The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-29 00:00:00

ME SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, APRIL 20, 1864.

rnissory Notes and Bills of Exchange (Ireland) Bill was
read a second time.
Mr. VILLIERS obtained leave to introduce a bill to
amend the Uuion Assessment Committee Act.
The house adjouned at 10 minutes past 2 o'clock,

Stratford•on-Avon Tercentenary FestivaL

STRAVORD-ON-AVON, Thursday Evening.

As the week progresses the entertainments at the
Pavilion increase in attraction, and yesterday a
larger audience than that of Tuesday attended the
theatrical performance. Those who in the earlier
days came hither from some little distance must
have taken home with them marvellous reports of
the magnificence of the temporary building, and the
manner (to rural eyes grand beyond precedent) in
which everything is done, and probably the curiosity
of remoter Warwickshire will have reached its height
just when the entertainments have come to a close.
However, though to-morrow is the last day men-
tioned in the original programme, there are to be
two extra theatrical nights at reduced vices, on
Tuesday and Wednesday, under the superintend-
ence of Mr. Creswick, and the interval is to be Ailed
up with miscellaneous entertainments.
The programme of yesterday evening was also
singularly inviting. "Romeo and Juliet" is one of
the plays which in the mind of the multitude is
most intimately associated with the name of Shak-
apere. This, though his plays were more than 30
in number, can be only predicated of about six or
seven, and I do not believe that Mr. Phelps, with
all his meritorious revivals of the lees familiar of
the poet's works, ever succeeded in making one
permanent addition to the Shaksperian repertory,
even at Sadler's Wells, where all his proceedings
were watched in a spirit of faith. The typical
plays, recognised by everybody, gentle or simple,
are " Hamlet," " Othello," " Macbeth," " King
Johu," the "Merchant of Venice," "Romeo and
Juliet," "King Lear," and perhaps "Henry V."
Cibber's "Richard III." would once have
stood high on this list, intimately associated as
it was with Garrick, G. F. Cooke, and Edmund
Kean, bat of late years its tenure of the stage has
been uncertain, and it proved one of the least suc-
cessful of Mr. Charles Kean's revivals at the Prin-
cess's, although Glater was one of his favourite
characters in his earlier days. As for Shakspere's
"Richard III.," it is a work altogether unknown
to the mere playgoer, every attempt to revive it
having proved abortive. "Julius Caesar" departed
with the Kembles.

To the curiosity respecting the tragedy may be
added that respecting the tragedienne. The War-
wickshire people had not only heard of Mademoiselle
Stella Colas as a young and beautiful French artist
whose Juliet had charmed all London,but they were
prepared to receive her as a benefactress who had
come forward to help the committee over the most
formidable stile encountered on the thorny path of
preparation. The same feeling was entertained
towards Mr. George Vining, the manager of the
company of which she is a member, who, as soon as
the wreck of Hamlet on the Fechterian strand had
been definitively ascertained, had offered to repair
the loss of one tragedy by the production of another,
and a comedy into the bargain. The wrong and the
reparation were clear to any person who entered the
Pavilion, for the tickets still bore the title of
" Hamlet," while the programme still declared that
Mr. Fechter, "after his repeated pledges to them
to put Hamlet' on the stage, had at the eleventh
hour withdrawn from his engagement," and that
Mr. Vining had kindly undertaken to produce
" Romeo and Juliet" and the " Comedy of Errors."
Hence the applause that greeted the French actress
and the English manager was vigorous and hearty.
I give, as before, the official playbill :

In the Evening, at 7 o'clock,
Shakspere's Tragedy of " Romeo and Juliet," and the
" Comedy of Errors," will be represented by the follow-
ing distinguished Artistes :
"ROMEO AND JULIET."

Prince Esealus Mr. Robins Friar. LawreneeMr. Forester
Paris Mr. Brooke Apothecary ..Mr. Cathcart
Montague Mr. Lickfold Peter Mr. D.Fisher
Capulet .. Mr,H.Mellon Balthazar ....Mr.Chap wan
Romeo Mr. J. Nelson ! Abram Mr. Tresider
Mercutio ....Mr. Vining Samson Mr. Tapping
Tybalt Mr. C. Seyton Gregory ..Mr. Allen
Lady Capulet.... Miss Staff.,rd
Juliet
urse
After which will be performed,
"THE COMEDY OF ERROaS,"
From the text of Shakspere.

