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

EASTER AMUSEMENTS.

A.NE.
Whatever may be the style of the performances
at Stratford-upon-Avon on the celebration of the

Shakspere Tercentenary, they will not for certain
exceed in magnificence Messrs. Falconer and
Chattertows revival of the first part of Henry IV.,
which was performed last evening in presence of
one of the largest audiences that ever assembled
within the walls of Drury-lane Theatre. During
the management career of Macready at Covent-gar-
den many years ago, he astonished the metropolis by
the production, in a style of unsurpassed splendour,
the exciting play of" Henry V.," but since that time
nothing of the kind has been attempted at either of
the national establishments until last evening, when
with the combined abilities of Mr. Phelps, Mr.
Walter Montgomery, Mr. Ryder, Mr. Walter Lacy,
and Mr. R. Roxby as the principal actors; Mr. W.
Beverley, the celebrated scenic artist, and Mr.
Keene, as designer, the Managers of Drury-lane
Theatre made their Easter offering at the ahriue of

Shakspere. The reception of Mr. Phelps, 'who sus-
tained the part of Sir- John Falstaff, was enthnsi-
astic, and on his rising to acknowledge the compli•
ment the cheering seemed to increase in intensity
When the fat knight stood erect we had an opportu.
pity of admiring the artistic manner in which Mr.
Phelp's dressed the part. The make-up of the head
and face was a masterstroke of art, while the other
peculiarities of the portraiture were brought out
with the utmost skill. Who but Mr. Phelps now-
a-days could be found to represent Sir Jahn, the
boon companion of " Madcap Hal," and most cer-
tainly he never appeared to enter so heartily into the
character as last evening. From the first line of the
part, "Now, Hal, what time of day is it, lad?" down
to the closing speech in the fifth act, " I'll follow, as
they say, for reward. He that rewards me,
Heaven reward him I If I do grow great, I'll
grow less ; for I'll purge and leave sack and live
cleanly, as a nobleman should," he was in the best of
humours, and chuckled with the highest relish over
his sins and follies. Perhaps the culminating
point in the performance was the relation of the
part he had taken in the robbery of the
carriers on the road by Gadshill. The
audience fairly gave vent to the heartiest
laughter during the recital, but on the discovery of
the mountain of falsehoods, the exclamation by
Falstaff of the well-known words—
" By the Lord, I knew ye as well as he that made ye,"
the mirth of the audienee burst all limit, and for
some moments the action of the play was stopped
by the tremendous applause that followed. Mr.
Walter Montgomery, 'as the firy and impetuous
Hot=pur, won great applause by his acting, and
Mr. Ryder supported the part of King Henry with
becoming dignity. Although Mr. Walter Lacy
played the part of Prince Henry with much care,
it was by no means th 3 best thing we have seen
him do. However, he did his best, which, we are
bound to say, pleased the audience; but, notwith-
standing, we must honestly confess, we should have
wished to have seen a more juvenile actor sustain
the character. Mr. Robert Rosby's Poins was a
capital performance, and Mr. Edmund Phelps, as
Sir Richard Vernon, acquitted himself with much
ability.
The first scene in the third act, in which the dies
pute arose between Hotspur and Owen Glendower,
has been restored, and with it the Welsh song, by
Lady Mortimer, which was prettily sung by Miss
Edith Wynn. Lady Percy was well sustained by
Miss Rose Leclercq, and the part of Mrs. Quickly,
the hostess of the ta'orn in Eastcheap, was given
with great point by Airs. Edmund Falconer.
new, was of the
mostTh The
pslceenndeiry, ddewshorici
description,
astiwon,
aenndtioreftlyen as we have had
we never did so
two
itcho rampolri
more
en t ll
pleasurer . Wth.anß tovne rtl ehye ,
present occasion,
for certainly a more remarkable production has
never been contributed to the stage than his moon-
light view "On the Itoad. to Gadshill." The battle
field of Shrewsbury is, however, the great scenic
effort of the play, and, it will long be remembered
by those who witnesso it. The devastation and
contusion ofa r e svd -1
knights,
i svid represented, and what
h m
waving pennons, bands of
bowmen, smoke, and confusion, a sensation scene is
w with armoured
r
produced that excels everything that has yet been
°vi
attempted on any stage.
The snzcess of the revival was decisive and un-
mistakeable, and we cordially
congratulate Messrs.
Falconer and Chattert
—on on the triumph that has
crowned their production of " Henry IV."

--_.

HAYMARKET.
The novelty which Mr. Buckstone has provided
for his Easter patrons is a mythological extravaganza
from the pen of Xr
• - ie,
• C. Burnand, entitled
" Venus and Adonis.' The _
playwright's treatment
of his theme is certainly very free, and on the whole
is very successful. The Olympian divinities are
brought upon the stage in
osiadtin-
the drollest guise, and
made to speak and act in
otriNvaeluryy
rme 6 Spirits of the nether
world also mingle in the scene, and seem to carry
upper powers as to whieh
on a keen rivalry with the ii
extravagantly. But that is
which exists between
Moore) neglects her
isahsabli:::carrTyhoenll:
spouse Vulcan
ill-favoured (Mr. Compton) to
cultivate the favours of the handsome Adonis
notthem. th e only
Venus
en sups e c
(Missies
(Miss Louise Keeley), but her penchant for the
youthful mortal is shared by Proserpine (Miss Lind-
ley), and the two goddesses contend, as goddesses
only can, for the exclusive possession of his affection.
This is, as it were, the pivot of the piece on which
all the other characters and incidents are made to
turn. It is not, indeed, always easy to trace the
thread of connexion between the different parts of
the action ; but that is of the less consequence, inas-
much as the mere story is but a very subordinate
affair in all such works of art. Their chief interest
is derived from the music and dancing, the gorgeous
or grotesque costumes, the grand scenic effects, the
rattling action and dialogue, and the lively play of
wit. In all these essential respects it is but fair to
say that a high pitch of excellence is attained in the
new Easter piece, which alternately dazzled and
convulsed the audience. Perhaps the most exquisite
scene of all was " The Forest Primaeval," in which
Venus is seen reclining on a flowery bank, near a
beautiful cascade. The view of a fashionable water-
ing place at Paphos, whither Venus and Vulcan
is
repair to spend their honey moon, greatly enlivened
by the terpsichorean feats of the sea-nymphs. Here
the corps de ballet is introduced with great effect,
the wools scene being strikingly picturesque and
animated. The gardens of Adonis, in which the
action of the play culminates, are a perfect blaze of
spectacular art. The piece is of course, like all its
class, thickly sown with puns and hits at the follies
of the day. These are considerably above the
average in quality; Although certainly that is not
saying a great deal. The acting was throughout
spirited and effective, Miss Louise Keeley as Adonis
and Miss Nelly Moore as Venus (her first appear-
ance at this house), both acquitting themselves with
especial credit. The curtain fell amid loud and
reiterated applause, and Mr. Burnand was called'to
receive the tribute due to his undoubted success.
The extravaganza was preceded by " Our American
Cousin," in which Mr. Sothern appeared for the
455th time as Lord Dandreary with as much
apparent freshness as if the part of the half-witted
lord were new to him.