The Sun.
London, England, 1859-04-26 00:00:00

STRAND.

The holyday entertainments at this theatre commenced
last evening with the performance of a new comedietta by
Mr. J. Maddison Morton, entitled, "Which of the Two ?"
which was most favourably received by a numerous
audience. The main feature of the piece is the innumerable
laughable mistakes occasioned by the close resemblance be-
tween Alexis Bettman (Miss Maria Simpson) aid Paul
Bettman (Miss Charlotte Saunders), twin brothers, and
pages to the Russian Emperor. That resemblance also en-
ables one of the brothers to display for the other an heroic
affection. The brusquerie of Baron Mullendorf, Governor
of the Imperial pages (Mr. James Bland), and the bluster
and stupidity of Major Krachwitz, Governor of t 4(? Mu
tart' Prison (Mr. H. J. Turner), provoked roars of la gh
ter. The curtain fell amid hearty applause,
looeudd
fcraollms
for the author were repeated until it was an
the stage that he was not present. Then followed the_bur-
letta entitled the " Maid and the Mame, or he Fatal
Spoon." The entertainments closed with a farce by Mr.
A. C. Troughton, entitled " 'Vandyke Brown."

THE SURRE
wasf o u np
rdoeddu ocne d Cf ao pr t
tahi no
- y
Reade's popular novel A new drama of thel
os
first time at this theatre, Mr. Creswick performing the _part
of the Indian chief. As it is the name of the novel and
fam"eoncarolea',?'nd
of the piece, it may be supposed to be the principal
character,
will, perhaps,
support the claims the
of Yellow Jake or Virginia to that
name of
although an analysis of the story
honour. For where would be the thrilling combats without
the villany of the one or the interesting love scenes without
the charms of the other ? It is clear that they could do very
well without Oceola, but Oceola could not get on at all with-
out them. Yellow Jake is a quadroon woodman, who for
pressing unacceptable addresses on Virginia's attendant, has
received some 50 lashes, and he sets the whole drama going
by evincing a deadly hatred to Virginia and all her, family.
Yellow. Jake lures an alligator to devour the younelady in
an arbour and Oceola has the good chance to save her.
Ulm big catches to Mg lady ill 4 Ipuely plea at 0

lonely hour, and is about to " finish her"—a word which eXo
presses in a Surrey sense the free use of a dagger, a rifle, •
thin
ve hg handy
.—when
dSuch gallantry wins the heart of
—when again Oceola is oppor-e
tbunludegeeononu,gohr anything handy_when again Oceola is OPPO?..
tune enough to
Virginia, and excuses, perhaps, her bad taste in preferring
the tawny chief to the more agreeable person of a rick
planter, Arens Ringgold, who is also a competitor for that
prize. But Ringgold is bad, cruel, and vindictive. He
plots a great deal of mischief against his rival, and rather
unfairly seeks to assassinate Virginia's brother, because out
of love for Oceola's sister he favours the rival candidate.
With characters so antagonistic, and abundant opportimi.
ties for informing each other of their mutual sentiments,
there is a pretty frequent interchange of " coward" and
" villain," " black heart" and" white liver," " dog" awl
" slave." Indeed, the dialogue may be said to be exceed..
ingly spirited, and delighted the audience
.proportionately.
Nor was there any lack of stirring pantomime—men save‘
from being burnt alive in order to be shot or drowned,
women rescued in the moment of extreme peril, hired ams,
sassins overpowered and bound, and conflicts of great physi.
cal power between civilised and uncivilised forces. -Virtual
must in the end have been triumphant, for the curtain fell
amid enthusiastic plaudits, and Surrey sympathy was
never yet enlisted on the wrong side. The fact remains
that the piece was a complete success. Mr. Creswicli
played the part of Oceola in his usual effective manner.
Ir. Henry Vandenhoff, a first appearance here, deserves*,
word of praise for his careful rendering of Ringgold, al—
though it puzzles one to guess why an American planter
should dress like a Spanish dancer. Mr. Basil Potter, as
Yellow Jake, seemed quite at home, and incited to do his
best by the kind reception which his popularity obtained.
A funny ebony coachman, by Mr. E. Marshall, and a
mili—
tary greenhorn, by Mr. Wright, gave a very satisfactory
flavour of the comic element. And when we add that the
music was very ably managed by Mr. Jolly we have said
enough to insure many repetitions of the crowded benches
which distinguished the first night of the new piece. Ib
must not be supposed that " Oceola" was the entire carte.
It certainly was the piece de resistance, but two ex—
cellent dishes followed—a screaming farce and a comical,
tragical, maelo-dramatical extravaganza.

ASTLEY' S.
A numerous audience gave warm welcome to " a new
romantic spectacle" at this " hippodramatic temple" last
evening. The piece, unlike the holyday productions by
whit it has been immediately preceded, busies itself not with
recent or passing events. The mutiny in Indiahas had its
day, both beneath the scorching sun of that country and
at Astley's. Canton has been bombarded both in real and
mimic warfare. Commissioner Yeh and Nana Sahib have
figured on the Surrey side of Westminster-bridge as wellas
upon a wider field. Time and place have undergone s
change. Mr. Cooke has betaken himself to the distant past.
An early period of our history—the period of the Crusades
—now furnishes the incidents which are made the foundation
for the display of the resources of his establishment. He
transports us back to the days when steel-clad warriors did
battle in the presence and under the inspiring influence of
beauty—to the days of tilts and tournaments. The new
piece, in short, is the story of "Ivanhoe" realised in scenic)
action. The plot is the same as that which Scott has so beau-
tifully woven. The same are the dramatis personce, the
stalwart Coeur de Lion, the redoubted Knight Templar Sir
Brian de Bois Guilbert, Ivanhoe, the Lady Rowena, Isaac'
of York, and Rebecca the high-souled Jewish maiden. It
would be perhaps no more than just to enumerate the horses
also among the chief actors. They certainly constitute not
the least attractive feature in the gay and ghttering proces-
sions with which the piece abounds. They, as is invariably
the case at Astley's, curvetted with entire grace, obedient
to the slightest motion of the rider's hand. Whether in
the Lists at Ashby they would have borne themselves
so successfully under the weight of mailed knights it
is needless to conjecture. It is enough to say that
they were equal to the occasion and demeaned themselves
amid the sound of clarion and drum and the clash of swords
with all the nonchalance of veteran war horses. The piece
consists of three acts, and is rich in picturesque scenery ;
though it presents few features that can be called novel.
There is the same rushing about of well-trained steeds as
usual ; the same hurrying to and fro of eager combatants,
with all the advantage of less noisy tumult and more pleas-
ing effect. At the conclusion of the third act the principal
performers were summoned before the curtain, and received
such a reception as a holiday audience alone can give.
Then followed the Scenes in the Circle, during the progress
of which, owing in no inconsiderable extent to the exertions
of the clown, mirth and jollity were the order of the day, or
rather of the night. The performances concluded with—to
use the phraseology of the bills—the "screaming farce" of
" Bathing," which, if the laughtei which it excited in the
audience is to be taken as a criterion, fully justified the use
of the epithet by which it is -described.