The new and splendid scenery by Messrs, F. Lloyds,

Fenton, Hann, and Gray.

N.B.—The scenery has been so arranged that the Act-
drop will not descend during the performance of the piece.
Solinus (Duke of Ephesus) Mr Robins.
)Egeon (a Merchant of Syracus) Mr H Mellon,

Antipholus of Ephesus
Antipholus of Syracuse Mr Vining
(Twin Brothers and Sons to 26geon and lEmilis, but
unknown to each other.)
Dromio of Ephesus Mr Hy, Webb
Dromio of Syracuse Mr Charles Webb,
(Twin Brothers and Attendants on the Antipholi.)
Balthazar
Angelo
A Merchant
Dr. Pinch
Officer .. Mr Tresider
lEmilia
(Wife to 2Egeon, an Abbess at Ephesus.)
Adriana .. Miss Caroline Carson
(Wife to Antipholus of Ephesus.)
Luciana (her sister) ~.. Miss Helen Howard
Lucy (her servant), Miss Sidney
Lesbia Miss Emma Barnett

Officers, Lords, Merchants, Male and Female Citizens
Executioner, Nuns, Attendants, &e.
Stage Manager .. Mr George Ellis

The order of the above was reserved, the "Comedy
of Errors" being played before the tragedy. Con-
densed into one act, this curious farce, written in
Shakapere's earliest manner, has proved one of
the greatest successes at the Princess's Theatre,
partly on account of the extraordinary likeness and
equally extraordinary humour of the brothers
Webb, who represent the Dromios, partly on ac-
count of the very beatltiful scenery and costumes,
te brothers Webb but the
by which it is rendered a perfect gem of stage pro-
duction. Not only h
whole of the scenery had been brought to Stratford,
and among the many illustrations of modern rapi-
dity of locomotion may
be mentioned the fact that
the very scenes which
were used at Oxford-street,
London, on Tuesday night, .
g, were employed at Strat-
ford-on-Avon yesterdl evening, and will be seen
again at Oxford-street this evening at seven. To
accommodate the decorations brought from the dif-
ferent London theatres, the stage of the Pavilion is
provided with sliding grooves.
The audience was
charmed with the beauty of
the pictures and the
drollery of the brothers Webb,
whose angular gesticulations and grotesque ap-
pearance are quite in keeping with the extrava-
gent character of the
piece. The "Comedy of Errors"
is just one of those plays in which the mirror is not
held up to nature, and the Messrs. Webb, by mak.
ing the strange twins look like two odd medieval
figures, such as might be found in the, illustrations
of Strutt's " Sports and Pastimes," not only amuse
the audience by constantly presenting a couple of
droll objects, but
give an antiquarian quaintness to
the representation. When in the last scene the
Dromios met and gaped at each other, standing in
precisely the same attitude, and reminding the spec-
tator of the odd masks that exchange grins from
corresponding points in a cathedral, the shout of
mirth and surprise was overwhelming.
By the performance of Juliet, Mademoiselle Colas
has done much to confirm tier high London reputa-
tion. Her foreign accent has greatly diminished
since her appearance last year, and in some short
sentences is scarcely to be detected at all. The
girlish naivete in the balcony scene, the pretty coax-
ing of the old nurse, as usual, fascinated all be-
nolders ; but, of course, the electrifying passage was
tht soliloquy in the fourth act, especially the part in
which she imagines the presence of Ty balt's ghost
and follows it as if it were a visible object. Mr.
George Vining gave a spirited interpretation of
Mercutio, based on Mr. Charles Kemble's principle
of so suiting the action to the word that the descrip-
tion of Queen Mab becomes a succession of distinct
impersonations. Mrs. Marston very ably represented
the Nurse, being perfectly acquainted with all the
traditions of this most telling character, which she
coloured with the vigour of the old school. Mr. J.
Nelson looked exceedingly well as Romeo.

At the Princess's the acting version of the tragedy,
commonly used till within the last few years, has
been revived, on account of the additional oppor-