The Sun.
London, England, 1854-12-27 00:00:00

LYCEUM.

A "New and Original Faiey Extravaganza" at the
Lyceum. The announcement is sufficient to create in-
tense excitement among the playgoing population of the
metropolis, and, we will add, of the district contained
within a circle of at least a fifty mile radius. Who is
there with money in his pocket and leisure time at his
disposal that will trust to any information ho may re-
ceive as to the splendour of the scenery, the brilliancy
of the dialogue, the appropriate costumes, or the perfec-
tion of the machinery ? The public know that in any and
every of those matters there " will be," for the enter-
prising lessee has determined that there "shall be," no
mistake. Time, trouble, expense, are alike disregarded.
No exertion is thought too great, no outlay too costly,
in order to maintain, and, if possible, exceed, the well-
establisbed reputation of " Shadoukiam," the true metro-
polis of Jinnistan, the Fairy kingdom, known to mere.
mortals as " The Lyceum.
It, is but justice to the various performers to gate that
they felt the magnitude of the trust reposed in them,
and that each and all in their respective parts proved
themselves worthy of the occasion—as firmly determined
to do their duty as the heroes of Altna and Inkerman.
The great success of the piece may be attributed to the
zeal and efficiency of the subordinates ; for no exertions
of the leaders can comPensate for negligence on the part
of their humble associates. This completeness and dove
tailing in all the parts is one of the leading features of
"The Lyceum,"
and never was it more strikingly dis-
played than last night.
As usual, the subject Was selected from the repertoire

of the inexhaustible Countess D. Avois. The veracious

history of Prince Prettypet and the Butterfly formed the
foundation of the gorgeous spectacle ; and Mr. W.
Brough, assisted, we believe, by the worthy lessee, and
Mr. W. Beverley, undertook the task of adaptation.
Never has the laureate of the "Enchanted Island" more
ably discharged his duty. Every line was redolent of
fun in all its varieties. The happiest hits were made in
the most felicitous terms. The shade of Joe Miller
might have had its repose disturbed by a shade of envy
at the paranornasiaC. triumphs of his gifted successor.

Yes, William Brough, who had previously achieved a

burpas,ea by rit.:llC. ditliculty of tie eapicit ina:s be
estimated from the fact that he followed the veteran
Planch4 in a field which he had nearly monopolised.
Of Beverley, too, we must say that he surpassed
Beverley—the highest praise that can be awarded.
Never have we witnessed more striking scenes than the
" Cry,talline. Haunt of the Butterflies," and "Butter-
fly-ball," and "The Throne of the Butterfly Queen."
The last was indeed dazzlingly, almost painfully,
beautiful. The eye could scarcely bear the radiant
brilliancy of the accumulated. lights. It must be wit-
nessed before the slightest conception can be formed of
the general effect.

It may appear a work of supererogation even to hint
at the plot ; for, of course, every person who has the
means of so doing will resolve upon " judging for him-
self." The very children would rise in rebellion against
the hard-hearted parents who refused them the oppor-
tunity of beholding the exploits of the brave Prince
Prettypet, or the manner in which he, the spoiled child,
vanquished the "Scaly Scarabceus," and gained the
hand and heart of the incomparable Papillonetta,
the captive princess of fairyland. In pity, how-
ever, to the rising generation, we shall lift a
corner of the curtain, that a slight glimpse may be
afforded of the rich treat in store. Prince Prettypet,
the spoiled child of the renowned King Coccalorum, is
tired of his nursery chains, and, to get fully rid of them,
is disposed to marry anybody. So indifferent is he to
his fate that he casts a paper into a vase with a handful
of blanks, leaving it to any of the representatives of the
neighbouring princesses' suitors for his hand to select the
right one. But Millefiora, the queen mother of a
butterfly, who has got into the clutches of that terrible
beetle* King Scarabceus, sends a winged messenger, who
seizes the paper, and so piques the curiosity of Pretty-
pet that he follows the insect wheresoever it may lead
him. He presently finds himself in the presence of the
Queen, who has but little difficulty in persuading the
youth, already dying for some agreeable excitement, to
attempt the rescue of her daughter. This he accom-
plishes by cutting off the horns of his majesty the black
beetle ; and straightway he marries the gentle Papillo-
netta, whom he has won, and so well deserves to wear.
He retires to a "cottage near a wood " with his bride,
where he enjoys perfect felicity until the arrival of Sca-
ralocens, who, denuded of his power—of everything, in
short, save his malignity—compasses, in the disguise of
a weary wayfarer, the destructioa of his unsuspecting
entertainers. The mysterious guest soon alienates the
husband from his wife by specious innuendoes touching
her volatile propensities. The latter is heartbroken ac-
cordingly, and consents to resign her wings, as Undine
consented to resign her immortality, or the sake of her
beloved. Such heroism as this has its reward. The
mask is taken from the eyes of Prettypet by the Butter-
fly Queen. He sees that his tempter has been his old
entomological enemy, and his love returns with tenfold
vehemence.

We cannot conclude without noticing the exertions
of sonic of those who so ably embodied the conceptions
of the author. Mr. and Mrs. Frank Matthews enacted
the worthy " Coccalorum" and his strong-minded spouse
Peccapeppa, while James Bland strutted his horse as
the dark-eyed and gloomy Sovereign of the Beetles, and
Miss M. Oliver made the ;nest fascinating of fairy
queens. Need we add a single word to show that royalty
was suitably- represented. Miss Harriett Gordon, the
hero of the piece, admirably performed the part of
the spoiled but valiant and sound-hearted Pretty-
pet, who never loved woman. In Miss Fanny
Ternan the Lyceum has received a decided acqui-
sition. We went prepared to admire. The recollections
of her gifted mother flowed rapidly on our minds when
we asked ourselves would' Miss Ternan be anything
like the Miss Jarman of our juvenile days, who could
take any part in tragedy, comedy, opera, or farce, and
who excelled in all. A. few minutes convinced us that
the fair, aye, very fair, and handsome debutante required
no borrowed light—that she possessed intrinsic excellence
sufficient to insure unequivocal success. She has a
clear, melodious, and thoroughly cultivated voice, which
enables her to execute with facility the most difficult
passages. She was three times rapturously encored in
duets with Miss Ha,rriettGordon, who obtained a similar
tribute of approbation in a solo.
It is needless to add that the piece was completely—
we may add, pre-eminently—successful ; the shouts for
the different performers, who greatly distinguished them-
selves, for the author, scenist, and others engaged in
getting up the piece, were protracted to a late hour; and
Miss Ternan—the great triumph of the evening—Miss
Gordon, Mies Oliver, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Matthews,
Mr. W. Brough, and Mr.W. Beverley received the most
cheering and enthusiastic reception. We need only add
that the audience were worthy of the dainty dish pre-
pared for its delectation, for the house was crowded in
all parts.