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," atter which came the attraction of the
night, in the shape of an entirely new and original fairy
extravaganza, called " Young and Handsome." Without
exaggeration it is most attractive and beautiful, and does
honour 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. Danvers. The house was, of
course, crowded.

SURREY THEATRE.

The Christmas pantomime here is entitled " Harlequin
and 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,
and applauded accordingly—and the rest of that very
heavy drama was—thanks to some unreheareed perform-
ances 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 failly 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
the early snow-drop to break through its prison of ice and
snow, and escaping from the fangs of winter, to shoot up
Lied bloom under the influences of the early sun. The
story runs thus : —King Winter (Mr. Voltaire) is enamoured
of the Summer Queen (Miss Ellis), but cannot wed her
during 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,
Ste., secures the Prince in a block of ice. Queen Mab
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 Kicg
col (Mr. G. Yarnold), and relates the subject to that
monarch and his Queen Blazer (Mr. Tapping). King Sol
instantly 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
)f Eternal Sunshine. The burlesque introduction, in
which all this is worked out, though somewhat, long, is
emartly written, and is relieved from anything like mo-
notony by a constant succession of absurdly grotesque
nci ,rtats, interspersed with some capital dancing, parodies
on popular songs, and by some of the most beautifully
,rrangerl and gorgeous scenery that has ever been ex-
hibited on the pantomimic stage. A. stalactite retro
n• grove under the palace of King Winter—the grove
,f the silver willows, the !airy temple of beauty, the
gall of icicles, the reception chamber iu the palace
if Sun, and more particularly the regions of
tenni sunshine, where the transformations take place, are
really wonderful triumphs of the scenic art, and entitle
Uessrs.Dolby and Gates by whom they have been painted,
sod Mr. Shepherd, who designed them, to high praise. The
iresees and all the appointments are in keeping with the
scenery ; and in the groupings of feiries, sprites and
,ther attendants, reminded us of some of the most success-
rut of the Lyceum when under the management of
irestris to which-in artistic arrangement they are no way
inferior. So delighted were the audience with the result,
that they called Mr. Shepherd, the lessee, under whose
immediate superintendence the whole has been produced,
at 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 galli;ry
ceiling.