The Sun.
London, England, 1852-01-07 00:00:00

PUNCH'S THEATRE.

On Monday night an " Original Dramatic Sketch,"
by Mr. Charles Selby, indited for the purpose of re-
introducing Mrs. Charles Selby, after an absence of
eight years, was successfully produced here. The
piece is neatly written, and has many allusions to the
principal actress, exculpatory of the attacks which
time makes upon slim figures, turning graceful girls
into very stout dowagers. Mrs. Selby formerly
played the elderly parts, such as Mrs. C. Jones for so
many years shone in, but in the present instance the
matronly has been doubled with a touch of the fast
lady, such as Vestris and Nisbet have so long held a
monopoly in; and a descriptive song of a march,
sudden attack, and victory, are sung by the Indian
widow. The manner and style, though not so re-
fined as we have seen, were not without point
and effect, and the entire absence of voice
was made up by emphasis and acting. The
plot of the piece is extremely simple. Mr.
Tinderly Timmins (Mr. R. Romer) is a retired
citizen of a very petulent nature, who is the terror
and torment of his second wife (Miss Maskell), and
his daughter (Miss Eglinton), and more particularly
Mr. Brown Jones, " a gentleman from a fashion-
able linendraper's shop," who is dolorously and
madly in love with the daughter. The curtain
rises with Mr. Timmins in a great state of pertur-
bation, in anxious expectation of his " sister from
India," Mrs. General Hydrabad, the " military
lady," enacted by Mrs. Selby. When she arrives
the Indian temperament breaks out, and the eastern
hurricane quite overpowers the petty tempest raised
by Mr. Timmins. The dinner, the sleeping, the entire
arrangements are all wrong. The Asiatic servants
light a fire in the area, so that the engines are
called, and a mob beset the house, and the tumult is
only subdued by the lavish liberality of the lady, who
is herself restored to good temper by the visit of two
distinguished Anglo-Indians, Sir Bangalore Bungalow,
admirably burlesqued by Mr. Hudspeth, and Colonel
Howitzer very characteristically made up by Mr. W.
Attwood. Restored to her usual complacency, the
military lady, after singing the elaborte and charac-
teristic song descriptive of a battle and victory, we
have already alluded to, provides for her brother's fa-
mily, and particularly for the disconsolate lovers, and
then bestows herself on her old sweetheart, the
"Bengal Salamander," Colonel Howitzer. The piece
was well received throughout, and is sufficiently lively
and characteristic to deserve the success it achieved.
Mr. Rogers, as the Count of the Counter, with cravat
and coat of the finest fashion, and an utter disregard
of his pronunciation and grammar, threw a great deal
' of character and fun into the &lineation, and narked
it with a completeness of conception, that shows he
has a right appreciation of his art. It was by far the
most artistic personation in the piece. His avoidance
of vulgar sayings by a periphrastic form of speech
was very funny; for instance, his telling his sweet-
heart that "she is what houses are made of," and
that everything is " right as the article on which the
cook places the tea-kettle," with several of the like
sort, produced a great deal of mirth. Altogether the
piece may be said to be well contrived and constructed,
and elicited very genuine applause, both in the course
of its acting and at the conclusion.