The Sun.
London, England, 1856-12-27 00:00:00

OLYMPIC THEATRE.

The entertainments at this theatre in honour of
" Boxing-day" commenced with the comedy of " Deli-
cate Ground," after which came the attraction of the
night, in the shape of an entirely new and original fairy
extravaganz i, called " Young and Handsome." Without
exaggeration it is most attractive and beautiful, and does
nonour not only to Mr. Planche, the author, but to all
who have been engaged in its production. The entertain-
ments concluded with an amusing new farce, called
Crinoline," in which Mr. Robson, as usual, kept his
audience in roars of laughter; and he was most ably as-
,isted by Miss Maskell and Miss Bromley, Mr. H. Vining,
lir. H. Cooper, and Mr. Danveis. The house was, of
course, crowded.

SURREY THEATRE.

The Christmas pantomime hers is entitled "Harlequin
nd the Summer Queen; or, King Winter and the Fairies
,f the Silver Willows." The ever-memorable oratiou—

" My name is Norval," which Mr. Calvert gave with due
emphasis and gesture, was welcomed as an old acquaintance,
tnd applauded accordingly—and the rest of th.Lt very
heavy drama was—thanks to some unrehearsed perform -
tnces before the curtain, not unusual on Boxing-night, and
which diverted the audience sufficiently to make them
forget their impatience—received in a spirit of patient
resignation which did them great credit. The panto-
mime filly justifies the introductory adjectives which
the eloquent compiler of the playbill ascribes to it.
The plot is simple and poetical. It tells of the struggles of
he early snow-drop to break through its prison of ice and
,now, and escaping from the fangs of winter, to shoot up
%lid bloom under the influences of the early sun. The
story runs thus :—King Winter (Mr. Voilaire) is enamoured
of the Summer Queen (Miss Ellis), but cannot wed her
luring the existence of Prince Snowdrop, the Genius of
Spring (Miss Adelaide Biddies) ; he therefore resolves on
Spring's destruction, and aided by his cabinet, Frost, Fog,
secures the Prince in a block of ice. Queen blab
appears, soothes the Prince to slumber, and leads him in a
dream to the abode of his love, "the Grove of Silver Wil-
lows." Zephyrus the Summer Wind (Mr. F. Charles),
the mutual ally of the lovers, speeds to the court of King
iol (Mr. G. Yarnold), and relates the subject to that
monarch and his Queen Blazer (Mr. Tapping). King Sol
,nstantly despatches his attendant fairy Gloriosa to the
rescue; who arrives at the "Dungeon in the Hall of Icicles"
in time to save the Prince, defeat King Winter, and effect
the grand transformation of the Icy Dell into the Regions

of Eternal Sunshine. The burlesque introduction, in
which all this is worked out, though somewhat long, is
ciia.rtly written, and is relieved from anything like mo-
notony by a constant succession of absurdly grotesque
inn► Tuts, interspersed with some capital dAcing, parodies
)J popular songs, and by some of the most beautifully
trranged and gorgeous scenery that has ever been ex
Whited on the pantomimic stage. A stalactite retreat
or grove under the palace of King Winter—the grove
of the silver willows, the fairy temple of beauty, the
hall of icicles, the reception chamber in the palace
of Sun, and more particularly the regions of
eternal sunshine, where the transformations take place, are
really wonderful triumphs of the scenic art, and entitle
Ifessrs.Dolby and Gates by whom they have been painte.l,
and Mr. Shepherd, who designed them, to high praise. The
iresses and all the appointments are in keeping with the
scenery ; and in the groupings of fairies, sprites and
other attendants, reminded us of some of the most success-
ful efforts of the Lyceum when under the management of
Vestris to which in artistic arrangement they are no way
inferior. So delighted were the audience with the result,
-hat they called Mr. Shepherd, the lessee, under whose
immediate superintendence the whole has been produced,
it least half a dozen times upon the stage to bow his ac-
knowledgments in return for their hearty congratulations.
As is invariably the case at this theatre at holiday times
house was crowded from the orchestra to the gallery
ceiling.