The Sun.
London, England, 1838-04-17 00:00:00

OLYMPIC.

Madame Vestris produced last night at this theatre, a drama
which was as successful as any of-those which she has pre-
sented
to the public on similar occaFions. It is described in
the bills as an allegorical, valedictory burletta, and is entitled
The Drama's Levee, or a Peep at the Past. The opening
scene is the representation of a stage or theatre in a state of
decay, in which the drama and the metropolitan theatres are
personated. The Drama (Mrs. Orger) is in a critical state
of health, and is constantly harrassed by the bad terms on which
her sons, Legitimate Drama (Mr. J. Vining) and Illegitimate
Drama (Mr. C. Matthews), are with each other. Their quar-
rels at last end in blows, and the several metropolitan theatres
take part with the combatants ; but while the Legitimate
Drama has only " Drury. lane, Covert-garden, and the Hay-
market" to fight its battle, the Illegitimate Drama has all the
other theatres to take part with it, and the result is that the
former is defeated and driven from the stage. Praise (Madame
Vestris), and Censure (Mr. J. Bland), old friends of the drama,
' but somewhat differing in opinion, then appear, and severally
make their observations on the several presentations that take
place at the Drama's Levee. These presentations are represen-
tations of scenes and characters from several recent dramas pro.
diced at the large as well as the minor theatres, and they afford
opportunity of introducing a number of rather satirical, but, in
most instances, extremely just observations on the present
s:atc of the drama ; and while praise is bestowed on the mana-
gers aho produced such dramas as the Love Chase and the
Lady of Lyons, censure is not spared on those who had the
had taste to introduce to the British stage such meritricious
objects as the Gnome Fly, or Jim Craw. The concluding
scene is that of a dream of the future, representing a distant
view of Liverpc,ol, and the American packet under weigh, with
the great attraction of this theatre on board. In this scene
there is an Olympic assemblage of many of those mythological
characters v:hich have been introduced to the public at this
theatre. The piece concludes with some appropriate ob-
servations from Madame Vestris, respecting her proposed
iisit to the United States, during the delivery of which she
appeared much affected, and the audience warmly sympathised
with her.

ADELPHL
At this popular little theatre, last night, a new drama in
three acts, entitled Groves of Blarney, was produced az the
Easter piece. The drama is written by Mrs. S. C. Hall, and
founded on the principal story in that lach's " Lights and
Shadows of Irish Life." The following is the plot :—Connor
O'Gorman, a true-hearted Irishman ( Power), is smitten by
!he charms of Margaret Lee ( Mrs. Hooper), a young English
,vidow, residing in the sweet village of Blarney. O'Gorman,
however, is opposed in his tender suit by Ulick O'Sullivan
( Denvil), who, though the descendant of an illustrious race,
4ppears to possess a scanty share of the cardinal virtues.
Mabel Griffin ( Yates), a copy of Moll Flagon, dislikes
irgaret Lee, and at the same time is not too warmly at-
tach .•d to the welfare of O'Gorman. To aid O'Sullivan, the
old harridan Griffin concocts a succession of falsehoods, well
calculated to work on the honest heart and warm mind
of O'Gorman—she begins, however, with a truth, by telling
the simple-hearted Irishmants that his foster-mother and
brother have just boen driven out of their little cottage by the
rude intervention of the landlord's agent. O'Gorman's fine
Irish spirit is up in an instant, and off he sets with a band
cf hearty fellows like himself, determined upon a rescue.
They turn the officers from thepremises ; invest the old lady
and her son in the same ; and, a party of military arriving,
we are:jpresented with a vivid representation of, we are sorry
to say, a too frequent occurrence in the long chapter of Irish
suffering and misery. O'Gorman is here discovered by his
lady-love, who despises him not more for his breach of the law
than for being found in such plebeian company; she, in short,
gives him the "cut direct." Galled by her displeasure, he
treatens to join the corps of Capt. Rowland, who is in the
neighbourhood recruiting for a foreign service—he is now lost
sight of for a little. Meantime Mabel Griffin has not been asleep ;
through the means of the said Rowland, the only child of Mar-
garet Lee, a fine boy, is abducted, and placed in the round tower
of the O'Sullivans. Poor O'Gorman, of course, is charged
as the offender; he neither has been idle, for, by stratagem,
he gets access to the tower, and in his own inimitable way.
amuses the Captain with a long-winded story about a sheep
and a pet lamb, which latter had been stolen away by a ruth-
less wolf, but redeemed by a trusty dog ; suiting the action to
the word, he seizes the Captain by the throat, disarms him,
and rescues the child. Margaret Lee, the distracted mother,
appears on the scene, denounces O'Gorman, but is soon put
right by the admission of O'Sullivan. All then ends happily.
The drama is too long—the last act, however, was worth
waiting for ; it was received with applause, as it justly de-
served, though we most candidly confess that Power's story in
the Round Tour is an incident palpably borrowed from Samuel
Lover's " Rory O'More;" but, n'import, Power was quite at
home as the hero. We have rarely seen him to greater ad-
vantage. Yates's Mabel:Griffin was a capital performance.
Some of the scenery is beautiful. Mr. Yates, in character,
announced the play for repetition amidst great applause.