The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-27 00:00:00

PRINCESS'S THEATRE.

The piece de resistance provided at the Princess's
last night, was a pantomimic extravaganza, founded
on the plot of Auber's celebrated opera, "Le Cheval
Bronze," entitled " The Magic Horse and the Ice.
Maiden Princess." Messrs Best and Bellingham are
the joint authors of the travestie, and it is merely
an act of justice to record that their production
achieved a complete and legitimate success, ree
ceiving an unqualified success. The theatre was
well filled, though not overcrowded ; and those
who were present constituted the best specimen of
a holiday gathering we ever remember to have wit-
nessed. Departing from the rule almost invariably
adopted by managers on Boxing-nights, Mr Vining
commenced his Christmas entertainment with the
burlesque novelty, instead of holding it in reserve
until after the performance amidst tumultuous and
discordant cries or manifestations amounting to disk
edifying impatience of some revived tragic drama of
the " Jane Shore," " Paul Clifford," or " Ernestina"
class. This judicious innovation was accepted in a
becoming spirit, and it had the doubly beneficial
effect of securing for Dion Boucicault's "Streets of
London," which immediately followed the extravae
ganza, an amount of attention commensurate with
its features of attraction, and an eager appreciation
of its intrinsic merit. In working out the travestie
of " The Magic Horse," Messrs Bellingham and Best,
who are favourably known as jocose and facile bur•
lesque writers, have followed pretty closely the
story of the opera, and by means of smartly, if not
brilliantlyawrittt n dialogue, agreeably rhymed
songs, pleasant verbal pyrotechny, the attractions
of exquisite scenery, and the graceful grouping and
dancing of en extensive corps de ballet, they have
produced a lively and humorous Christmas bur-
lesque, which throughout the holidays must com-
mand a very large share of public approbation and
proportionately enrich that treasury over which Mr
Vining presides. The title of the pantomimic jocu•
lar extravagarzs, " The Magic Horse and the Ice-
Maiden Princess," fairly indicates the spirit of the
performance. Stella, the Ice-Maiden, played with
great intelligence and lady-like grace by Miss
Marston, is an enchanted and erebanting princess
in the power of a .magician, King Cloud, a very
gay monarch (Mies Emma Barnett), and by the
spell cast upon her, she is bound to use every art
of fascination towards the mortal visitors to Cloud-
land. By this meatin they are induced to
embrace her, and having once touched her they
instantly descend to the Pandemonium of Ice,
there to remain as frezen statutes till some less
susceptible hero shall have successfully resisted her
blandishments and broken the spell by blowing out
the magic lamp and seizing the enchanted ring.
Oginarma (Mr C. Seyton), the father of Prince
Pluc-ki (Miss Minnie Davis), another of King
Cloud's victims, doomed by him to hold the rein of
the magic horse, a wonderful steed of brass, gifted
with the power of flight and of speed, the An-
thropogloss'Hoss of the play,which transports mor-
tals from earth to Cloudland. At the opening of
the travestie, a landscape in 'l'artary, we are intro-
duced to Prince Plue-ki on his return from a vain
search after the divinity of his dreams, the Princess
Stella. Overpowered with fatigue, he and his fol-
lowers sink to sleep, when the Prince is suddenly
aroused by the apparition of Oginarma, who con-
jures him to seek out the magic horse, mount to
Cloudland,and undo the spell that holds his father
in servitude. This appeal is followed by another
from Princess Stella, who descends on a star to earth,
and urges the Prince to her rescue. Thus con-
strained, Prince Pluc-ki awakes his followers and
proceeds in search of the magic horse. The under-
plot of the piece represents Pan-ting (Mr. D. Mur-
ray), a rich and corpulent old gentleman making
love to a country maiden, Peki (Miss Jenny Wil-
more), but he has a rival in her lover, Ko-An, the
Anthropogloss'Hoss's showman. An exhibition of
the latter curiosity leads to the accent of Prince
Pluc-ki upon the horse's back. Ko-An (Miss
Gwynne) having revealed the secret of the Anthro•
pogloss'Hoss, is transtormed to a statue and sinks
to the Artic Hades. Prince Pluc-ki, having reached
Cloudland and failed to resist the enticements of
Stella, meets the same doom, as does also Pan. Ting.
It is left to Peki to break the spell, and this she
does by assuming male attire, and as a pert young
cavalier laughing to scorn all Stella's blandishments
she extinguishes the lamp and seizes the ring, and
with this daring feat the kingdom of King Cloud
collapses, Prince Pluc-ki, Pan-Ting, and Ko-an,
discovered as statues, are restored to their normal
condition by Peki, now mistress of the spell, and
the union of the two lovers and thedissolving of their
ice prison follow at a natural conclusion. Flom the
manner in which
,we have already written of the
extravaganza it may easily be surmised that it
was produced with that combination of splendour
and taste for which the management of Mr. Via.
ig is so remarkable. Where every scene was
was good it is difficult to paricularise; but 'the
transformation scene, and the Pandemonium of Ice
dissolving into Flowery Realms, and the Bouquet
of Beauty is one of the most gorgeous, magnifi-
cent, and artistically constructed, ever presented to
an English audience. It drew down heaety applause
and gained for the gifted designer and painter, Mr
F. Lloyd, who was called on the stage, no scant
meed of praise. Many of the female warrior group-
ings elicited the warmest expressions of admiration
by their picturesqueness, and the ascent of the An-
thropoglose' Hose to the stars was remarkably well
managed. Miss Minnie Davis, as Prince Pluc-ki,
has a part just suited to her naivete and vivacity.
Her make qip in imitation of the wonderful Menkin
of Mazeppa notoriety, was something wonderful,
and when bound upon the magic horse a la Menkin
and after the fashion of the Davenport Brothers in
their rope-tying trick, she convulsed the audience
with laughter. Miss Marston looked exceedingly
pretty, acted gracefully, and sang sweetly as Stella.
Mr Cathcart's embodiment of Tea-Gin (Pan• Ting's
first wife), described in the official programme, as
" a very gin-teal party,' was a well-conceived, gen-
uine, and creditable piece of acting. The smart
style and pert pleasantries of Miss Jenny Wilmore
gave additional charm to the character of Peki, and
Miss Emma Barnett played King Cloud with due
burlesque propriety. Mr Charles Hill has arranged
the music with the skill of a practised hand. "The
Streets of London " seems to have lost none of its
popularity. It followed the burlesque, and gave
undiminished satisfaction, Mr Vining as Badger,
earning for himself Learty commendation.