The Sun.
London, England, 1864-03-29 00:00:00

STRAND.

The Christmas burlesque of " Orpheus and Eury-
dice" continues to be so attractive that it retains its
place in the Easter play bills. A new comedietta,
by Mr. J. P. Wooler, was, however, produced for
holyday visitors, entitled " A Hunt for a Husband."
Mr. Poppleton (Mr. H. J. Turner), a retired furrier
and susceptible old bachelor, has proposed to a fair
widow, Mrs. Courthope (Miss K. Carson), who
consents to accept a husband as soon as her young
niece, Sophy (Miss L. Weston). is married. That
capricious young lady, however, rejects all the
swains whom the indefatigable Poppleton brings
to her feet. An anonymous letter at length ap-
prises him that she is privately married. The widow
now seems to be his own, for he has only to tell her
of the match, as he thinks, to win her. But Sophy
is not the only young married female in the house
who is believed to be a spinster. Mr. Poppleton's
servant Mary Ann (Miss F. Hughes) is secretly
married to. Sack Sharp (Mr. A. Wood), groom to
Mr. Arthur Stanley (Mr. D. James), the favoured
lover of Mrs. Courthope. Jack Sharp comes to visit
his Mary Ann, and is hid in the bedroom of Miss
Poppleton, Mr. P.'s ancient and romantic sister.
When detection seems inevitable he reappears in
feminine guise, having arrayed himself in Miss P.'s
" front" and other garments. Jack Sharp is the
real hero of the piece, but another comic personage
presents himself in Chicory (a young grocer), who
writes love-letters to Sophy, which are picked up
by Miss Poppleton. Jack Sharp finds one of these
letters in his Mary Ann's apron, and, becoming
jealous of the grocer, bastes him freely with a culi-
nary ladle, and is admirably seconded by Mr. Pop-
pleton, who, having a spite against young Chicory,
wears out several pairs of boots in kicking him
about the house as often as he sees him. Jack
Sharp, in his female habiliments, is successively
claimed by Miss Poppleton and Sophy as their dis-
guised lover, but he is taken possession of at last by
his lawful spouse Mary Ann. Arthur Stanley
appears at the right moment to claim the widow's
hand, and Mr. Poppleton having remembered that,
although Mrs. Courthope promised to marry when
her niece took a husband, she omitted to say " whom,"
is persuaded to live on terms of amity and friend-
ship with everybody, and to consent to the ladies
being happy in their own way. Mr. A.Wood played
Jack Sharp in petticoats with great humour and
drollery ; and, in a character admitting of great
exaggeration and presenting some temptation to
coarseness, had the good taste to tone down the
part, and to divest it of everything objectionable.
The piece, although light in structure, was amusing
and successful. The curtain then rose upon
"Orpheus and Eurydice," in which Miss Marie Wil•
ton, Miss Ada Swanborough, Miss M. Sim pson,Mr.G.
Honey, Mr. A. Wood, and the other characters in
this popular burlesque exerted themselves with
more than their accustomed vigour. The scene of
" Polly Perkins" created the usual furore. It appears
to be the custom to encore this song five times every
night ! The entertainments concluded with " Mar-
gate Sands." The house was wall attended.