The Sun.
London, England, 1858-11-19 00:00:00

THE NEW ADELPHI THEATRE.

The playgoers of London will be gratified. to
.earn that though unforeseen difficulties arose to

prevent the enterprising proprietor of this esta
blishment from opening its doors on as early a day
as was at first intended, the works are rapidly pro-
gressing towards completion, and there is every
reason to believe that Christmas will see Mr, Web-
ster—to use a homely expression—" safe through
his brick and mortar." On finding that the theatre
was not finished within the too brief period origi-
nally assigned for its construction, some of those
officious medlers known in the days of the Rambler
and Spectator as" quidnuncs" cast about to con-
jecture the possible, or, to speak more correctly,
the impossible reason of the disappointment ; and.,
being lazy as imaginative, they never troubled
themselves to inquire into the real state of the case,
but drew their facts from their o.vn fertile fancies,
and spread abroad a number of silly rumours which
attributed the delay to any cause rather than the
true one. We have express authority for the state-
ment that that cause is not to be wfound either in
any defect in the architect's design, or in any short-
comings on the part of the contractor, or in unsure
foundations, and, least of all, in a deficiency of
funds, for Mr. Webster,we are happy to know,las
in his hands capital more than sufficient to make
the new Adelphi the most elegant theatre in Lon-
don. Circumstance is, as the poet aptly phrases
it, an " unspiritual god and mis-creator ' who
plays sad havoc with the plans and purposes of
men ; and the circumstance which retarded the
labours of Mr. Webster's masons was nothing more
nor less than a want of adequate space to carry on
the necessary operations with the ease and promp-
titude which were no doubt desirable, and which
might have been obtained if the site of the theatre
had been placed in any less densely populated loca-
lity. There would be no great difficulty in erecting
a theatre in the middle of Regent's-park—provided
that the Crown was propitious to the project, for
there the bricklayers would have elbow-room ; but
it is no such easy matter for the builder to draw his
lines and circles in a place like the Strand, where
every square inch of ground—the streets and lanes
alone excepted—is occupied by human habitations,
and where the evil genius of boundaries is inces-
santly interposing to thwart, baffle, and impede.
It is gratifying, however, to know that all the ob-
structions arising from these and similar causes
have been now effectively surmounted, and that the
day is rapidly approaching when the public will
again be enabled to witness dramatic representa-
tions, conducted under the superintendence of one
of the very best of our theatrical managers, upon a
spot associated with the fame of some of our greatest
actors, and endeared to the people by a thousand
delightful reminiscences. The theatre, as it stood,
being bounded on the south and west by buildings
belonging to a variety of owners, who were unwill-
ing to sell, and on the north by the houses in Maiden-
lane for purposes of dressing-rooms, greenroom,
and properties, the only possible means of extension
was to the east on the site of old houses in Bullin-
court, purchased by Mr. Webster after a large fire
which destroyed almost the whole side of the court.
The length, therefore, from the back of the boxes to
the back of the stage in the new theatre remains
the same as in the old one, but the total width has
been increased to the extent of about two-thirds of
the original breadth, and has admitted of a form of
auditory approaching to the semi-circle, and bring-
ing the largest number of persons within the least
distance from the centre of the proscenium. The
general dimensions of the new house are as follow:
Width of proscenium, 35ft.; height do., 38ft. ;
length of stage, 56ft. ; width of stage, 66ft. Gin.
total length of theatre, 114 ft. 6in. ; length from
back of boxes to proscenium, 48ft. ; width between
boxes, 46ft. 6in. ' • height from pit to ceiling, 57ft.
size of pit, 36ft. by 67ft. ; height from room under-
stage to joint of roof, 80ft. The above calculations,
compared with the dimensions of other theatres,
will afford some idea of the relative proportions of
the new Adelphi. The proscenium of Her Majesty's
Italian Opera is about 39ft. wide; that of the Olym-
pic about 28ft., while that of the late Covent-garden
was 38ft. The front will be remodelled, and a
handsome portico will be erected for the conveni-
ence of visitors. In the rebuilding and rearrangement
of the seats care has been taken to give the greatest
space and to ensure the utmost amount of comfort
to the audience. The orchestra stalls, the saloon
and dress circle stalls, and the seats in the upper
boxes are all divided with " arms," and fitted with
spring cushions, the space in each compartment
being ample. The pit, benches, and amphitheatre
stalls are also furnished with arms and have sloping
_backs, and there is accommodation in seats for
1,500 spectators. The roof is of wrought iron, and
all the principal bearers of the floors are of the
same material. A brass railing, richly gilt, and of
elegant design, will run in front of the dress circle,
