The Sun.
London, England, 1847-10-19 00:00:00

LYCJiUM yr

This theatre opened last evening for the season,
under the management of Madame Vestris. The
interior of the house has been completely transformed,
under the direction of Mr. Bradwell, and instead of
the dingy and uncomfortable place that our readers
have heretofore remembered it, the Lyceum is now:
far and away, the most exquisitely beautiful theatre
in London. The Builder, of last week, gives the
following official account of the alterations which
have been made in the interior of this most elegant
theatre :—" The central chandelier is taken away,.
and in the place it occupied is painted the figure of
Genius, surrounded by a border of fruit. Around
this are flying Cupids, connected by wreaths, which
they bear, and enclosed by a second circular border
(this time of flowers) within gilt bands. The lower
and principal portion of the ceiling, all around,
is occupied by figures of the Muses, the
Seasons, and mythological groups, enclosed
by a third border of flowers within bands.
The members of the cornice, from which springs
the coved ceiling (circular in plan), are very fully
gilt, and below is a frieze of rich Italian foliage,
with mask-centres, and birds in high relief, taking
the appearance of white china, as do all the applied
ornaments throughout the house, each gilt, on a rose-
coloured ground. The columns which support the
gallery remain as they were, and are gilt, but the
gallery front is entirely changed; the imitative bal-
lustrade' before-mentioned, has disappeared, and in
its stead are panels, showing clusters of fruit and
flowers, painted on a white ground. On the cornice
from which the front rises are nine groups of sitting
boys, entwined with foliage, holding branches for
lights, and producing a play of outline novel and
effective. The frieze here also is filled with rich
foliage, as above, but on a blue ground, and altered
in character by the introduction of birds in high
relief, which, apparently, hold up in their bills,
by strings of eggs, the drapery of the boxes beneath.
The first tier of boxes shows an entirely dif
ferent treatment. On the face of each of the
columns at this level, encrusting them, as it were,
is a well-arranged group of three boys, associated
with foliage, and terminating in a bracket from
which hangs a chandelier. The canopy of what was
the balcony is removed, and on the front of the
boxes, midway between each column, are groups of
boys in relief, representing music, war, hunting,
surrounded by ornamental frames, and made (like
the light-bearing boys and freizes above, as before-
mentioned) to represent white china sparingly gilt.
In intervening spaces are oval medallions containing
birds and squirrels, with twinings of holly, oak, and
laurel. These are surrounded by borders of flowers,
and birds are introduced between them, to hold up
the drapery of the dress circle in the same way as
above. The front of the dress circle is new, and is
made to swell out for the feet, as at the Italian
Opera House. The decoration here consists of a rich
scroll of china flowers, heightened with gold on it
rose-coloured ground, The draperies are all of
India crimson damask with gold fringe, and present:
in addition to the device of looping them up by
the birds, a departure from the usual arrangement
in respect of the private boxes. Fearing the
heaviness that might result from the superabund-
ance of the crimson drapery in this particular part of
the house, Mr. Bradwell, by whom the whole of these
decorations have been arranged and carried out, has
omitted it in the smaller sub-divisions, and intro'
duced Swiss white curtains to each box as a separa-
tion. The proscenium is exceedingly elegant and
effective. The royal arms, also in white china, bril'
liantly heightened with gold, on a rose-coloured
ground, which (with a blue border, to connect it in
tone with the front of the slips and gallery), are made
to occupy the whole of the upper part of the prosce-
nium, by an extension of very elaborate foliage. In
the angles, reaching from the front of the slips to the
cornice of the ceiling, are rays of gold mouldings:
with drops of painted flowers between them. The
soffit around the opening to the stage and the pilasters
beneath, have china ornaments on a blue ground. The
proscenium boxes on the dress tier have groups °I,
boys in relief. The whole of the applied ornament.%
friezes, groups, and panels, are of carton pierre, de'
signed by Messrs. Jackson, of Rathbone-place. This
material, from the degree of relief and undercut which
can be obtained in it, and its greater sharpness, seals
much superior to papier mache."
The coup d'ceil, on entering the theatre is beauti..
ful exceedingly. The substitution of the smaller
chandeliers, suspended round the fronts of the boxes,
for the great central chandelier, is a great improve'
anent. It adds to the lightness of the house in every re'
spect. The contrast between the white muslin curtains
of the boxes and the crimson drapery is very beauti'
ful. Each box is an elegant boudoir, The new re'
gulations, too, are admirable. There is ao half price
to any part of the house. The purchase of tickets
for the dress circle at the box office will ensure the
