The Sun.
London, England, 1860-03-20 00:00:00

LY CBUJI THEATRE.

A new drama was produced last night at this theatre,
under the title of "The Abbe Vaudreuil, or the Court of
Louis XV.," Madame Celeste herself assuming the charac-
ter which gives the leading title to the piece—a composi-
tion which is not only a highly creditable member of that
numerous progeny springing out of the development of
character during that great transition period of the history
of the world, but exhibits in its representation one of the
most accomplished performers 'of the day.
The story "in brief " is—that Lieut. Delcour (Mr. Vil-
liers) is desperately in love with a lady whose name discloses
her rank, Madlle. Marie de Rohan (Miss Hudspeth) , but is
regarded in a very slighting manner by the haughty family
to which that name belongs, and has little hope of aequir-
ing the young lady. The play opens with the young lieu •
tenant, doubtful of being received by the family, sitting in
his room, driving away the thoughts of his love by cram-
ming himself for his examination for the rank of captain.
He takes up the historical part of his study, and very natu-
rally turns his attention to the most brilliant, though most
disastrous, period of modern French history, viz., that of
Louis XV. The design of the author appears to be—al
though this is scarcely well defined—that our young lieu-
tenant, having fallen asleep, the unrestrained machinery
of the brain begets a picture of the possible incidents which
may accompany his interrupted love, and this machinery of
the dreamland is put in action as the drama of the " Abbe
Vaudreuil." The dreaming lieutenant, then, imagines in
his sleep that some one will rob him of Madlle. de
Rohan, and that he would willingly sacrifice his hopes
of the future for the gratification of the present. At
this precise time of ideal action—it we may use the expres-
sion—the Abbe Vaudreuil (the representative of the pro-
fligate abbes so renowned in the memoirs of the period)
appears on the scene, and makes a bargain with the young
soldier that all his wishes shall be accomplished, on one
condition—namely, that after five requests are complied
with, he shall go " down below." The young man, excited,
signs the bond, and having opened the account, very socn
begins to draw upon it—with such rapidity, indeed, that he
is frequently cautioned by the honourable representative of
the lower regions to be careful how soon the obligations of
the bond may be enforced. We will not follow cut all the
phases of the design of the author, but amongst the most
striking incidents of the drama is that where Delcour insists
upon the obligations of his "fiend," and demands to be
introduced to the Pare aux Cerfs, at one of the fetes
of Louis XV., where ho may see the celebrities of
the day, as de Richelieu, 'Voltaire, Montesquieu, Buffon,
Vauban, Crebillon, &c., &c., and the superb de Pompadour
(charmingly represented y Miss Kate Saville). This
gives occasion to one of the most brilliant scenes we ever
witnessed on any stage. The admirable artistic talent of
Mr. W. Callcott realised all that could be desired of the
locality in which the fete is supposed to be given, whilst
there can be little doubt, we can imagine, as to the source
of inspiration which embodies so successfully in living cha-
racters the charming compositions of Watteau. So nice a
care has been exhibited in the preserving the costumes, the
amusements, the music of the dances, as well as the figures
themselves, which belong to the period, that one might
almost fancy that by some act of enchantment the little
lords and ladies who figure in our choice collections of
Dresden china " had been by magic all set dancing." It is to
Madame Celeste, we understand, that the exquisite arrange-
ment of the whole of this brilliant and charming scene is to be
attributed. The graceful, though somewhat stately minuet
de la coup of the character, of which all the dances of the
fete scene partook, was executed by Madame Celeste her-
self and Miss Hudspeth
with
justice to exquisitely
sy h
severe h
t eel eg ance
and refinement ; and it is but
move-
ments of the entire corps de ballet appeared to be animated
by the same spirit which exhibited
.itself in so remarkable a
manner in the amiable and intelligent lady who presides
over the management. It would be impossible to enumerate
in a general review all the striking passages in this drama
which have been elaborated with a refinement of art quite
unusual on the London boards, but we should not discharge
a conscientious duty if we did not direct attention to the
extraordinary artistic skill displayed by Madame Celeste,
in the character of the Abbe, as well as to the
marvellous command and judgment of colour and form
exhibited in her various coatumee. The original
dress of the Abbe is one of the most complete studies of the
Vandyke school we ever saw reproduced, nor are the other
dresses less re rna
Madamer ka b le
Celeste
etaste
ta and e
discrimination.a much
ttrue
talent dd
to this, that
over all she undertakes, and in this particular character
treads the boards with such an air of high breeding that we
venture to say no dramatic representation in London at the
present moment would afford so much gratification to lovers
of this class of composition as "The Abbe Vaudreuil."
To be hypercritical in reference to a piece which pos-
sesses so many remarkable points of excellence is a some-
what ungracious task, and we trust that the
esys observations we are about to make may
be accepted in the spirit in which they are
given, namely, a desire to assist in producing a greater
completeness in the representation. The fact may be stated
in a few words, whatever opinion may be entertained of the
follies and vices of the period, we must protest against la
bells Marquise being spoken of as Madam Purapadore, or
the word chevalier pronounced " shovellear." Tho new
drama was tollowed by the burletta of " Lucky Stars," a
notice of which we will give on :t future occasion.