The Sun.
London, England, 1846-04-14 00:00:00

ADELPHL

more T h frequentersetiian
ordinary of thi;
redgaayledevwenitihnfics.
dramaticth trter.eatwse•reester
The entertainment commenced with a drama by Mr. E.
Stirling, an adaptation from the French, entitled Industry
and Indolence, or the Orphan's Legacy. The plot of tho
piece was as follows :—Monsieur Delamere (Mr. Chas.
Perkins), a man of broken fortunes, is .he supposed heir to
a wealthy uncle, who, however, dies bf queathing his pro-
perty to an only daughter, whose mother is dead, and
who has been brought up in ignorance of her parentage.
Delamere is made acquainted with the death of his rela-
tive, and the disposition of his property, by a person
named Rollin (Mr. 0. Smith), who, under the pretence of
obtaining employment from him, has an interview with
hire, and discloses these facts. He also informs him th!tr,
the heir to his uncle is about to pass through Paris, in
which city the scene is laid, and a plan is concocted by
which she is way-laid, and an attempt made on her life,
which, however, is frustrated by the bravery of a work-
man in the employment of Delamere, Etienne (Mr.
Howe), who is remarkable for his industry and probity',
and who arrives in time to rescue her from a watery
grave, her assassins having flung her into the Seine.
Etienne conveys the fair Cecile (Madame Celeste),
whom he has thus chivalrously snatched from the jaws
of death, to his own humbler dwelling, and
discovers in her the embodiment of a fair vision
of female beauty which has incessantly haunted
him. Her arrival, however, is rather mal apro-
pos, and leads to no less a circumstance than
the breaking off his marriage with a young female in his
own station of life, to whom he was affianced. Batifole,
(Miss Woolgar),Delamere, and Rollin make several other
attempts on the life of the orphan, in which, however,
they are equally unsuccessful. Rollin, who turns out to be
the next of kin after Cecile, to the wealth which hasin-
stigated them to the attacks on the orphan's life, sug-
gests the propriety of attempting to obtain the will, and
some other papers of consequence in the possession of
Cecile, who, he understands, intends departing from
Paris, and stopping at a certain village some miles dis-
tant. He finds a ready tool for the prosecution of this
nefarious enterprise in the person of Marcel, (Mr. Selby),
the brother of Etienne, from whom he differs widely,
being as notorious for indolence as the other is for in-
dustry, which has marred several estimable qualities,
and who, induced by a large reward, undertakes the
perilous duty. It happens that the brave Etienne ac-
companies the orphan, and this treacherous design is
also defeated. The orphan establishes her claim, her
persecutors are detected, and she rewards her gallant
deliverer with her hand. The minor personages are
also rendered happy, the slighted Batifole transferring
her affections to an amorous tradesman, Sansonet,
(Wright), by whom they are ardently responded to;
and Marcel obtaining the hand of her sister Agatha
(Miss E. Chaplin), to whom he had long been attached.
The acting of those whose names we have mentioned, as
well as of Bedford, who, in the character of a conjugal
lover, rather too much addicted to the bottle, kept the
house literally in a roar, tended considerably to the
success of the piece, which, though not very novel
in
plot, was by no means destitute of merit. Some of
the scenes were extremely pathetic, and there was suf-
ficient incident to give it vitality. The title was
rather infelicitous, for the plot of the piece was
based on the designs of Rollin and Delamere;
and the respective specimens of industry and indolence
were only mere agents in working out the piece. In a
word, the piece was not formed to illustrate the moral
which its title would lead us to suppose. Peter Wilkins
was the next piece. This was a revival of an extrava-
ganza based upon the nursery tale of the same name,
with which, no doubt, our readers are well acquainted.
It perhaps, whether we regard the performers or the
scenery, was never put forward in a more attractive
form. The principal characters were sustained by
Messrs. Bedford and Munyard, Miss Taylor, Mrs. Har-
rison,rabdienilneogdn, who, in the part of
grsegtaol
ebaaamtdoctikleisdsCigELninVi tyml'athsivaistat character p
iwe icteh.
The tang-cans• and other dances in the drama and
aCI ei omh
burlesque were cxeellently and characteristically ar-
ranged by. Mrs. Warrell. Some of the scenes
were admirably executed, and reflect considerable
merit on the artists, Messrs. Pitt and John-
stone
. these pieces were announced for repetition
every evening until further notice, which was received
with loud applause by a crowded house. The evening's
entertainment concluded with the humourous farce of
Did you ever send your Wife to Camberwell? The cast
was the same as before, with the exception of Miss
Woolgar, as Mrs. Iloneybun, whose place was ably sup-
plied by Miss
.Emma Harding, who is every day de-
servedly becoming a greater favourite with the public.