places for the whole evening, without the usual exac-
tion of an extra shilling. Those taken in the same
way for the upper circle will ensure the places to
the end of the first act. No money will be allowed
to be received by the box-keepers on any pretence
whatever.
The doing away with half price is a great step
towards " purifying" the audience, and will be found
more effectual than the ostentatious " barring off"
adopted by Macready at Drury-lane. The thanks of
the public are due to Madame Vestris for defending
them from the extortionate practices of box-keepers,
and this reform, we trust, will be adopted in every
theatre in the kingdom.
The company is perhaps the strongest vaudeville
company ever collected together; besides Madame
Vestris and Mr. Charles Matthews, it includes Mrs.
Stirling, Mrs. Fitzwilliam, Miss Lee, Mrs. C. Jones,
Mr. Harley, Mr. Buckstone, Mr. Leigh Murray,
Mr. Meadows, Mr. Robert Roxby, Mr, Frank
Matthews, Mr. Selby, Mr. Granby, and
divers provincial aspirants for metropolitan fame'
Mr. R. Roxby is the stage manager, Mr. R. Hugh°
the leader of the band, Mr. Edward Fitzwilliam the
musical director, Mr. Oscar Byrn the ballet-master:
and Mr. W. Beverley the scene painter. The nese
act drop, painted by this last gentleman, is superb.
A new piece, entitle,' The Pride of the Market, all
adaptation by the indefatigable Planche from the
French, was chosen as the opening piece. Madame
Vestris was of course the heroine, and her reception
was perhaps the greatest ever witnessed within the
walls of a theatre. Hats and handkerchiefs were
waved from all parts of the house, and the enthil•
siastic shouts of welcome with which she was greeted
lasted for several minutes. The scene of the piece
is laid in Paris during the reign of Louis Xrir.
Marton (Madame Vestris) the pride of the March
des Innocens, is a bouquetiere who has attracted the
attention of the libertine Marquis de Volange, She
is engaged to an honest baker in the market, one
Isidore Farine (most quaintly represented by Buck-
stone), whose jealousy of the Pride of the Market is
excessively amusing. The Marquis, disguising his.
servants as officers of justice, orders them to arrest
Marton, and carry her to his chateau at Versailles.
The indignation of the market women at this outrage
knows no bounds. They assembled together, under the
command of the mother of the market, Javotte (cal'
tally acted by Mrs. C. Jones), and proceed to make
a formal complaint to the King of the conduct
of the
Marquis. The King orders the Marquis either to
marry Marton or to go to the Baas'
He promises to marry Marton, who refuses
to release him from his promise unless he gives bia
consent to the immediate marriage of his sister:
Mademoiselle de Volange (Miss H. Gilbert) with the
Chevalier de Bellerive (Mr. Parselle) who had res.
cued Marton from the castle of the Marquis, end
whose suit had been rejected by the Marquis on ac'
count of his poverty. The Marquis consents, and
Marton releasing him from his promise, becomes
Madame Farine. The piece is put upon the
stage with all the refinement and elegance for
which the management of Madame Vestris has ever
been celebrated. She was called for at the conclusion
and led on by Mr. Robert Roxby. The second piece,
also a new one, is entitled The Light Dragoons.
This, however, is a misnomer : it should have been
called the " Heavies," for even the buoyant volubi'
lity of Charles Matthews was crushed beneath its
weight. He looked exceedingly well, and was re'
ceived as an old favourite should be received. The
farce of Brother Ben, with Harley as Snuffleton, snd
Charles Matthews as Ben Bowles, concluded the,
evening's entertainment at the reasonable hour of
eleven o'clock. The national anthem was sung at the,
conclusion of the first piece. The house was crowded
in every part. Long before the rising of the curtail'
it was impossible to procure standing room.

STANDARD THEATRE.
Johnson and Lee, the enterprising proprietors °f
this natty but favourite place of amusement, brought
out last night what they called their own version o(
the inimitable Cruikshank's Bottle; or the Progress
of a Drunkard; and we are bound to confess, after
witnessing its first production, that it is a most da'
cellent version, and one likely to bring grist to their
mill. The different characters were excellently sue-
tained by Howard, Bird, Reynold, T. Lee, Mi
Eliza Clayton, Miss Martin, and Mrs. Loveday, and
the piece was announced for repetition amid lows
plaudits from a house crowded to the ceiling. I:4e
Bottle was followed by The Jacket of Blue, and tue
entertainments of the evening concluded with the
Scenes of the Circle, introducing the whole of the
French company, together with the performance 01
the Numidian Arabs.

DREADFUL ACCIDENT IN A HAT MANUFACTORt•
—As Thomas Martin and James Sullivan, who are en"
gaged lb a hat manufactory near Southwark-bridge, wel
larking with each other close to a vat of boiling liqu?
used in the factory, on Saturday, Sullivan gave Martin
a shove, which pitched him into the vat. The PO',
fellow was taken out of the boiling liquid without loss 0;
time, and conveyed to the hospital, where he lies withou'
the slightest hope of recovery.