The Sun.
London, England, 1840-10-30 00:00:00

ADELPHI THEATRE.

Last night the new drama of Laffilrge was pro-
duced at this theatre with most triumphant success. '
Our readers arc. probably aware that on its being
announced that a drama, founded upon the late ex-
traordinary trial of Madame Lamp was in prepa-
ration at the Adclphi, a Correspondent of one of the
Morning Papers thonght fit to call for the interfer-
ence of the Lord Chamberlain to prevent what lie,
false prophet as he has proved, took upon himself to
foretell WC uld be a disgustmg, immoral, and degrading
exhibition. Mr. Yates immediately forwarded to the
Editor of the Paper in which the attack hail appeared,
a letter, denying the charges brought against the ma-
nagement, and to the Play-bill of the evening the follow-
log explanation was prefixed :
" The events upon which the following drams is foun-
ded, have for several months past created an absorb-
ing interest, not only in France but throughout all
I Europe. Marie Cepa°, the orphan daughter of a
French colonel of artillery, and afterwards the wife of
M. LafFirge, was the individual destined to perform a
prominent part in one of the most romantic and start-
ling dramas of real life, ever brought upon the stage.
.Aecused of poisoning her husband, and of other crimes,
public curiosity became excited, by the elevated rank in
society, the personal charms, the wit and the aecem-
' plishments of the accused, no less than by the pro-
found mystery in which the facts have been involved.
It has been the care of the author to avoid in this
piece everything that could effond the most fastidious
taste ; but it is absurd to say that the stage, which should
be the censor as well as the mirror of the times, should
be denied the privilege which the public press enjoys,
that of striking at vice as IN ell as • fidly as it files ; and
while a subject is made notorious, and 'freely discussed
in all the journals of the day, it is surely not overstep-
ping the duty of the dramatist, to ' point a moral' from
events, which in point of fact have became matter of
hil:tory."
Tile drama is from the pen of Mr. Coyne, and the
following is an outline of the plot :—M. Leffirge ( Mr.
H. Hall), an extensive iron-merchant at Glandier, has
come to Paris for the purpose of procuring a wife with
money. He is introduced to Marie Capelle (Mrs.
Yates), an accomplished, high-spirited, but self-willed
girl, possessed of a good fortune, but who, believing
her lover, Charles Cleve (Lyon), to have been faith-
less to her, determines, in a fit of desperation, to
accept Laffarge, who has been introduced to her by
her uncle and guardian. M. Garet (Cullenford). The
day before her marriage she has an interview with
Gave, and then discovers that he has been belied—
that he is still true to her. Sire tells Laffarge she
cannot accept him—that she loves anothee—beseeches
him to relieve her from the contract she has signed,
and not to force her to enter into an engagement
which will be hateful to her, and assures him, that
although he may force her to give him her hand, he
can never have her heart. Laffarge refuses to release her
from her contract, consents to accept her hand
without her heart, because with her hand he will
have, that for which alone he cares, her fortune. Marie
and Ciave then determine to commit suicide, and shut
themselves up in Marie's boudoir, intending to suffocate
themselves with burning charcoal. They become sense-
less, the uncle and Laffarge burst into the apartment,
and the scarcely living Marie is led away to become the
bride of the man she detests, Laffarge. The second act
opens at Laffarge's residence at Glandier, an old, dull,
dilapidated house, to which he has brought his accom.
plishcd young bride. The house is infested by rats, and
she commissions Denis Barbier (Maynard) Laffarge's
clerk, who isabout to proceed to Uzerches, to purchase
some poison for the purpose of destroying these vermin,
and directs hint to leave it in her cabinet on his return.
In the meautima---

ticui—for wad-leer us—
tn 16.
batid to a fete of the Viscountess Leotande's ( Mrs.
Fosbroke) arrives, which she determines to accept. They
arrive in the midst of the fete, Marie is simply dressed,

