The Sun.
London, England, 1838-01-16 00:00:00

ROYAL OLYMPIC.

An amusing trifle was produced at this theatre last evening
under the title of Shocking Events. Griffinhood (Mr. W.
Farrell), a superannuated farrier in the neighbourhood of
.DO-
- is expecting a dumb young man to stay with him for
a few days. The young man is the see of an old friend
at Dunkirk,: from whom Griffinhood had in former years
experienced much kindness and attention, ankbeing• anxious
to make the best return in his power fur the fiesturs he has
received, though not without a keen perception- of the
honour and benefits which will accrue to himself `,pin the
success of his design, he intends to use his best veterinary
endeavours to restore the voung man's speech, to e&ct
which, he proposes to apply the very natural and simpla
method of administering a
.vast number of violent shticks,
which he has found most successful during his veterinary
practice in producing noises in dumb animals: In the mean
time Captain Spoff (Mr. J. Bland), the old man's nephew,
who is on active duty in the Kent yeomanry, and who •is a
vapouring fop betrothed to the old man's daughter Dorothy
(Miss Crisp), tumbles from his horse, and !s heartily laughed
at by Puggs (Mr. Keeley), a professional bps singer, who
happens to be at Dover assisting at the Buffalo flis4-monic So-
c!ety (which by the bye, i 3 established in direct oppolaion to
another musical society, delighting in the euphonious -desioa-
tiorof the Nendescrip's), and who is the accepted love; of Kitty
(Miss Lee), Griffinhoof's servant. Incensed by the laughter,
the valiant yeomanry cavalry captain chases the unfortu-
nate ba(s through. the streets, and obliges him to take
refuge in Gritfinhoof's house, the door of which happens
to be open. Entering the old man's room, entirely out
of breath, he is unable to answer .the inquiries which are
mule, and is immediately taken to be ar expected dumb
visitor. Fearin,z detection, poor Puggs kedps,:y the deceit,
and manfully withstands all the worthy veterinay . surgeon's
plans to restore his speech by means of sudden shocks: Most
entertainingly does he carry on the deception. when, in
answer to the old gentleman's inquiries as to what he recol-
lects of his younger days, he ilius•rat.s his happy remem-
brance by making the necessary signs, showing that he has a
distir.ct recollection of that important era in every bey's life,
being breechrd, and a.'so of his old game of peg-top ; and
well does he hold up against all the sudden squalls of the
worthy V. S., the tumbles arising from the pullieuaway of
a chair in which he is :ibex. to teka his seat, and the-.firing
of a pis of close to his cars. All goes on well till .the
real dumb lad arrives at the house, who ii,. however, con-
cealed by Kitty, and till u letter reaches Gritlinhoof, telling
h'm that the supposed du.nb person is the wife ci Ills
iriond, who has run away from him. Upon the receipt of
this letter Griffinhoof's and Captain Spoff's actions be-
come very annoying to poor Puggs. • lie cannot understand
ng mistaken for a woman for whom ardent love is vowed
by Captain Spoil, and can only reemicils the strange actions
of his Kitt)'s friends on the suppwitionthat they are Inns. In
vain he attempts to effect his escape ; Griffinhoof prevents
this, and ia about to len! him into a garden to try a last shock
by pushing him in:o a fish-pond, when he is preVented by an
appeal to the s;allantry of the worthy Captain. During the
struggle which takes place, Griffinhoof hits po:r Puggs a
violent rap. This too much fur the singer's assumed dumb-
ness. and in ecstasies is. the operator, when he.htears the retu-n
of the ;voice in the ex,LAatnatio.a " You gre,:t fOol."
-Puggs effects his escape. but in going thr,ugh the gar-
den steps into a steel-trap, and discharges a spring-gun, wl.ich
was to. have forinel part of Griffinhonf's shoCking experi-
ments. Returning lamed and really frightened, he is toes-
mitted by the master to t the the hand of his loved Kitty,
who has in his absenee duly explained the blunder which has
been committed. The pieeo, was received throughout With
loud bursts cf laughter, elicited by Farrell's impersonifleation
of the sensitive and delighted experimentilist.