The Sun.
London, England, 1864-11-03 00:00:00

NEW OLYMPIC THEATRE.

Had Mr Horace Wigan been possessed of an en.
chanter's wand he could not, in the short space of
time that has elapsed since the closing and re-open.
ing of the doors of the Olympic Theatre, have
worked a more remarkable change in the appear-
ance of the interior of the theatre than that which
it now presents, compared with that it bore but a
very few weeks ago. Then all was dark, dingy,
unpleasant, and inconvenient; now, precisely the
reverse is the case. The front of the house is bright
and cheerful, the accommodation in boxes, pit, and
gallery elegant, tasteful, and commodious—in fact,
everything that could tend to increase the comfort
of the audience has been studied and thoroughly
carried into execution. To give the new manager
courage, a brilliant and highly fashionable audience
assembled last evening to inaugurate the commence.
went of his first soasen ; whilst he, on his part, pre-
pared no less than three new pieces for acceptation
and approval. The first was a farce, entitled " The
Girl I Left Behind Me," and served excellently well
as an introductory piece, although it was by no
means up to the mark of high merit. It was
sufficient to introdace the new members of the
company, viz., Mr. Andrews and Miss Hartland,
and therefore suited the purpose for which it was
intended. Before, however, passing an opinion on
the capabilities of either, we shall wait for a better
opportunity of testing their merits, but at present
we can say that both lady and gentleman will prove
a welcome addition to the company. The great
piece of the evening was a four act drama, entitled
" The Hidden Hand," a translation and condensa-
tion of a play by MM. D'Ennery and Charles
Edmond, called "L'Aieule," produced last, year
at the Ambigu Comique. It is a piece of the
most startling description, but the impression it
produces is anything but pleasurable, and we can-
didly confess it was a great relief to us when the
climax came and the curtain descended. Not that
we mean to imply the performance was below the
standard of excellence, or that the " mounting"
was incomplete. Quite the reverse, because
nothing could be more satisfactory as far as
the acting was concerned, or more exquisitely beau-
tiful as regards dresses and scenery, but the piece
itself had such a melancholy, repulsive, and unlove
able tendency. However, it was a great success—
a success the liberality of the new management
highly deserved. The plot, briefly told, is as fol.
lows :—Lord Penarvon is a Welsh nobleman of
ancient family and reduced property, who has been
married twice. His first wife has died, leaving him
with a daughter, Mild, and a mothersin-law, Lady
Gryffydd. Lord Penarven's second wife, Lady
Penarvon, is living—hated by Lady Liry ff) dd,
and neglected by her husband, She has one
daughter, Muriel, who has been sent away
to school, and she has no friend or con-
fident in the castle. Lady Gryffaydd hates
everybody. She sees, as she imagines, her petted
and beloved grandchild put aside for the offspring
of a second marriage, and
.in order to avoid it she
feigns to be paralysed, and secretly endeavours to
slowly poison the second child of her son-in-law,
and at the same time, from the imprudence of the
second wife, contrives to fix the suspicion upon her.
The step-daughter has indeed loved the same man
as her daughter is about to be married to, during
a ten years' neglect by her profl;gate husband,
a nobleman of Charles the Second's court;
but her love for her child overcomes this
illicit passion, and she is restored to her

•-•V•
husband's love and her own purity. Still the
knowledge of this temporary guilty passion is
enough for the poisoner, who contrives to place hez
in the horrible situation of being the slow poisoner
of her own child. She is at last detected by the
very grandchild for whom she has committed the
crime, who refuses to betray her. She alone has
caught a glimpse of " the hidden hand" which has
infused the poison nightly into the sinking invalid's
draught. The secret cannot be wrung from her, and
the old woman, on its being otherwise brought home
to her, poisons herself.

Miss Kate Terry as Lady Penarvon rose supe-
rior to her part. Her acting was exceedingly
beautiful, and of itself would have .ecured the
success of any drama of less merit than the " Hidden
Hand." Mr H. Neville as Lord Penarvon had a part
exactly suited to his ability ; and Mr. Coghten, as
Sir Caradoc, acted with gentlemanly ease and effect.
Miss Lydia Foote sustained the character of Enid
with the utmost grace, and Miss Louisa Moore

made a very charming Muriel. The part of Lady
Gr3frydd—a very unthankful one—was well and

vividly pourtrayed by Miss Bowring ; indeed, every
person concerned deserved the highest praise for
the excellent manner in which they acquitted
themselves.

