The Sun.
London, England, 1860-01-31 00:00:00

LT CEUIkI THEATRE.

Last night, the long-expected dramatic version
of Mr. Dickens's story, "A Tale of Two Cities,"
was produced at this theatre, and on the occasion
every available seat in the house was filled long
before the rising of the curtain. From the an-
nouncement of the piece we had some doubts
whether " A Tale of Two Cities." though in itself
pre-eminently dramatic, might not present difficul-
ties almost insuperable to its being very effectively
dramatised; and the production has confirmed us
in that belief, although everything that Mr.
Tom Taylor could do has been done to render
it successful. Of course, the story of the plot
is so well known to most of our readers that
Lit would really be waste of time to give a de7
tailed description of it. It will be sufficient,
therefore, on the present occasion if we notice some
of the alterations necessarily required in a story
extending over so long a space of time.
First and foremost, all that part of the tale relating
to London has been entirely omitted, therefore,
properly speaking, the drama ought to have been
called " A Tale of a City," as the whole of the ac-
tion is laid in Paris. Then the character of Miss
Press, a very important personage in the book, has
been altogether omitted, and the death of Madame
Defarge so summarily managed, that many of the
audience were not at all pleased with " the effect."
• The play commences with a sort of prologue,
which takes place in an old house outside Paris
(this incident we get nearly at the conclusion of the
beek),,in one of the rooms of which two.heartless
aristocrats—the Marquis St. Evremond and his
younger brpther—are coldly awaiting the death of
ooe of their betrayed and violated victims (Colette),
for whom the professional services of Dr. Mannette
have been secured. On death releasing the poor girl
from her sufferings, the Marquis proposes to pur-
chase the silence of the doctor, who, however, re-
fuses to pledge hiMself to secrecy, and the Marquis
having a blank lettre de cachet, silently fills up the
document with the name of Dr. Mannette, who,
instead of being taken home, is secretly conveyed
to the Bastille.

A lapse of 20 years is supposed to occur previous
to the second act, which opens in one of the splen-
did salons of the Marquis St. Evremond, to whom
the rescue of Dr. Mannette is related., Then fol-
low some of the most striking incidents in the
original story, viz., the breaking of-the wine
cask in the Faubourg St. Antoine, the in-
terview between the rescued prisoner Man-
nette and. his daughter, .the revolutionary
dance of the , Carmagnole, the trial of Charles
Dirney, and the conveyance of Sidney Carton to
the guillotine, which concludes the drama

The part of the Marquise of St. Evremond was
sustained by Mr. Walter Lacy, but his conception
of the part appears to us to be altogether. a Mistake.
Mt-. Lacy-makes the marquis -a conventional stage
fop, whereas in the work he is minutely described
as a man of implacable feeling, cold as marble, in
short, thc., beau ideal of a nobleman of the ancien
regime. If we cannot say he acted the cart cor-
rectly, we can, with truth, say he looked the part
completely. Mr. Villiers (Sidney Carton) was very
much better. Ile evidently had taken pains with
his part, and richly.inerited the applause he elicited
The portravfrl of Dr. Mannette fell to AI
Ja2ll

Vining, and with all respect to him as
a careful actor, we must say that he did
not realise the character drawn by Dickens. His
acting was exceedingly, not"to say painfully slow,
and the scene from which we had expected so much,
viz., the interview between him and his daughter,
was entirely spoiled, owing to the length of time
he took in over-elaborating his return to consciouo-
nes. Mr. T. Lyon's Jasper Lorry was highly ar.-
tistie, and pleased us greealy. The part, however,
which secured the honour of the evening among.the
male characters was Jerry Cruncher, by Mr. Rouse:
His make up as the reformed body-snatcher was
admirable, and his acting quite equal to it. Miss
Kate Saville, as Lucy Mannette, acted with a sweet
womanly feeling but rarely now-a-days witnessed
on the stage, as the style and her exertions were,
rewarded with very great applause. To Madame
Celeste has the great weight of the piece been con-
fided, and the adaptor has not over-estimated the
talents of this admirable artiste. Her acting—
both as the dying girl Colette and the woman of
the revolUtion, Madame Defarge—was. intense.,
This lady's talent was universally acknowledged to
be great in the dramas, of " Janet Pride" and " The
Green Bushes," but her embodiment of the parts
allotted to her in this drama far outrivals all her.
past efforts---great as they have been.
Having spoken of the acting of the play, we
now pass to what is technically termed " the
getting up," From first to last the master hand
ef the talented directress is present—witness the
admirable manner in which the first scene is ar-
ranged. Then,wild, disorderly manner
in which h mob fill the stage, and
'tein again,furiatte hae
dfterwards gO through the revolutionary dance,
"The Carmagnole," in the wine shop of Defarge..
Nothing could possibly convey a better idea of the
scenes enacted during the Reign of Terror than this
and the succeeding scene, the trial of Charles
Barney. The dresses, properties, and effects are-
splendid; and, when the piece is compressed within
proper limits (the three acts last night consuming
three hours and forty minutes), a long and success-
ful run may be safely reckoned upon.

Amidst much applause, Madame Celeste an-
nounced the piece for repetition every evening
until further notice.

AsnErs AMPHITHEATRE.

Mr. Cooke's farewell benefit last night attracted
an enormous audience, by whom the retiring
manager was received with enthusiastic applause.
The entertainments commenced with the last
act of the tragedy of " Richard the Third," which
some short time since was produced here, and was
received
.with such rapturous approbation that it
had the unprecedented run of 94 consecutive nights,
and concluded with the celebrated " Scenes in
the Circle," during which Mr. William Cooke then
entprenhe ring mounted on his beautiful black
steed,-and went through some movements of the
'Haute Reale, in which he showed the wonderful
control he had over the noble animal which he
rode. In acknowledgment of the enthusiastic re-
ception given to him, and the patronage bestowed
Upon him, he made the following brief address :

" Ladies and Gentlemen,—Allow me to return
you my sincere thanks for the kind and liberal pa-
tronage which you have displayed towards me this
evening." (Applause.)
The pantomime of " Harlequin Toni Moody"
tho entertainments, amidst the hearty
laughter of the youthful members of the audience.

CEYLON.—An ---uri-uKtally rainy December had
caused much anxiety to the coffee curers of Colombo, who
received the berrieS in a wet state from the interior, and
found it a most difficult task to dry them. The shipments
of-coffee had, nevertheless, been by no means inconsiderable.
The sittings of tho Legislative Council had closed, and the
Governor 13ad quitted Colombo for the. cool regions of the
interior.—Romeward Mail. •
We hear it mentioned as very probable that the
Select Conimittee of the House of Commons on the organi-
sation of the great military departments, originally moved
for by Captain Vivian, and re-appointed last session at the
suggestion of the present Secretary of State for War, will
Aot.receive any additional evidence this session,, but will
meet for the pui-pose of considering their report. Among
the witnesses examined have been Lord Panmure' Gerie-fal
Peel, Sir Edward Lugard, Mr. Godley, Assistant-Under.
Secretary for War, and the Commissary-General.—Army
and ,Navy Ooze*,