The Sun.
London, England, 1846-01-01 00:00:00

ADELPHI THEATRE.

Last evening a dramatic version of Dickins's
Cricket on the Hearth was produced at this theatre,
and with the most unequivocal success. It consti-
tuted the second piece in the evening's entertainment,
following the excellent historical drama of The
Lioness of the .2V orth, brought out a few nights ago.
The piece was placed upon the stage in two acts, or
" chirps," and is considerably shorter than the
Lyceum version ; though the plot, the arrangement
of the incidents, and the dialogue, are almost pre-
cisely the same. The condensation is a great im-
provement, and while no feature of importance is
omitted, the interest of the piece is considerably
heightened, as any tendency to flag that may have
been observed at the Lyceum is entirely removed.
The cast of characters was in the main
excellent; in fact, we have seldom seen a
drama better calculated to bring out the Adelphi
talent. The rough, but warm-hearted carrier, John
Peerybingle, was personated by Mr. 0. Smith—need
we say that it would be difficult to find a better re-
presentative ? Mr. Lambert was Caleb Plummer,
and played the part with very great effect, throwing
into some of the scenes considerable pathos and
feeling, especially that in which he dispels the do-
mestic elysium he had endeavoured to create in the
imagination of his blind daughter. Mr. Cullenford
made a respectable Tackleton ; and the part of the
Stranger, the son of Caleb from the " Golden South
Americas," was played with great discrimination by
Mr. Selby. The personation of senility in the
early part of the piece was an exceedingly good
display of histrionic skill. Dot, as might
be expected, was entrusted to Mrs. Fitzwilliam,
and well did she pourtray the lively, bustling, yet
deeply affectionate, carrier's wife. We have never
seen this versatile and excellent actress to greater
effect than in her assumption of this character. In
the interview with her husband, which is to separate
her under a false suspicion from his hearth and
home, the power and feeling she displayed drew tears
from nearly every eye of a densely-crowded
audience; while in the re-action that follows, the
abandonment with which she gives herself up to joy,
and the coy fondness with which she banters the
rude, yet kind hearted carrier, while she disabuses
his mind of all doubts and suspicions, were admirable,
and drew loud and enthusiastic applause from every
part of the house. Bertha, the blind girl, found
an excellent representative in Miss Woolgar ;
Miss Taylor made a respectable May Fielding ; and
Miss E. Chaplin was the fair and graceful Fairy
Cricket of the Hearth. The scene in which the fairy
appears to Peerybingle was well managed, the tableau
calledup to represent the domestic happiness of the now
disconsolate,husband, being beautifully effected, while
the monitory passages put into the month of the spirit
were delivered in a very clear and intelligent manner
by the young lady in question. But it may be asked
where was Wright? Why was he not cast in such a
piece? Have patience, gentle reader ! so he was, and in
the very quarter where he should be. The feminine
graces and nursery skill of Miss Tilly Slowboy
were entrusted to his care, the consequence of which
was to keep the house in a continuous
roar of laughter whenever he was on the stage.
The dress, the manner, the action, and the barbarous
jargon employed to soothe and lullaby the young
Peerybingle, were all given in first-rate style. That
which in other hands would have been a little and
comparatively an unnoticed part, became in his
hands one of the most remarkable and best ap-
plauded of the piece. The scenery and mountings of
the drama were all that could be desired ; the interest
never in the least flagged to the denouement ; and the
curtain fell amidst a perfect whirlwind of applause,
a dance, with which the piece concludes, and in
which the Terpsichorean feats of Mr. Wright are
rather broadly brought out, having been rapturously
encored. The piece was announced for every even-
ing without a single dissentient voice. The Cricket
on the _Hearth is a decided hit, and will, we are sure,
for many a day shed the influence of its pure and
healthy spirit on the frequenters of this popular
place of amusement.