The Sun.
London, England, 1863-09-09 00:00:00

NORWICH MUSICAL FESTIVAL.

The choruses in Mr. Silas's new work, " Joasb,"
were rehearsed on Monday evening in St. Andrew's
Hall, under that gentleman's personal supervision.
Mr. Silas expressed himself pretty well satisfied
with the result, but intimated that the voices ought
to be more concentrated, so as to produce a more
united effect, and some effort will be made to attain
this object. Mr. Benedict was expected down again
yesterday, and last evening the choruses of his can-
tata, "Richard Coeur de Lion," were to be rehearsed.
Mr. Benedict will remain in Norwich during the
remainder of the week. The rehearsal of Monday
evening was attended by about 200 persons, a
charge of ls. being made for admission ; for as the
period is now approaching when a return must be
secured on the outlay and liabilities incurred, the
committee has abandoned the gratuitous principle
on which it acted last week. Daring the last few
days applications for tickets halve been received
toierably freely, aad the total represented by the
sale had advaoceol from £2,500, at which it stood a
week since, to about £3,300 yesterday. The ex-
penditure will be somewhere about £3,800, so that
there is a very fair prospect of a surplus being
realised, as in 1860. For the Thursday and Friday
morning performances, when "Elijah" and the
"Messiah" will be given, there is scarceiy a vacant
seat now available; but the same cannot be said
with regard to the miscellaneous concert of Tuesday
evening and Wednesday morning, at which last
" Joash" is supposed to be the staple feature. Great
prominence has been attached to this work;
but as it is a new and untried production., com-
paratively little interest has been displayed with
regard to it. It is right, however, to state that the
programme for this morning includes also the scene
at the Gates of Nain, from Leslie's oratorio " Em-
manuel," and selections from the " Stabat Mater,"
and that Mademoiselle Titiens and Mademoiselle
Trebelli will appear, as well as Sims Reeves. The
usual fittings have been erected in St. Andrew's
Hall, and the bare and naked walls will receive
their old udornments in the shape of time-honoured
portraits of local worthies.

Mr. Charles Mathews upon the French Stage.

(From the Daily News.)
Mr. Charles Mathews, the English comedian,
made his first appearance upon the French stage at
the Theatre des Varie!es, in Paris, on Monday
night. The piece selected was a version in French,
under the title of "Un Anglais Timide," of the
actor's own farce of the "Bashful Man." Our
Paris correspondent, writing on Monday night,
gives the following account of the performance:—
" Mr. Charles Mathews has not niet with quite such a
great success at the Varietes as I should have been glad to
have recorded, and as I think he deserved. It is always an
arduous task for an actor to play in a foreign language, and
before such a critical audience as a Parisian one the ordeal
is doubly frightful. But Ido not think the comparative
failure of this evening's representation is in any degree
attributable to that cause. Mr. Mathews speaks French
better than almost any Englishman I ever heard. Indeed,
his easy, graceful, and singularly correct pronunciation
might be envied by many an educated Frenchman,
and the very slight English accent occasionally perceptible
was really no detriment at all to such broad farce as the
Bashful Man.' From the moment he stepped upon the
stage it was obvious that all the difficulties of a foreign
tongue had been overcome with marvellous felicity.
Although he speaks with the volubility which he inherits
from his father, every word was audible in every part of
the house and every 'point' told. The fault, if fault there
were, was not in the actor but the author. The humour of
the piece was, in the opinion of the audience, exhausted in
the early part of it, and during the ten minutes which pre-
ceded the fall of the curtain they began to get weary.
"No puff preliminary was resorted to in order to secure
an audience for Mr. Mathews. I heard by the merest ac-
cident that he was to make his first appearance at the
Varietes to-night, and could hardly believe my informant
—so out of the usual course of things did it appear to me
that such a theatrical event should take place without
making more noise beforehand. I went however, to the
door of the Varietes, and there I saw by the bills, Un
Anglais Timide,' a comedy in one act, by Mr. C. Mathews,
was to be produced this evening, and that Mr. C. Mathews
would play the character of Mr. Brown. Thereupon I
secured a stall—which was not difficult, for the theatre
was by no means full at the opening, although before
the Bashful Man' began nearly every seat was occupied.
From the convel sation of people around me I found that
1)1,-. C. Mathews' fame as an actor had not reached
Paris. A great many came out of curiosity to see an
Englishman play in French; but they knew nothing
about him. The audience was therefore as genuine a
one as could well be. Only if I may trust my own im-
pression there was a cabal of some 20 persons predetermined
to hoot down the Englishman, if they could see their oppor-
tunity. In the early part of the piece Mr. Mathews' acting
of the cool adventurer who makes himself at home in old
Gogo's house, sets his furniture to rights, rehangs his pic-
tures, pokes him in the ribs, orders his servants about, and
makes love to his ward, was fully appreciated, and rewarded
by roars of laughter such as are seldom heard within the
walls of a French theatre. But a comic song in English
was not relished, because not understood, and another song
to the guitar in Neapolitan patois (also not understood)
provoked visible marks of impatience. At last, just as the
♦ery slight denouement of the farce was being worked out
the audience seemed to think the explanations of how it
came to pass that Mr. Brown mistook somebody else for
Gogo, jun., on a Rhine steamboat, as altogether unneces-
sary, and at all events too long. There was a good deal
of stamping of feet, and some cat-calling, and the curtain
fell amidst considerable disturbance. There was little or no
applause at the end of the piece, and Mr. Mathews was
not called for. I, however, heard several people in thefoyer
while criticising the piece, speak highly of Mr. Mathews'
talent, and if he cares to persevere on the French stage I
am quite sure there will be great curiosity to see him when
he becomes better known.