and the front of the upper circle of the amphi-
theatre stalls will be formed of a patent fibrous
slab, entirely fire-proof, as at the Royal Italian
Opera House. Her Majesty's box is i-1 lft. high,
with a frontage of between 13ft, to 14ft., with a
saloon attached. All the private boxes have a
small compartment annexed to them. The precau-
tions against fire are numerous and ingenious.
There are several escape-doors into Bullin-court,
which fly open by pulling one bolt. Every stair-
case is fire-proof, with communications to every out-
let of the theatre. Tanks, with large reservoirs of
water, will be fixed on the top, with hose attached,
in case of need and a powerful force pump, which
will derive its supply from the large well known as
"Nell Gwynne's," w ill be fixed also with hose attached
at the stage entrances. The ground on which
the theatre is erected being the freehold of Mr. Web-
ster, it has been his interest to raise a structure
characterised by a'degree of solidity and strength
not usually found in buildings standing on lease-
hold property. The foundations are of great
thickness, and the walls proportionately strong.
The building material is entirely new, not one old
brick having been used. Iron trusses have been pro-
vided foreach tier of boxes and for the gallery ; and,
in a word, the house will be at once as strong and as
pretty as the skill and taste of Mr. J. H. Wyatt, the
architect can make it. The decorations have been
intrusted to the very competent hands of Mr. Sang ;
Mr. Parsons, the sculptor, is modelling the figures ;
Mr. Phillips is engaged upon a splendid scene, which
he means to contribute gratuitously as a compliment
to the manager; and the design for the act-drop has
been furnished by no less illustrious an artist than
Mr. C. Stanfield, the Royal Academician, who
desires to testify in this graceful manner to his
ancient friendship for Mr. Webster. Indefatigable
in his personal supervision of the works, the latter
gentleman has been obliged to forego several tempt-
ing offers of provincial engagements. It is to be
hoped, howevr, that he will soon reap the reward of
his zealous attention to his arduous undertaking, for
it may be confidently predicted that the new Adelphi
will be opened not later, but probably sooner, than
Boxing-night. Miss Woolgar returns to the former
scene of her triumphs, and Mr. Toole is also added
to Mr. Webster's excellmt company.
Apropos of the dramatic associations connected
with the site of the new theatre, it may not be out
of place to reprint here the interesting observations
which Mr. Webster made upon the subject in the
course of the address which hedelivered on occasion
of the closing of the old house :
"On this very spot stood the road-side farm of
the celebrated Nell Gwynne, in whose kindly heart
Chelsea Hospital, that refuge for the poor worn-
soldier, had its origin ; under my feet is the well of
pure spring water that still bears her name, and
she loved to drink when halting here on her Way
to the village of Charing to eat fish and curds with
the Merry Monarch ; and here, after a lapse of
nearly 200 years, a theatre has grown up, r."..nkinr,m
high in reputation, and honoured by the frequent
presence of royalty. How it became a theatre is
equally singular. It' was consequent upon True
Blue,' in the year 1802, through a dye of that name
having been invented by a Mr. Scott, or True Blue
Scott, as he was familiarly called, which gave such
a peculiarly delicious tint to the peculiarly delicious
habiliments of the fair sex, that a rapid fortune was
the consequence—an established fact when feminine
influence is brought to bear on anything material
or immaterial. True Blue' being of an imaginative
turn, cast the fortune of his dye on a heap of ruins
that stood or rather fell here, and raised out of them
a temple of variety, wherein he had enacted a
variety of entertainments that could evade the law
and the monopoly of the legitimate drama. Here
Miss Scott held sway with story and song, and
the piano descended through a trap to make room
for Frikell acts of legerdemain. Here Charles
Dibdin, the bard and life of the Wooden Walls of
Old England,' gave his attractive illustration of
men and manners, until True Blue Scott, finding
acting under a mask as profitable as his dye, threw
it off for the bare-faced article, and' erected a theatre
here called the Sans Pareil. Success attended this
second move. It" then passed into the hands of
Messrs. Rodwell and Jones of Tom and Jerry fame,
who realised by that extravaganza almost fabulous
sums. After then it became the property of Messrs.
Terry and Yates, who kept up itanotoriety by many
species of attraction, from Madle. Djick and, the
Bayaderes, up to those undying dramas of Victo-
rine," The -Wreck Ashore,' The Pilot,' and many
others too numerous to mention. When Terry
ceased to be, the elder Mathews joined Mr. Yates,
whose unflagging energy and judgment never
ceased to gratify the public. In the course of time
this freehold pet of the public ultimately -fell- into
the possession of a person of whom you have pro-
bably heard—one Benjamin Webster, who, I trust,
by Green Bushes,' The Willow Copse,' Janet
Pride," The Flowers of the Forest, The Poor
Strollers,'
&c.&e.,has 9rndeavoured to follow in the