The Sun.
London, England, 1836-08-30 00:00:00

NEW STRAND THEATRE.

Last night a piece in five parts, called the Perils of Pippins,
was produced at this theatre. The plot, or rather succession
of plots, was as follows :—Job Pippins (Hammond) is a young
village barber, with violent amatory propensities, over which
he has no control, and this gives to the piece the second title
of " The Man who could not help it." He is tent for by Sir
Scipio Mannikin (Wyman), a ponwous old baronet with a
young wife (Mrs. Hammond), to dress her hair. Unfortu-
nately, his amatory disposition raises in him a violent desire
of saluting the lady, even in the presence of her husband.
He goes on powdering her hair in a distracted manner ; till,
at last, the temptation is too strong-.-he dashes down his im-
plements, gives the lady three or four smacking kisses, and,
throwing himself at the husband's feet, protests "he could
not help it." This is his first peril. In the second part we
find him anxious to escape to London from the turmoil
which his imprudent act has caused. Pippins has no
money, but Sir Scipio having fallen down in apoplexy, and
being brought into the public-house where he is resting,
a temptation of another kind assails him ; .he considers
that he has a long journey to go without a penny, and,
snatching the baronet's repeater from his fob, makes his
escape. He then falls in with a gang of thieves, who rob him
of the watch, and throw him into a ditch in a state of intoxi-
cation. In the third part Pippins appears dressed as a fine
gentleman, accoutred in some clothes he has found by a river
side, the property of a young gentleman who was bathing in
the river. In this new character Pippins contrives to save the
child of Sir Francis Faddle, a neighbouring gentleman (Wy-
man), from drowning, and is by him invited to his house, where
he calls himself " Mr. Jewel." Sir Francis, fearful lest his
diving may have injured his health, sends for Dr. Saffron
( Yonge), the medical man who attended Sir Scipio at the
period when the repeater was stolen. The tribulation of Pip-
pins at the Doctor's entrance, and his allowing himself to be
bled, at the same time contriving that the latter shall not see
his face, constitute the humour of this part. A fair widow,
Mrs. Candy (Miss Daly), staying at the house of Sir Francis,
falls in love with Pippins, and seeing him rush from the stage
at the second appearance of the Doctor, declaring " he is
very ill," sinks into a chair " very ill likewise " The fourth
act is occupied by a double scene, representing the respec-
tive bed rooms of Pippins and the widow. Each is deeply
enamoured of the other ; they each send notes of inquiry :
the cough of one is echoed by that of the other, till at last
Pippins sings, to try it' she will respond, and the drop-scene
falls upon them singing a duet, each sitting up in bed. The
effect of this was highly ludicrous. In the last part the
thieves once more appear in the act of breaking open Sir
Francis's house. Pippins, however, who had stolen into the
garden to meet his charming widow, frustrates their design,
and elopes with her in a post-chaise before any one had recog-
nized him, having first satisfied the audience that he will re-
store to the respective owners the property he has purloined.
Of the moral of this piece the less we say the better, but as the
chief design of a farce (and this is no more, although in five
parts) is to raise a laugh, we must not be over-nice, as long as
that end is effected, which it certainly was in the present case.
The author is Mr. Jerrold ; the language is pointed, and many
of the repartees clever. The chief fault is its length. Ham.
mond and Miss Daly exerted their talents to the utmost. All
in fact played well ; but one actor, but little known, a Mr.
Searle, acted a second-rate thief in a masterly manner ; his
by-play was excellent. At the fall of the curtain was loud and
general. The theatre was crowded.