but the Viscountess, her old schoolfellow, insists

upon adorning her hair with some ornaments, to procure
which, she opens her jewel case, and Marie perceives
and admires a superb tiara of diamonds. The Viscoun-
tess is called away, and Cleve, who had followed Marie
to Glandier, and watched her every step, enters, and
purposes an immediate elopement. He says he will
give her five minutes to consider, and retires. She is
miserable—she has nothing in prospect but a life of
misery—but she has no funds, and Cleve also is poor.
She turns and perceives the glittering diamonds, and
stands fascinated by their splendour, like a fluttering
bird fascinated by the eye of the basilisk. She hesi-
tates—she reasons with herself—but the temptation is
too strong, and hurried on by her destiny, she takes the
diamonds, and secretes thcm on her person. At that in-
stant Cleve enters ; she consents to fly with him ; but
as they are hurrying off, they are met by Laffarge, who,
without delay, or time for leave-taking, forces his wife
into his carriage, and hastens back to Glandier. On
their arrival there, Marie goes to her boudoir. Cleve,
who has followed them, joins her there ; she gives him the
diamonds, as the only remaining property she can call
he,
her own ; suspecting something from her hurried
manner, questions her about them, and at length elicits
from her the dreadful truth. He immediately leaves
her, taking the jewels with him, and telling her he sin-
cerely pities her, but will 'not rejoin her until ha has
restored the diamonds to their rightful owner. Stung
to the quick by his reproaches, she determines to de-
stroy herself, goes to the packet of poison which liar-
biere has procured for her, and mixes some in a glass
of water. Before she has time to put it to her lips,
Laffarge enters in a state of intoxication, and after
heaping insult on insult on her, commands her to bring him
a glass of water. For an instant she is tempted to give him
the poisoned liquid, but she instantly overcomes the
temptation, and says she will desire the servant to pro-
cure him a glass of water. He perceiving the glass of
poisoned water on the table, insists on basing that and
none but that, and notwithstanding her endeavours to
prevent him, seizes and drinks it, and then leaves the
room laughing in triumph. She instantly gives the
alarm, summons the inmates of the chateau, and desires
them instantly to procure assistance, as their master is
poisoned. " And poisoned by your hands," says Denis
Barbier, who had procured the poison for her in the
morning. She then becomes fully aware of the horrible
situation in which her self-will has placed her, falls s• use-
less into the arms of her attendants, and the curtain falls.
At the conclusion of the piece, Yates came forward and
addressed the audience as follows :—" Ladies and Gentle-
men,viac
et yilsoturs
ou
eatttl
mai ht
te
st
wht is
seattempt
tayetr
ntoht
feenwexemplificationmake oh
noi
this
vn
theatre the scene of any immoral, disgusting, or de-
grading exhibition. With your kind permission, this
piece will be repeated every evening." This announce-
ment was reeceved with loud and long-continued ap-
plauses, and with laud cries for Mrs. Yates, who was
led forward by her husband, to receivetheplaurlitso
of
athnrdelieate delineat't whom she had delighted by her chaste, beautiful,
on of the very ditEcuk part of Marie.
With the full recollection of her many former triumphs,
we hesitate not to pronounce her Marie Capelle her
chef dcruvre. It is almost too natural, too affecting, too
heart-rending. Her pathos in the scene at the
Viscountess Leotande's, and in the last scene, produced,
in a crowded and somewhat noisy house, that dead
silence, broken only by suppressed sobs,
which is more
eloquent than the most vociferous applause. Great
o
re
ne he was
particularly most disagreeable part. In the concludingsce
which
particularly effective. There is a comic underplot,
credit is due to H. Hall for his Admirable acting in
for mending
specific l tie broken glass glass and china, and Paul Bedfbos(a.
Yates, as a vendor of an infallible
rburden.
house, or rather a cabaret politician,
mourous acting of Wright, as Madame li b
after his own
Nor must we forget to mention the ecxe_e3s.'i,vue,l,Tiel:ea-
limonadiere. In this character he dances
It is
peculiar fashion the Cracovienne.
most laughable exhibitions we have ever ono of
witnessedthe ; it
was rapturously applauded, and
l encored.
Wilkinson, as a gardener at Glandier, was excessively
amusing. Great credit is due tothe
author for having
avoided, or overcome the many ciiffiuties unanimously
first-with
ra which
one
the subject was beset. The piece is
a C g run.
of its class, and we doubt not will have
The house was crowded to excess.
e. a
l loner wc

Horace,
speaking
gsToEf RLNucuLuuusxu(svßhYo
hadlN D R ES s.
introduced Asiatic refinements amiLiiglathe Romans), says
pillage Asia. and first
That, some persons waited on him to request the loan of a
hundred suits out of his wardrobe, for the Roman stage, he
exclaimed—" A hundred suits !how is it possible for me
to furnish such a nurnber? However, I will look over
and;7en!L t,ia Leal he h
ouiwhtatl h v e.a3
..tw
have." i
me he
a iori t
i i
whole or part of which they were welcome.--l'he Art of
Needlework, by the Countess of Wilton.