All the principal performers were called before
the curtain, and everything went off as satisfac
torily as the most sanguine manager could desire.
After the National Anthem had been played, Mr
Horace Wigan, who was greeted with a tempest of

acclamations, came forward and delivered the fol-
lowing address, frequently interrupted by outbursts

of applause i—
and i"Ladiesfldid andnot
feelCi enituletmileenp,o—si'ton
Giord wine
of
a landlord
is as yet untried I should think it an impertinenoe to in-
trude needs
whosee bush,'tap
i
trude upon you to-night. Promises, you may tell me, are
rash, regrets disagreeable, reminiscences tedious ; and I am
fully aware that the credit and capacity of a manager, even
more than that of most speculators on public support, will
assuredly be tested by performance and not by profession.
But when everything except the walls is new in front of th.
cartain, and a good many things and people behind it, in-
cluding your humble servant in his managerial character
at least, I thought our house-warming would be hardly
complete if I did not offer you first and foremost my hearty
thanks for your acceptance cf my invitation this evening,
and then bespeak that indulgence for myself as a manager
which you have often extended to me as ma actor, Coming
after predecessors so deservedly popular in the double cha-
racter of actor managers as Mr Alfred Wigan and the admi-
rable favourite who so lately adorned these boards, and
whose premature loss all England deplores, I should feel
despondent were your kindness less certain or my determi-
nation to deserve it less strenuous. In these days of dramatic
free trade all managers are at liberty to cater for all tastes ;
patents so-called, I suppose, from their closing all but certain
theatres to all but certain entertainments, are no more. In
theatrical matters I own myself a Benthamite, and my ma-
nagerial motto shall be J ererny's principle—the greatest
happiness to the greatest number. But actor-managers
have sometimes been accused of considering the greatest
number is number one, and so long as they secured good
parts for themselves the public were bound to bo pleased.
Now, ladies and gentlemen, I disclaim this view of the sub-
ject altogether. It is your pleasure I shall consult, and if
I can but secure this by carrying a banner or a message I
shall have no objection. As for the style of entertainment
in store for you, I think the word mixed would be the best
general description. I shall not exclude any dish from our
Olympic spread, provided it be whulesome, pleasant and
well dressed, from the whipped cream of burlesque—very
good in its proper time and place—to the piece de resistance
in the shape of drama, with removes of comedy, vaudeville,
farce, and comedietta. I shall not even be frightened by the
name of sensation, so long as it means strong interest, ex-
citing incident, and powerfully conceived situation. But I
never intend to put the cart of Thespis before the horse, or
in other words, to consider the scenery, dresses, and decora-
tions as of more importance than the actors and the piece.
In short, if an English manager may be allowed to adapt a
maxim from the Roman dramatist, I would say, Afanager
sum a boni tail ame alienum puto ; or, translating for the
benefit of the ladies—" I am a manager, and whatever
brings me a bonus I shall make a point of producing." I
hope that the changes before the curtain have enhanced
the comfort of our kind visitors, and though I should be
the last to complain of your feeling overcrowded, still, I
trust that however numerous you will prove, you have
elbow zoom by the vigorous use you make of your hands;
and if I have given you the appliances for sitting at ease in
front of the curtain, I trust I may not fail in setting before
you something worth looking at behind it. I ask your in-
dulgence for the little rubs and roughnessea inherent to a
first night, and to the first working of a new undertaking
and a new company, though largely leavened, I am glad to
say, with old favourites, and in conclusion, after earnestly
recommending to your attention that golden rule of criticism
for a new management in particular—

Be to our faults a little blind,
And to our merits very kind.'
I thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for your attention, and
bid you heartily welcome to what I hope I may call without
exaggeration the New Olympic Theatre."

kfEPRESENTATION OF WEST SUFFOLK,--LordA. Hervey, brother of the retiring member, and Sir E. C.
Kerrison, of Brome-hall, are mentioned as probable candi-
dates for the vacancy in the representation of West Suffolk,
consequent on the lamented death of the late Marquis of
Bristol, and the elevation of Earl Jermyn to the House of
Lords. A rumour is also prevalent that Mr P. M, Wilson,
of Langhain, will be invited to contest the county on Libe-
ral principles,