The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-27 00:00:00

OLYMPIC.

The Christmas festivity provided for the 'patrons of the
Olympic in the shape of a burlesque by Mr. Robert Brough
upon the story of " Alfred the Great," will probably prove
one of the greatest successes achieved oven by the author,
who, since the retirement of Mr. Planche, is fully entitled
to the crown of extravaganza. Well connected, interesting,
bristling with sparkling wit and puns admirable in their
very badness, filled with capital parodies and telling aillu-
sions, Mr. Brough's new production has the advantage of
being put on the stage in a liberal style and acted with
great spirit by all engaged in it. The main point of the
story will be familiar to every child-student of the History
of England, but for a slight underilow Mr. Brough con-
fesses himself indebted to Mr. Sheridan Knowles. Here
at the opening we find the Danes, under Guthrum (Mr.
G. Cooke), in possession of England ; while Elswith (Miss
Nelson), Alfred's betrothed, is attached to Guthrum's
family in a menial capacity. Our first interview with Alfred
is at the neatherd's cottage, or, rather, at a baker's shop,
where he is serving his time, and where ho is visited by
Merlin, who, in a short parody on the witch scene in "Mac-
beth," calls up for him three figures, who assure him that
if he avoids red tape, enrols the volunteers, and keeps up
the Channel fleet, England can never be conquered. Then
follows the episode of the burnt bread and the anger of the
old woman, who upbraidingly exclaims,
" The stove's all black I see here's a pretty state I"
to which ho replies, ruminating,
" The stove's all black I and I'm Alf-Red the Groat I"
Alfred then goes in disguise to the Danish revel, and sings
before Guthrum, does tha Dlondin business on a tight rope
across a cataract, and finally escapes, to return with his army
and to rout the invaders. The piece wants, perhaps, a little
compression in one or two scenes, but it will play closer in
a night or two, and the extra time now required for prepara-
tion will not then be needed.

Mr. Robson plays Alfred with all his usual fire and spirit,
and sings his parodies with briskness, quaintness, and effect.
Mr. George Cooke is broadly funny as the drunken, swinish
Dane ; and Mr. H. Wigan makes the best of a very small
part. Tho ladies, however, bear away the palm. Miss
Cottrell, Miss Nelson, and Miss Hughes, are all very well
suited with characters, and all act and sing charmingly.
Miss Herbert, who wo aro glad to see has returned to her
allegiance at this theatre, looked strikingly handsome, but
has very little to do. The villain of the piece is played by
Mrs. Emden with a very ver paraphrase of welodramatic
truculency.

•: •
14c luutlesque was tllorouitl S4OCWIL, /tnd deservedly

so ; the public have so long been served with fustain that
the real article seemed to come again with tenfold vigour,
and each joke earned its distinct round of applause. The
curtain fell on a very pretty allegorical representation of
England's glories amidst thunders of applause, and Mr.
Brough (who, we regret to say, looked extremely ill) bowed
his way across the stage in compliance with a loud and
general call.