The Sun.
London, England, 1846-06-11 00:00:00

THE THEATRES.

BA EVA RKET.

Madame Anna Thillon made her first appearance at
this theatre last evening, in the character of Juanita, in
A über's celebrated opera of The Black Domino. The
English public is already familar with the plot of Le
Domino Noir, from the various dramatic versions of it
which have been produced at almost every theatre in
London, but no one can form the remotest idea of the
capabilities of the character of the heroine who
has not seen Madame Thillon in the part.
The Haymarket is the theatre for this fasci-
nating actress. The play of her expressive features,
and the deliente intonation of her delicious voice, can be
much better appreciated in a theatre like the Hay-
market than in the vast area of a large theatre. It is
useless to disguise the fact, but our so-called national
theatres are too large, and the decline of the drama is
more to be attributed to the enormous size of our na-
tional theatres which overtaxes the energies of
artistes, and renders the delicacies, and consequently
the beauties of acting inappreciable to all who are at a
greater distance from the stage than the third row in the
pit, than to any other cause. It is impossible thoroughly
to enjoy a play in a theatre larger than the Haymarket.

In the first act, which may be entitled the Masquerade,
Madam Thillon gave us one solo and some delightfully
executed concerted music in conjunction with Miss P.
Horton and Mr. Hudson. Her burst at the conclusion
of the act, when the clock strikes twelve, and she dis-
covers that she cannot regain her convent for the
night, was magnificent, and drew down repeated rounds
of applause. Her Spanish masquerade costume became
her exceedingly, and she managed her mask in the most
coquetishly fascinating manner imaginable. The second
act passes at the residence of Don Alphonso (Mr. H.
Holl), to which Juanita in her distress, has been at-
tracted by a light, and where Bona (Mrs. Caulfield), Al-
phonso's housekeeper, gives her refuge, pass-
ing her off as her niece, a peasant girl,
from Arragon. Her, acting as the pretty peasant, to
whom the rollicking roués assembled at Alphonso's
make love, was an exquisite mixture of naiveté and
espeglerie, and the concerted scene was rapturously en-
cored. Her acting, too, when among the guests she re-
cognises Felix (Mr. Hudson), whose heart she had
captured, was admirable ; and then comes the castanet
song, which she sang with the greatest taste and beauty,
and acted most bewitchingly. This song created
quite a furore; its repetition was loudly called for. The
audience were completely carried away by it. Bouquets
were showered upon her, and from that moment to the
end of the opera every scene was for Madame Thillon a
triumph. The gem of the opera, however, was her
descriptive scena d'entree, in the third act. This
scena afforded her opportunities of which she well knew
how to avail herself: Irresistibly comic was her de-
scription of the adventures of the night, fascinatingly
espiegle ; her description of her adventure with the gal-
lant captain, who having been permitted, in return for
his defence of her from the rude insults of some ill- bred
boors, to take one kiss, took advantage of his situa-
tion by taking two ; and when at the conclusion she
sang the Ghana, her soft, sweet, clear, flute-like flexible
organ seemed to revel in the melody, and, like some
sweet bird, to shed an atmosphere of song around.
Her fioriture was marvellous. Rich beyond the powers
of description, yet most delicate and most tasteful, it
adorned the melody tc the utmost possible pitch,
without overlaying. Anything more graceful, more
exquisite, more perfect, than Madame Thillon's
execution of this scena it is impossible for
a musician to imagine, even in his happiest ,
dreams. At the conclusion the stage was a perfect
parterre, from the bouquets innumerable which were
thrown to her. At the fall of the curtain she was
called for, and led forward by Hudson, by whom,
as Felix, her lover, and by Miss P. Horton, as
Paquita, she had been most efficiently supported
throughout. The theatre was crammed, and will con-
tinue to be crammed every night of the engagement of
Madame Thillun, if there bo any taste for acting or
music extant.