The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-28 00:00:00

THE HAYMARKET.

A crowded house assembled for the three hun-
dred and ninety-seventh time to do honour to Lord
Dundreary, that distinguished nobleman, after a
lengthened absence in the country, having chosen
Boxing-night for its reappearance in the metropoli-
tan world. Mr. Sotheron and Mr. Buckstone both
received an ovation which is never bestowed upon
any but acknowledged favourites—those whose fame
is as well established as the theatres in which they
delight both " gods" and men. The comedy of " Our
American Cousin," in which Lord Dundreary,the af-
fected and shallow-pated fop, so well divides the in-
terest with the acute but humorous and true-hearted
Yankee, Asa Trenchard, has been entirely re-
modelled. Lord Dundreary sings a new song ; Asa
and his lordship are actors in a new and highly
original bedroom scene ; all the characters engage
in a new dance called " the skedaddle breakdown ;''
and the play winds up with a new and highly comic
epilogue. The additions and alterations are too
numerous and important to be done justice to in a
brief notice. We shall, therefore, only Fay that the
performance throughout was deservedly received
with roars of laughter and applause. When a gcod
comedy is followed by a good burlesque, nothing is
left to be desired. Mr. William Brough's extrava-
garza was scarcely up to the mark, and suffered
somewhat from the lateness of the hour at which it
was brought on. Under the title of "King Arthur;
or the Days and Knights of the Round Table," Mr.
Brough has weaved a spirited and faeciful plot. At
the time the piece opens Britain is without a native-
born king, and the great magician Merlin (Mr.
Tilbury), who very properly appears amid the
Druidical temples of Stonehenge, determines that
only he who is able to draw a sword which is firmly
embedded in a block of stone shall be declared the
rightful occupant of the throne. Many candidates
appear on the appointed day, but Arthur (Miss
Louise Keeley) is the only one who succeeds in
drawing out the sword, and notwithstanding an
artful attempt on the part of a braggart knight, Sir
Key (Mr. Compton), to defraud him of his right he
is proclaimed King of Britain. But an evil
spirit now appears on the scene. Morgan, en en-
chantress (Mr. Clark), who is half-brother of Arthur,
and himself' aspires to the throne, enters into a
league with a Saxon invader, Cheldric (Mr. Rogers)
to subdue Arthur by magic, and then to share his
dominions. Arthur is drawn into an enchanted
forest and transported to a fairy realm, where,
however, he resists every seductive blandishment.
Meanwhile his sweetheart, Guinevere (Miss F.
Wright), has been carried off by Cheldric, end
placed in a castle whic'a defies all attack so
long as Morgan's enchanted flag floats from its
walls. Merlin, too, is unable to render assistance,
having been shut up in a tree by his pupil Vivien
(Miss E. Romer), who practises upon her master
one of his own incantations, but knows not how to
break the spell. True love, however, in the end
dissolves the enchantment which has rendered the
castle Guinevere's prison, and everybody is made as
happy as though such beings as wizards and en-
chantresses had never existed. It will be seen that
the story, at all events, is a very pretty one. Zad-
kiel's crystal ball, the seizure of the Mersey iron-
clads, the late prize-fight, and other current topics
have been made the subject of the author's wit.

" What should be Christmas feels like IV leitauntide,"
may be taken in a double sense, either as relating
to the weather or to a certain condition of the brain.
Ithblie:tuildience thoroughly appreciated this, and all
Lo'xi_ber really humorous points of the piece. Miss
appi; IK.l::_ley made a charming Arthur, if we may
a phrase to a kingly character. She
looked I%Z
a msca.itted the youthful prince to perfection,
"'princes can sing.
and Ban
%fascinating lady-love as Guinevere,
Miss F. Wright
not only prc,lta
but danced vim. i
uite skill and grace. Miss E.
and Miss
of Vivien an extremely
Romer made the la.
kmahLindley and Mies E. Ter-
Sir Launcelot and Sir
raetytr,atiostitvive
oonvea,liant
fir, Compton,
Mr. Tilbury, as
tThrei 'Tristram, re
knight of doubtful valour, as the hen-
pieeeMoan, all torin
resannodf
mthoerrisons
:nmer'awbleeremeatiguiticlila3:4;lletsi
as the wild, ambitious ench„,Z; and Mr. Clark,
_seaostikh effective
and L
round table,
was
by con-
tributedrviessrtso.
othecosnuncoc
bThe scenery,
table,
and beautiful. The realm of fary
a scene of exquisite beauty,
with its accessories, a triumph of scenic „rta.