qPuRe
n/tNerCs'EoSf
this
mameTnuhtse.einan holiday fre
amusement wereth
ep rgersaeynet eadn
and
last
engi gahyt,
twithhe i
instructive
ue
enttievret aainnd-
popular place of
the. entertaining, were served up in judicious propor-
tions, and with the greatest satisfaction to all parties
concerned, if a crowded house and a highly gratified
audience are to be taken as indications. The pieces
selected were Hamlet, and a new burlesque, founded on
the well.known legend of Peeping Torn of Coventry ;
the former for the purpose of bringing out Mr. Macready
on his return from the provinces, and the other for the
especial gratification of that numerous portion of her
Majesty's lieges who always expect, on occasions like
the present, something appealing more than common
to their sense of the grotesque and humorous.
The philosophic Rine, need we say, was most admirably
pourtrayed by Mr. Macready, who was enthusiastically
applauded throughout, and at the conclusion of the
piece—walked his brief hour on the stage. After which
came the holiday feature of the evening, in the shape of
an entirely new grand seriocomic, aristophanic, oprra-
tical, allegorical, chorographical, legendary, historical,
fairy extravaganz,, taken from a well-known legend,
entitled Lady Godiva and Peeping Tom of Coventry.
The plot is of the simplest character, and adheres, with
one exception, closely to the legend on which the piece
professes to be based. It opens with a corps of fairie9,
presided lover by Robin Goodfellow (&liss xtia•

shall), deliberating what is to be done for the
working classes ; and, after some discussion,
it is concluded the repeal of the poll-tax im-
posed on the inhabitants of Coventry, by Leofric, the
Earl of Mercia„ and lord of the manor, would be no bad
Measure for the relief of their protoges. Accordingly
it is resolved that the female population of the ag-
grieved city shall r be instigated to make a movement
against the obnoxious impost. We are then led to the
grand baronial hall of the Lord of Mercia, wherein
Lady Godiva (Mrs. Fosbroke), who is momentarily ex-
pecting the return of her liege lord from the wars, is
Waited u;on by a deputation from the United Female
4ssocirAtion, headed by Mrs. Mildred (Miss Emma
!.4111ewife of Peeping Tom, praying that Lady Go-
diva would use her interest to get the law abrogated, in
lartherance of which they present her with a monster
petition. The lady promises her influence, herlord returns,
and having been successful in his cana paign,he holds a grand
jollification or banquet, at which, get ing rather heady
from the excess of his potations, Godiva takes advantage
of the opportunity and urges the petition of the female
reformers of Coventry. His lordship, who thinks in the
Tdriiitt with the Duke of Newcastle, that a " man may do
What he likes with his own," nevertheless, being warm
with wine, is disposed for once to yield a little, but it is
.only on condition that his good lady parades the city in
the manner described by the legend. She consents, much
to the surprise of Leofric, who expected he might make a
show of generosity without giving the substance. A pro-
clamation is made of the intention of the Lady Godiva
to free the good city, and all are ordered to keep their
houses, and have their windows and doors shut, on pain
of death should they dare to look. Tom (Mr. Compton),
a tailor by profession, determines to set the proclama-
tion at defiance, and sits up all night in order to have a
peep. He bores a hole, and has all ready for the stolen
glance, when he is defeated in his intention by the fairies,
Who throw him into a deep sleep till all is over. He is
detected by his wife, and exposed to the wrath of her
female colleagues and reformers, but all is
his
right in the end by the explanation of
being unsuccessful in his sinister attempt. The
piece closes by the repeal of the tax, and
the justification of all parties concerned. Miss
Marshall made a very graceful fairy, and sung the music
allotted her with considerable taste. Mr. Walton was a
fair representative of the swaggering :Baron, and the
Lady Godiva found an efficient personater in Mrs.
Fosbroke. The principal humour of the piece, however,
was made to depend on peeping Tom (Mr. Hildebrand),
lloity-Toity, Mayor of Coventry (Mr. Granby), and
Winkin Gathercole, the town crier (Mr. Oxberry). The
piece abounds as usual with allusions to, and hits at, all
the passing political events of the day, the Siekhs, the
corn bill, railways, &c. The scenery, especially the
opening scene, a beautiful sylvan retreat, is excellent,
and the piece is placed on the stage with great care. In
the banquet scene the audience were treated with some
capital dancing by the Misses Marshall: and Bailin, ;and
Mr. Marshall and Gilbert. The applause was frequent
and unequivocal, and the piece was announced for repe-
tition amidst general applause.