The Sun.
London, England, 1847-04-06 00:00:00

LYCEUM.

Martin Chuzzlewit, Crusoe the Second, and The
Enchanted Forest, such was the bill of fare provided
for the amusement of the holiday folk at this theatre,
and never, perhaps, even under its present manage-
ment, had a more satisfactory bill been provided. Of
the merits of the first piece, Martin Chuzzlewit, it
would be a work of supererogation to enter ioto, as
there can be but few persons, if any, who are un-
acquainted with the " Adventures of Martin Chuzzle-
wit. Of the acting, nothing more can be required
to be said than that the part of " Mrs. Sairey Gamp
the wet and dry nurse in the Wale of Tears, and
well-be known at Guy's and Bartelmy's" was sus-
tained by the inimitable Mr. Feeley, and that Bailey
alias OH Bailey found a representative in the clever
and amusing Mrs. Keeley. When we have said this,
we think we awaken such a degree of curiosity
as will lead all those who have not yet seen the piece
to avail themselves of the opportunity afforded of so
doing. Crusoe the Second, or the Shipwrecked Milliners
—an extravaganza in one act by the author of the
Marble Maiden, &c., was produced for the first time.
In this piece, Willoughby Wobbles, alias Crusoe,
(Mr. A. Wigan), had, like his celebrated predecessor
and namesake, been cast upon an island in the
Atlantic ocean, and, like him, had also in the person
of Marmaduke Snodgrass, (Mr. Keeley), a man
Friday, for the proper government of whom,
and for the purpose of defining the relations
which in a well conducted Government should sub-
sist between the subjects and their rulers, a code of
laws and regulations had been drawn up, to the
various articles of which many most humourous ap-
peals were made by the subject when the monarch
attempted to infringe upon either his rights or his
liberty of conscience. Between, however, acts of
obedience and insubordination on the part of Friday,
and acts of oppression by Crusoe, seven years had
passed over the heads of the two solitary in-
habitants of the Island of Ascension, when, as
fortune would have it, a vessel was wrecked
upon the coast, and some score of passengers
(milliners), having effected a landing, proceed, as a
matter of course, in search of " natives." Two of
their number, Clementina (Mrs. Seeley), and
Wilhelmina (Miss Dickinson), more enterprising
than their companions, succeed finally, in discovering
first, the dwelling, and then the persons of both king
and subject. Acquaintanceship is first made by
Friday with Wilhelmina, to whom he makes his suit
and is accepted. Afterwards losing sight of her
he discovers, proposes, and is in like manner accepted
by Clementina; but at the moment of her accept-
ance, and while Friday is expatiating somewhat
grandiloquently upon the ceremonials of the marriage,
in which the sun, the earth, the moon, and
the stars, are to occupy a considerable
position, Wilhelmina makes her appearance,
and Crusoe also returns from an excursion,
into the country. The rest of the shipwrecked
maidens make their appearance, and Crusoe, by
virtue of his position as head of the church, in a burst
of enthusiasm proclaims polygamy the law of the
land. Subsequently lie is discovered by Clementina
to be her long lost husband, and Friday receives the
hand of her fair companion. The piece is smartly
written, and excellently got up. The amusements of the
evening concluded with the musical,magical,and roman-
tic extravaganza, founded on the chronicles of the three
sisters, from the German of John Augustus Mumus,
called The Enchanted Forest, which was really a
most amusing and laughable piece. The scenery
(especially that portion, of it representing a portion
of the enchanted forest) reflected the highest credit
upon Mr. Philips, the artist. We ought not to omit
to notice a very pretty pas de deux, danced by Miss
Frampton and Master Forrest, which was loudly and
most deservedly encored.

• SADLER'S WELLS.
We think the prevailing good taste that usually
rules at this house, was wanting, when it was deter-
mined that Jane Shore should again do dismal
penance in presence of the holiday people. But
the resolve being taken, no one can deny that
to the utmost merits of the tragedy the
piece was well put forward, and the different
characters meritoriously supported ; Hastings by
Marston, and Gloster by Bennett. But above
the rest, Miss Cooper (Jane Shore), and Miss
Addison (Alicia), deserved and gained the applause
of a most respectable assemblage. Miss Cooper, in-
deed, was trammelled with the faults of the author,
but the merit of her acting, despite the natural
ghastliness of the character, so revolting to the
feelings, gained upon the favour of the audience.