, with his prime minis-
ter, Twankay, and his seneschal, Roland. Butter
reviews the body-guard of Spoons. In the melee,
the lovers take flight through the' land of Lump
Shooga. Here the Tea army are met by Undine
and her watery sprites, who rendering them too
weak for a blow-up, they draw it mild, and draw
off. The Palace of King Coffee follows. Here
there is more plotting, and grounds for suspicion.
Coffee makes an advance. The rival powers meet,
and a regular coffee mill follows. In the Island of
Cream, in the centre of the Milky Lake, surrounded
by the chalky c'liff's, the lovers are told that they must
seek the abode of Hanki Panki, the sorcerer, and
there obtained the magic cup: The opposition
party hear this, and the result is a start for the
cup. Hyson being a fast young gent, and assisted
by the sprite Rippel, comes in the winner of the
race. His rivals arrive, and being about to over-
come him, he wishes for assistance, when the Fairy
appears, and puts an end to the Tea Party by
changing Hyson and Sue-thong to Harlequin and
Columbine, Chief of the Black Teas to Clown, and
King Coffee to Pantaloon, Rippel following
as a Teetotum. Rochez was the Clown,
Mr. and Mrs. W. Harvey Harlequin and Colum-
bine, Herr Fluke Pantaloon, and Master Rochez
Teetotum, Madlle. Harrison Harlequina, and Lor-
reno a Sprite. The scenery in the opening is ex-
tremely beautiful, particularly the fairy abode of
Undine, that of Green Tea, the palace of King
Coffee, and the scene of transformation. The
dresses were very gay, and the masks humourous
in the extreme. The comic business is full of
novel hits, and of a more than usually lengthy
character. We have also to record the entire suc-
cess of a new -drama by E. Stirling, called Welling-
ton and Waterloo, which preceded the pantomime,
the principal parts being most powerfully sustained
by Mr. H. Frazer and Mrs. Cowie. The house
was densely crammed the whole of the night, great
numbers being unable to obtain admission.