The Sun.
London, England, 1853-02-14 00:00:00

HA YMARKET THEATRE.

The comedy of Not so bad as we Seem, or many Sides
to a Character, by Sir E. Bulwer Lytton, Bart., may be
said not to have been fairly launched before the public
until Saturday night last. It will be recollected that it
Was first produced before her Majesty at Devonshire
House, by a company of amateurs, the majority of whom
were celebrities in the literary and, artistic world. On
that, and on the subsequent ()Cessions when these gen-
tlemen gave their performances, the opinion expressed
of the piece was generally favourable, but there were
reasons for doubting whether the decision pronounced by
these limited audiences was any test whereby to judge
whether its fame on the English stage would be epheme-
ral or enduring. The comedy was originally written to
augment the funds of a charitable project —the Guild of
Literature and Art—and it was impossible not to feel
some delicacy in criticising a work which owed its ex-
istence to such praiseworthy intentions, while it
wan against one's grain to find fault, even had
one been so disposed, with the laudable histrionic
efforts of such universal favourites as Charles Dickens,
Douglas Jerrold, Forster, and Af",rk Lemon, On Satur-
day night at the Haymarket, however, the audience were
under no such restraint ; the comedy was placed before
them, as any similar production would be, without any
extraneous help to bring it up, to soften its defects, or
heighten its excellencies ; and, moreover, the various
characters were undertaken by experienced professionals,
who, of course, must expect, it they do not altogether like
that free exercise of judgment which English theatre-
goers so delight to revel in. It is with pleasure, there-
fore; that we have to announce that the comedy passed
through the trying ordeal of the Haymarket tribunal
with a degree of success which sterling, undeniable merit
could alone secure, and which redounded with honour
alike to the author and the actors. Throughout the per-
formance not a breath of disapprobation was raised,
while the applause was frequent and hearty, and the ver-
dict returned at the conclusion was undeniably favoura-
ble. The comedy is skilfully constructed, the various cha-
racters are masterly drawn, and language at one time
amuses with its wit and pungency, and at others draws
down rounds of cheers by its beauty, its elegance, and
Its sublimity of sentiment. The cast contained all the
strength of the Haymarket company—the parts being
allotted as follows :
The Duke of Middlesex.. ..... Stuart
The Earl of Loftus ...........Mr. Braid.
Lord Wilmot.... ..Mr Leigh Murray.
Mr. Shallowly Softhead....... ..... ...Mr. Keeley.
Mr. Hardman......... Mr. Barry Sullivan.
Sir Geoffrey Thornside Mr. B. Webster.
Mr. Goodenough Easy .. Mr. Buckstone.
Mr. Jacob Tonson .Mr. Rogers.
Smart Mr. Clark.
Hodge. . . . .... Mr. Coe.
Paddy.
Mr. David Fallen Mr. Howe.
Lucy Miss Rosa Bennett.
Barbara Miss A. Vining.
The Silent Lady of Deadman's-lane Mrs. Leigh Murray.
• As Sir Geoffrey Thornside, Mr. B Webster was to the
life the suspicious, ill-natured misanthrope whose exis-
tence is soured by the • ill-founded belief of his wife's
unfaithfulness. Mr. Leigh Murray displayed that versa-
tility of talent, and gentlemanly bearing which has earned
for him a high position as an actor, in the character of
Lord Wilmot, and he was particularly happy in his relation
of the trick by which he succeeded in bribing the Prime
'Minister, Walpole, with a Murillo. As Hardman, Mr.
Bar'r'y Sullivan was no bad representation of the ardent,
hard-working, clever statesman, except that he exhibited
in his movements a laboured strutt, which could only be
tolerated in one of our transpontine or provincial thea-
tres, Mr. Howe, as David Fallen, the poor author, of
Grub-street, was manly and straightforward, and the
sketchy character of the proud Honourable John, Duke
of Middlesex, was sustained with much imposing pomp,
and a sly sense of humour, by Mr. Stuart. All the
ladies are mere nonentities, a peculiarity to be ascribed
to the fact that the work was written for an amateur
company, for in such companies the ladies are generally
Played by engaged "professionals," who occupy a sub-
ordinate position. Buckstone and Keeley kept the house
in a continual roar whenever they appeared on the
stage. Their drunken encounters with the watch
Was inimitably droll, especially when Buckstone was
elevated on the shoulders of the old Charlies, and, fancy-
ing he was on the hustings, began to address his friend I
as the electors of London, for having returned him as
representative of so great a city.
• The comedy has been got up with care and effect. The
representative of Will's Coffee-house, with the newsmen
rushing in with the Flyina Post or the Messenger, and
shouting " News, neu I Great news ?" was well ma-
naged, and both characteristic and suggestive.
After the fall of the curtain, first the actors and then
the author were called for. Mr. Webster upon this
stood forward, and announced that Sir Edward Bulwer
Lytton was too ill to be in the theatre, adding that if
anything could give a sick man pleasure it would be the
reception which the comedy had met with. The fact
we believe to be that the hon. baronet has met with a
rather severe accident to his arm. The house was a
crowded one.

MR. MITCHELL'S FRENCH PLAYS.-ST.
JAMES'S THEATRE.

