The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-28 00:00:00

OLYMPIC.
The Christmas burlesque here is entitled " Mazeppa."
The name indicates nearly enough of the story of the extra-
-I;a4tranza, a version or perversion of Lord Byron's poem.
air. Robson is, of course, the hero of the tale. The trans-
f°rraation in the concluding scene is very gorgeous, and the
13ieee winds up brilliantly. Mr. H. J. Byron is the author,
and his fertility in puns is certainly immense—the burlesque
18 thickly sown with them. Some are audacious, and some
made the audience wince a little ; but others were clever
enough to redeem their weaker brethren ; and the dresses
4114 scenery were unexceptionable.

PRINCE SS' S. •
It has been an immemorial custom to preface the riotous
1411 of pantomime with some gloomy history, some tale of
Mt and punishment, laying down a good solid foundation
of practical ethics, occasionally enforced by an impressive
tallows scene, as with " George Barnwell," as a prepare-
tire to the very , wild morals of clown and pantaloon. In
this, as in many other instances, Mr. Kean scorns routine,
laid leads up to his pantomime with the " Jealous Wife,"
tearlessly confident that the tiffs of Mr. and Mrs. Oakley
*jib 1 Only prepare the way for the more practical jealousy of
marlequin and Columbine. The pantomime for this year
le entitled " The King of the Castle ; or, Harlequin Prince
bialzond and the Princess Brighteyes," and is due to the
1/ell and inventive genius of Mr. Alfred Crowquill. The
plot of the introduction owes no debt to any tale of the
ureery or schooliroom, but bears a strong family resem-
"'lance to all in turn. We shall not attempt to describe in-
cidents which are as exciting as they are difficult to bring
thin the usual compass of rational experience. The
klug of the Castle, who rejoiCes in the name of Holufrom-
!°erythingheim, and is played by Mr. Saker, possesses a
daughter, the Princess Brighteyes, whom he wishes to marry,
;titer the fashion of all such potentates, to an elderly, but
wealthy, party. The Prince of Diamonds, however, is
ItBei t
8 e by a variety of supernatural beings, the most pro-
'loent among which is Jack Frost, who exercises his power
°rel. the King to Such effect that ho gives his consent to the
e81)°11sal of his datighter and the Prince of Diamonds. The
14trigue is certainly not of the most complicated kind;
nevertheless, we should be sorry to pledge ourselves to the
e9,rroetness of the version we have given. The happy con-
clusion to which we have referred being arrived at, a grand
scene occurs entitled the " Palace of Jewels," which pre-
es the way for the appearance of Clown, Harlequin,
.t-attaloon, and Columbine, which parts aro assumed re-
spectively by Messrs. Huline, Cormack, Paulo, and Miss
,oline Adams. The harlequinade is of the usual degree
0`
merit, and exhibits the ordinary number of tricks, •
• al
con-
veying satirical hits at the follies of the day. Crinoline is
of course a prominent subject of allusion. and a full-sized
and is brought on the stage by Clown and Pantaloon,
t"'id converted into all sorts of uses by them. After travel-
at from the city, where the Lord Mayor's show is held up
ridicule, and then taking a trip to the sands at Margate,
Vlore all sorts of gambols are performed by Master James
Illioe clown junior, a,loyal tableau in the good old legiti-
bs_4te style, representing Neptune and Britannia surrounded
_Y the Wooden walls of Old England, closes the pantomime
81:tlidet cheers of enthusiasm.

STRAND.
%.I.lle Christmas entertainment here is from the pen of
▪ p
-88113. Halliday and Lawrence, and is entitled "
Alotor, Ye Queene, Ye Earl, and Ye Maydenne," the
Alot of which is founded on Sir Walter Scott's well-known
liciv'el• The incidents of the tale are pretty generally un-
tlerstood—the scene between the Earl of Leicester (Miss
cWarlherough) and Amy Robsart (Miss M. Oliver) at
4ranor rlace ; Queen Elizabeth's (Mrs. Selby) meeting
Zith the two rival earls at Greenwich ; the grand fete at
gehilworth ; the appearance of Amy Robsart before the
~,,,11,egh; Varney's plot, charging Amy with being mad, and
.ting her away for the purpose of destroying the evidence
Mau master's villany by a foul murder—these are the
48es of the burlesque. The piece, however, does not end
1. the manner described in the more sober account of the
treat novelist. Amy's feet, we are told, entered the trap ;
14, happening to wear crinoline of a somewhat extraordi-
-41.4_1"Y size, she was prevented from falling into the snare and
hfe was saved. Laraboume and Amy successively fight
tint 'Varney, who is vanquished by the fair swordswoman.
ltlniately the maiden Queen joined Leicester and Amy in
144,riaire, and then came the grand denouement, represent-
-01 the eras of Elizabeth, Anne, and Victoria in the Court
10,?e,rps• This was certainly a dazzling spectacle; and_ one
e
e 4; considering the size of the house, could hardly be
04-`l,..rpaseed at any theatre in London. The whole of the
to•
lahacters were exceedingly well sustained. Miss M. Wil-
as Sir Walter Raleigh, and Miss C. Saunders, as Tres-
won showers of applause ; while Miss Swanborough
itot• rileti the house by storm. A decided success was
• eved; there was no hitch is the arrangements, and
itbl augured well for a good "run" and a profit-
' thing the management.

SADLER'S WELLS.
G The entertainments provided by Messrs. Phelps and
dreenwood for their Christmas friends and the public at
favourite place of resort were " The Lady of Lyons"
c7a a grand comic pantomime, entitled " Harlequin and
Izaak Walton ; or, Tom Moore of Fleet-street, the
-4'et Trout, and the Seven Sisters of Tottenham," The