The Sun.
London, England, 1848-12-27 00:00:00

ST. JAMES'S.

SOIREES FANTASTIQUES.—Last night numerous
and brilliant audience, amongst whom was a large
sprinkling of young ladies and gentlemen home for
the holidays, witnessed one of the delightful Soirees
Fantastiques of M. Robert Houdin, which he pro-
poses to continue on Tuesdays, 'Thursdays, and Sa-
turda s, until tie end of the Christmas vacation.
We have so recently noticed these surprising per-
formances, from which the entertainment of last
evening presented but a trifling variation, that it is
only necessary for us to ray that M. Houdin was
regarded throughout the whole of his mysterious
proceedings with a wonder which was never unmixed
with delight. Perhaps one of the most pleasing,
as it certainly is one of the most surprising tricks,
is that which he plays with the cornucopia, which,
after being presented to the audience as an empty
vessel, is made to pour forth an unlimited quan-
tity of fans, bonbons, albums, journals, and other
things. These treasures M. Houdin distributes with
a nice discrimination amongst his audience. If, for
a moment, he shows a partiality for some striking
beauty in a box or stall, or for a particular party of
pretty children, who may be stretching. out. their little
hands over a box to catch the coveted prize, M.
Houdin does not forget the claims of beauty in the
pit. The society of M. Houdin may be confidently
recommended to all fond parents and kind guardians
as a means of keeping up one branch of study, at
least, in the rising generation during the holidays.
M. Houdin takes his audience into partnership with
him. Sundry little colloquies in French occur
between him and his audience on the subject of the
moment. Many little articles of wearing apparel and
jewellery have to be borrowed for the nonce. The
loan is asked in unexceptionable French ; and some
young ladies and gentlemen, we thought, would have
gladly forgot mince-pies and remembered the French
master again could they have granted the loan in
terms as perfect. This evening and Friday at this
theatre will be devpted to the performances of Dum-
bolton's Ethiopian Serenaders.

OLYMPIC.
This neat little theatre had a fair sprinkling of the
holiday-makers last night. That excellent comedy
She Stoops to Conquer was offered to their notice ;
but even the very excellent acting of Mrs. Stirling
and Mr. Compton, as Miss Hardcastle and Tony
Lumpkin, failed to impose silence upon the gods as-
sembled in the gallery, who imperiously demanded
that the actors should " cut it," which was accordingly
done, and the "new, grand, gorgeous, historical,
comic Christmas pantomime," as the bills had it, en-
titled William the Conqueror ; or, Harlequin Harold,
and the Sach of the Saxons, was presenied to their
astonished vision. The piece was opened, as panto-
mimes invariably are, with a fairy scene of very con-
siderable splendour, after which some very grotesque
Normans and Saxons strutted for a time upon the stage,
giving utterance to many very far fetched jokes and
puns. After the battle of Hastings had been per-
formed according to the approved method of giving
effect to such scenes, the transformation took
place, when Mr. Chapino became Harlequin ;
Mademoiselle Vallee, Columbine; Herr Coles, Panta-
loon ; Herr Seymore, the Sprite ; and Mr. W. A.
Barnes, the Clown. The Harlequin and Columbine
drew repeated and well-deserved applause for their
dancing, while the Clown, Pantaloon, and the Sprite
(all of whom are from America) performed some very
wonderful and clever feats of gymnastics, to the great
delight of a number of young people, who, for the
night were real boys and girls. The usual tricks
followed, and there were many hits at the occurrences
of the. past year. In one of the scenes Sheard's
Clothing Emporium was represented, and the owner
being called upon to furnish Mr. Clown with a suit,
brings out one which is changed into a "suit in the
Palace Court ; original debt, 1/. ; costs, 1001." A
" suit to last 100 years " becomes a "chancery suit,"
and " a box of wrappers for all weathers" turns out a
very diminutive twopenny postman. In one of the
scenes the gods gave forth a loud demand for " Hot
Codlins," and they stuck determinedly by it, until
Mr. Barnes, who said the song was not in the bills,
nor washe particularly acquainted with it, sung it to
their 'entire satisfaction, and by so doing at once
established himself in the good graces of his uproarious
audience. Altogether we must say that the lessee
succeeded in sending his visitors away in good
humour. The piece s were announced for repetition
during the week amidst applause.