..•••••• .........'''

ST. JAMES'S.
111-luck has so frequently attended the opening
of this theatre, the most western in London, with
the excep!ion of the Msrylehone, 'hat it is difficult
to look very hopefully at any
new venture on the
same ground. But certainly, if success be possible
at the St. James's, Mr. Webster is adman to ac-
complish the feat. The most experienced manager
in the metropolis, with resources of all kinds at his
disposal, ho is more likely to overcome obstacles,
and to remove a certain prejudice that seems to lurk
in the public mind against the house that Braham
built, than others who preceded him. Having a
Company on his hands, owing to the continued success
of
regular
Mies Bateman, and the consequent exclusion of
tae
staff from their proper quarters,

he has thought it wise to take the St. James's, and
on Boxing-night it opened under ita new direction.
The house has been newly gilt and painted, and
looks extremely bright and pretty. The perform-
ances on Saturday commenced with the comic drama
of the "Hen and Chickens," with Mrs. Stirling in
her original character, of which we need say
nothing, as all the town are acquainted with that
excellent imp2rsonation of an intrusive, yet really
good- smiled, mother-in-law. Then came the spe-
ciality of the evening—" a comical conglomerative
absurdity," by Mr. H. J. Byron, entitled " 1863 :
or the Sensations of the Past Season, with a Shame-
ful Revelation of 'Lady Somebody's Secret.' " The
idea embodied in this travestie is a very old one,
and has been repeated with a lively faith in the
public being good-natured enough to stand almost
anything, Only last Easter the same device was
resorted to by Mr. Buekstone at the Haymarket, and
that was by no means the first time. The author
is supposed to be in dire perplexity for a subject for
a new Chrismanas piece. Madame d'Anlnoys, the
Greek Mythology, and the "Arabian Nights," are
described as being equally exhausted, and the dra-
matist is verging on despair. Fancy, played by Miss
Adeline Cottrell, suggests a variety of subjects to no
effect ; amongst others, the Napoleonic Congress, to
which the author replies—

Pr'ythee cease I
I wish that Congress would but make apiece !

which we quote with the greater willingness be-
cause it is almost the only " hit" in the burlesque.
Finally it is agreed upon to review the " sensa-
tions" of the past season, and straightway we are
introduced to the old imitations of actors and
actresses. The last two scenes consist of a bur-
lesque on "Lady Audley's Secret," with Mr. Toole
for the lady, and Mr. Paul Bedford as George Tall-.
boys. The subject is not happily chosen for
humorous treatment, and even the admirable mock-
tragic acting of Mr. Toole could not render it agree-
able. This genuine artist had previously appeared
in the earlier scenes as an old housekeeper—the
Mrs. Brown of Mr. Arthur Sketchley's Entertain-
ment—and in imitations of Mr. Fechter and Mr.
Phelps. He was certainly the life of the piece,
though Miss Fanny Joseph's saucy impersonation of
the Author, and Miss Cottrell's singing and acting
as Fancy, should not be forgotten. Of Mr. Paul
Bedford we can only record that he was—Mr.
Paul Bedford. The scenery was of the dullest, with
the exception of the last—representing " the Land
of Thistles, Shamrocks, and Roses"—a very
gorgeous production, shifting from one beautiful
arrangement of form and colour into another, and
liberally illuminated by the lime light and different
tinted fires. This drew forth the first hearty
applause of the evening, and probably saved the
burlesque from disaster. On the fall of the curtain
Mr. Webster appeared, and stated that he had only
taken the theatre that night week, and had been
obliged to make all the preparations very hurriedly.
However, he has a capital company, and we wish
him all success. The performances on Saturday
concluded with the " Birth-place of Podgers"—a
really original English farce by Mr. Hollingahead,
in which the acting of Mr. Toole has never been
surpassed for truth of comic portraiture.
Mr. Byron's travestie may steer its way well
enough through the Christmas season, but we do not
think it will rank among his many brilliant suc-
cesses. The puns are often bold and ludicrous
enough ; bat with the exception of the passage we
have quoted, there is hardly a point throughout.
In truth the scheme has been worn to death. Let
us return to the dear old fairy tales which never
grow old, and be less ambitious of shining as social
satirist or moral censors of the time.