The Sun.
London, England, 1860-11-17 00:00:00

THEATRE-ROYAL, LYCEUM:

The hold which the drama of " Adrienne : or, the Secret
of a Life," has taken upon the public taste, justifies us in
entering upon a more detailed notice of this production
than we thought it necessary to do upon the occasion of its
first representation. The piece in itself is a compound of
comedy and melodrama, and although a severe criticism
might repudiate such an alliance, still the actual merits of
the conception and the brilliant execution of the play merit
a more careful examination than we have previously had an
opportunity of affording to its construction and plot.
In the first act we are introduced to a certain Adrienne
de Beaupre (Madame Celeste), a wealthy orphan, who, re-
siding in a villa near Rome, has acquired, as it appears, a
deserved reputation for her charities and all the graces
which should accompauy the prossession of great wealth.
She has, moreover, surrendered no small portion of her
affections to an art-student at Rome (Mr. Neville), who is
engaged to paint her portrait. The scene in which this de-
licate interview is represented is exquisitely rendered in all
those little nuances of hesitation and passion, of which Mme.
Celeste stands without a rival on the stage. The lady's
sole attendants are a superior male servant (Mr. Campbell)
and a faithful Mulatto (Mr. Villiers), the latter of whom
attaches himself to the fortunes of his mistress with a fervor
of the truly Oriental type, his life having been saved by the
mother of Adrienne, who was of the pleasant Island of
Martinique, the birthplace of Josephine, the Empress of
France. A disagreeable and disturbing element now ap-
pears upon the scene, in the person of one Mr. Eugene de
Grassac (Mr. George Vining), who is represented as a roué
or a gambler as the case may be, but at any
rate confesses himself to be a ruined man, whose
only hope is in his marriage with the wealthy
Adrienne. His claims on the hand of this charming
lady, certainly at first sight, appear most preposterous.
Nevertheless this de Grassac pretends to hold the lady in
command, by•being in possession of evidences of her illegi-
timacy. This terrifies the Lady, and Savignie retires, not
without a challenge to meet in the Pontine marshes,
as it is alleged, in consequence of some rude remarks
which had been made by de Grassac on the lady's cha-
racter and' position, upon the occasion of a soiree where
the two gentlemen have previously met. In consequence
of this the duel takes place, and a very splendid scene it
is. The lights are admirably thrown on the combatants in
the mist, and it concludes with do Grassac being wounded
and retiring—not, however, before some angry words and
the near revelation of the secret, which is only silenced by
the appearance of Adrienne upon the scene, who consents to
sacrifice herself to De Grassac, in order to keep sacred
a mother's honour." Months are supposed to pass
away. Savignie becomes an officer in the French
army, and is stationed with his regiment near Rome, just
at the moment when de Grassac, who has never ceased to
suffer from the wound he received in the duel, is brought to
our presence in the "lone chateau," tended by the broken-
hearted but patient Adrienne and her faithful Mulatto.
This scene is inexpressibly beautiful, as well in design as
in execution ; and is the pivot of the drama. The Mulatto
burning with the deep-seated desire of vengeance, made up
of the conviction of the unmanliness of de Grassac, and the
love and affection which he bears to Adrienne and her
family ; the self-denying devotion of Adrienne to the sick
man, contending with her uncontrollable love for Savignie ;
and the bye-play of a humorous underplot furnish, in this
scene, opportunities of the beautiful confusion of contrasted
emotions, which are essentially dramatic, and belong to the
best school; and when at last it is discovered that de
Grassac expires by poisoned bandages, and Adrienne is de-
nounced by the dying man as his murderer, the situation
reaches its climax, and the curtain falls, not without the
fact of Savignie's appearance at the chateau, only to bo
dismissed as a presence not to be borne at so terrible a mo-
ment

A lengthened period is supposed to elapse between this
event, which releases Adrienne from de Grassac, but
charges her with the crime of murder. From these troubles,
it appears, she takes refuge in the mountains, accompanied
by her faithful mulatto, pursued by the officers of justice;
and here, in the midst of a bivouac of the troop, incidents oc-
cur in so hurried a manner, that we find we have exchanged
comedy for melodrama, somewhat, perhaps, to the disparage..
went of a composition of very clever design, and sacrifled to
the love cf sudden effects and extraordinary situations.
Brigands are changed into family connections with extra-
ordinary celerity. The secret of the dead De Grassac is
shown to demonstrate the legitimacy of Adrienne; and the
confession of the mulatto to the murder leaves Adrienne as
pure and unspotted as when in the first act the audience
were introduced. We should notice that the underplot of
the piece is sustained by Mrs. Keeley as Gianetta Scarotta,
the daughter of a brigand, who contributes in the final act
to the elucidation of the plot. Mrs. Keeley gives an artistic
value to this part, which is beyond all praise. Mr.
Rouse is, as usual, vivacious and appreciative of
all the points which the author left for him to give pro-
minence to : and we may instance as evidence of the intel-
ligence which pervades the whole of the getting up of this
piece, the admirable adjustment of the costume by the
Mulatto, the accuracy of which will be recognised by every
one acquainted with India.

Of the acting and the miss-en-scene it is impossible to
speak too highly. Madame Celeste, who is a host in her-
self, never appeared more completely alive to all the points
of the situation, and inspired every one on the stage with
a like feeling. The piece is admirably acted throughout,
and has drawn fashionable and crowded houses during the
week, receiving- on each representation the warmest marks
of approbation. It is, indeed, as we have already observed,
a most brilliant success, and promises to have, as it most
richly merits, a very long run.
The " Pets of the Parterre," which we noticed upon its
first representation, fully justifies the opinion which we
then expressed. It is a graceful and elegant composition,
of depth and weight very far excelling the usual character
of productions of this kind, and we are happy to say that
the applause of the audience evidenced the success of
Madame Celeste's liberal and tasteful management.
Of the young ladies who support the charming ballet of
action of the " Pets of the Parterre," one is always in
danger of being charged with exaggeration when speaking
of their artistic as well as natural graces. From so en-
chanting a bouquet the selection of any particular flower
would be a very unamiable task