On Saturday night, Une Fiavre Brulante was played
at this theatre, for, the first time since 1848. It had

. then a long run, a result to be attributed, as was, we
think, its success on Saturday, mainly to the clever acting
• of Ravel, rather than to any internal excellence either of
plot or dialogue. Richard Tremblay, the principal char-
actei, is a young man passionately fond of the ladies,
yet withal afflicted with an unusual timidity, which, in
their presence, not only deprives him of all speech, but
turns his admiration into temporary hatred to the sex.
Ile is, moreover—if we may coin the word—a miso-
pianist, and the very sound of a piano excites him to
such a pitch, that he gives vent to howls just like those
• of a mad dog. In the same house with him lodge an old
Russian diplomate, his wife, and his sister-in-law, with
the latter of whom Richard is desperately in love,
though, by some Mistake, he has been led to believe
that she is the Russian's wife. This, however, in France,
seems to be a matter of no consequence, and Richard is
not discouraged on that account. His frequent watchings
at the window have attracted the attention of three
Seuristes, also fellow-lodgers, who conclude thence that
eine of themselves is the object of his adoration.
To discover who is the happy one, they visit him in his
• aPartments disguised as students, and three handsome
,dung fellows they make.. At their invitation Richard
goes to a ball, where he finds them in their proper attire,
but takes them for impudent boys masquerading in the
Petticoats of the other sex. His beloved is present too,
itegether with her brother and sister-in-law. Owing to
uha mistaken idea of the identity of the two ladies, all his
• artillery of billets-doux has been directed to the Countess,
and the vain old lady shows herself by no means indis-
, tused to listen to his addresses, and to leave her old
xtussian for a young Frenchman. This, together with
his mistake about the fleuristes, and his invincible timi-
dity, which will not allow him to look a lady in the face
When he addresses her, leads to a series of amusing situa-
aticus,_ which end by M. Richard getting very drunk,
and Throwing himself out of a three-pair window.
t_ aving, however, only alighted on a bed of mushrooms,
,7,e find him in the next act at a concert at the Opera
dernique, still in love, and hatching a plot to carry off
!Is mistress. Mol e -nistakes and more fun;—in the disguise
snaa waiter, in wrch he is irresistibly comic, he imparts
nr. design to the ladies, and in the dark is near carrying
5 the Countess - but her weight prevents him, and being
discoverede. on his knees before her by the husband, he
1 clares her a model of "immovable virtue," and protests
that he was merely suing for the hand of the sister-in-
f:!. This the Count grants immediately, and Richard
re:, the first time discovers that the sister-in-law is the
tiZ, ,!skly, and that for two acts he has, through his
tzuity, been making love to the wrong one. To all
extravagance, M. Ravel's acting gave a consistency
.1!..,00. reality which otherwise would' have been most
;y6l rably wanting. His amusing mental transitions
de7l!, most cleverly conveyed, even in the minutest
di,Z4,281 and his acting in the drunken scene displayed a
Re'lf.tle power which we have not seen often surpassed.
,the was loudly applauded throughout, and called before
curtain at the close of the piece.

friend of ours, whose avo-
cations DETECTIVE WEAPON.—
weapon of
him exhibiting a capital
cations compel to travel Amuch in the dark, astonished
at'
a few nights ago, by ex from his pocket what ap-
attack and defence. Taking
stant a blaze of light
Peared to be a stout constable's staff', he struck it smartly
bratthe ground, an
enrst from the end oft t,in an
" a quarter of a mile
powerfulin and brilliant that
Here and everybody wit
edit° be
Were rendered visible, and confirm a so for nearly
light would have
ten minutes. Had it been used as t lifee-preserver, and
struck against the head of att,
been kindled in just the same
an assailant, an
strurnent may be used first to floor
Electric Safety
"Baker's
manner ; so that the ind-
afterwards to identify him.
seal Light"—for this is the name
h idle.
is certainly a desideratum.—Bath. C e
of the instrument—
of the cani-
GOLDNER'S PRESERVED MEATS.-The committee of
naval officers appointed for the examinationist a
Al of Goldner's preserved meats, cons
the Fisgard, cm'
Allen and Pyrn, and the surgeon of . .
aninniard,
in of Messrs.
tinue their " discoveries" daily at the Vic
_s e if
Deptford. After an examination of each packag )
buried in ad-
found totally unfit for human food, it is j'irting grounds, and that portion which
°the yard.
Wholesome is given to the men employed in
gene-
ral of it has been found in a good state, and the
..-
isc considered
opinion is that most of the bad portion has been
se%
• tamed from foreign parts by Mr. Goldner, who has_ub_
_..
called upon and paid the sum of 3,0001. for non-f ifil
rnent of contract.—Kentish. Mercury.
THE NEW NOVEL, " THE DEAN'S DAUGHTER ; OR,
Tut DAYS WE LIVE IN." 13y Mrs. Gore. 3 vols.—e
i' Airs. Gore's stories display remarkable ingenuity in th
arrangement of incidents, minute observation of man-
ners, and considerable skill in the delineation of charac-
ter sand it is not the least of her many merits that with
sufficient dot the
of the ironical spirit of the age
to enable her to extract matter for laughter from the
follies of human nature, she combines a kindliness of
disposition which preserves her satire from the taint of
41alice. ' The Dean's Daughter' is as good a novel as
. we The
to have seen from her pen—the characters
are vigorously. conceived—the dialogue is fluent and
spiriteand n every department of the story there is
abundant infusion of inaagination, passion, and inven-
lien. The story is altogether a good one—well-con
ceived, cleverly sustained, and exceedingly interesting."
!......:23/erong Post.