The Sun.
London, England, 1838-06-05 00:00:00

VICTORLI.

The amusements at this theatre, both on, the stage and in the body of
the house, were rather of a more tranquil cast than usually charac-
terises the performances of this season. Of the scenic entertainments
the first was a musical drama, said to be performed for the first time at
this house, under the title of The Amethyst Ring; or, the Boy of the
Alps, which turns upon a single and solitary assassination—a lamentable
falling off from the profuse liberality of horrors which generally dis-
tinguishes the dispensers of melo-dramatic attractions at the Surrey side
of the river. It: however, as well as the subsequent pieces, was inter-
spersed with so.ne p!easing music, and the entertainments were received
with approbatio❑ by a decorous and orderly, if not a very enthusiastic
audience.

SADLER'S WELLS.
This theatre opened last evening with a grand historical spectacle,
called The Rye House Plot, founded, as its title indicates, upon an oc-
currence which has gained undying celebrity, in association with the
fate of Lord William Russell. Lawrence Lee, a farmer, is enamoured
of Ruth Rumbald, the daughter of the owner of the Rye House; from
his propinquity to the scene, and his well-known objection to the Stuarts,
he is necessarily admitted into the baud of the conspirators, but upon
ascertaining the extent to which they intend to proceed, he acquaints
the King with their designs. The " Merry Monarch " proceeds in di,
guise to the Rye House, and arrests the band of traitors, and, as a re-
ward for his loyalty, pardons Lee, who is afterwards united to Ruth. Of
the dialogue we are unable to speak, in consequence of the unqualified
indicatives of approval which the holiday audience continued to evince
from the raising of the curtain until its fall, thereby rendering the piece
little better than dumb show. The scenery was very beautiful; got up
with a degree of care, and an evident disregard of expense, and painted
with an adherence to historical fidelity that is highly creditable to the
artist. The theatre has been newly decorated. A very amusing farce,
I'll not have a IVife, followed; and a romantic drama, entitled, The
Tempter, concluded the entertainments.

ASTLErS.
The enterprising proprietor of this establishment produced last even-
ing a new piece, in which those interesting animals, horses, formed the
principal feature. The first of the two new pieces is The Oracle ; or,
the Olympic Conquest of Babylon, and is described as " written ex-
pressly* for this theatre by Mr. Baxter, to introduce the treble company
and double stud, aided by new scenery, dresses, properties, music, and
striking stage effects, on a scale of grandeur hitherto unprece_
den tcd. To the par nolile were allotted the principal parts
(next to the osses, as they are ca' led en the Surrey side), viz.,
those of Cleostratus and Prince Zerxes, the plot of the piece being
woven from materials drawn from that portion of classic story which
relates to the murder of the father of the Prince by Cleostratus, to the
endeavour of that tyrant to sustain his tsosition on the throne he has
usurped by imputing that murder to Marpesa (Mrs Campbell) the wife
of the slaughtered monarch, and to the just retribution which he after-
wards meets with from the hands of Xerxes himself, at the moment he
is about to sacrifice that prince's Innocent child to revenge himself on
his captive Azema (Mrs. Shepherd), the wife of the injured prince, who
has refused to consent to be united to hint. The dialogue in which all
this stab-and-clatter sort of scenes were worked out was beneath criti-
cism, and therefore we will not criticise it. After thepiece Was brought
to a conclusion a series of those teats of horsemanship for which this
establishment is more particularly celebrated took place in the circle. Mr.
Ducrow was here in his element, and played his admired act of Figaro
on horseback to perfection. The well-known ponies surpassed them-
selves in their "tricksy" feats, and Mr. Price threw twenty-six summer_
sets successively, to the astonishment of the audience, while Miss Wood_
Lord's equestrian scene was deservedly applauded. The entertainment
concluded with what the author of the playbill styled a " British Loyal
National pageant of The Oueen! God bless her " The audience
was a very crowded one, and more noisy, if possibly, than on any former
occasion on which we have attended the performances at the Royal
Amphitheatre.