The Sun.
London, England, 1857-04-14 00:00:00

EAST -A3 ii-s43IEN Ts,

DRURY-LANE.
There Was no gager novelty at this theatre.
The first piece was "Othello,') in which Mr. Dillon
acted the part of the Moor. The manner in which
Mr. Dillon sustains this character is so well known
to the London public that it would be waste of time
and space to dwell upon it ; and the same remark
applies to Mrs. Dillon's De•demona. The other
pieces were a sort of fusion of " C.,nrad and Me-
dora" and "See Saw, Margery Daw"—" two single
gentlemen rolled :nto one.' Both these latter
pieces have maintained their footing, the former at
the Lyceum, and the latter at this theatre, for a con-
siderable -period, and it may be said of them,i as of
most books, most plays, and most speeches, that
judicious retrenchment and condensation renders
them more agreeable.
The scenery of " Conrad and Medera" is indeed
very beautifully got up, and reflects credit upon the
artists engaged in its design and execution.
Mrs. Mell n, (Miss Woolgar) and Mrs. Dillon,
the former as Conrad and the latter as Medora,
were very amusing, and upon the whole the audi-
ence seemed thoroughly satisfied, and to feel that
they had got good value for their money.

HAYMARKET.
At the Haymarket Theatre this year the Easier
piece is extractel from the glowing and fanciful
pages of " an.l it bears the name, "or
rather the apple-afon," of "Atalanta, or the Three ,
Golden. Apples," The main features of Naso's
beautiful allegory are preserved, but Mr. Telfourd,
whose pen turns all it touches to fun, introduces
an endless variety of ridiculous incidents, ii fuses
the spirit of drollery into the most poetical con ceit4,
and causes all the characters to swim about—so to
speak—in a sea of absurdity. From the rising of
the curtain till the going down. of the same, not
one word is.utt red ou th stage with any other in-
, tention .that that elea,using a roar throughout the
house ;,.the most preposterous parodies of popular
songs are snug with an air'of funereal so'emnity
jokes and fanny sayings fly about iu all direc—
tions ;in fact, it 'may b said to rain puns; and the
actors arerso incessantly interrupted by the laugh-
terof the audience that they can with difficulty fight
theiy way through the dialogue. The plot of the
piece may, therefore, be thus briefly described :
Hippomenes (Miss Ellen Tertian), the son of King
Maeaseus and of Merope, is a wild unmanageable
youth, who sets at nought all the sage precepts of
his pareuts, and httrls defiance at his tut. ,r, Paida-
gogos (Mr. Compton), whom he ridicules as "a
body-snatcher of dead languages." He leads the
reckless life of a "fast man," until Venus (Miss
Fanny Wright)—the queen of a kingdom upon
which the sun never sets—and her son Cupid (Miss
Marie Wilton) arrest him in his mad career, and
i..spire him with an absorbing passion for Atalanta
(Miss M. Oliver). This young lady is described as
of the parish of Saint Uries-back, spinster, daughs
ter of King Schasneus, very strong in her head and
very fast upon her legs ; exercising sufficient self-
will to be considered an absolute certainty, but so
guileless and inuocent that she may be regarded as
a moral impossibility. At least a hundred suitors
compete for the hand of this peerless lady, but to
win it is no such easy matter. The course to be
adopted for that purpose is the race-course, and
she strikes dismay into the hearts of her admirers
by announcing that the condition of succe'sful
courtship is, that her lover shall run a race of two
miles with her, and win it. It is clear that " her
young man" must be above the average "run ;"
but even in that case his prospects are none of the
brightest, for Atalanta is swifter than the winds,
and those who accept her tremendous challenge do
so with the full consciousness that, if they fail, they
pay with their lives the penalty of their hardihood.
Her father Schoeneus '(Mr. Chippendale), who is
also King of Scyros, over which he exercises a rule
to which there is no exception, perceives that his
daughter is in imminent danger of dying an old
maid. This thought causes him the deepest anxiety,
and he does nut hesitate to dsclare that he—
" Would die with satisfaction lively,
Not practically, but comparative—ly,
if be could only find a young gentleman so fleet of
foOt as to out-strip the Princess in the race. He is
candid enough, however, to explain, without re-
serve, the terrible alternative involved in the al-
most inevitable alternative of failure. So

" Those who have no itching for the match,
Will prove it by not coming to the scratch."
Many suitors fall back upon the better part of
valour, and discreetly retire from the perilous con
test, Others however, and among thee Paida-
gogos, through whose withered heart Cupid drives
a poionant arrow, resolve to make the dread expe-
riment, and their defeat, though death to them, is
glorious"spOrt to the amliPnes. But " well runs thel
fox that is never caught," says the old proverb. A
victor at. length appeals in the person of Hippo-
menes, who as he runs throws golden apples behind
him. HIS mistress pauses to pick up the glittering
prizes, and thus, as every schoolboy is aware, loses
the race. It is marvellous to think what fun Mr.
Talfourdhas contrived to extract out of this pretty
little story. Every incident of it he presents in the
most ludicrous aspect, and every personage is in-
vested with qualities that make him an object of
ridicule to the spectatorS. The violent contrast be-
tween the modern cockneyisms and the grandeur of
classical style and costume produces a grotesque
effect, and the dialogue is alive with humour. The
only objection to which the piece is liable is the
inconvenience that results from excessive laughter.
In this respect the actors are participes criminis
with the author, and none of them have more to
answer for than Mr. Compton, whose drollery is
unbounded, and Mr. Chippendale, whose mock
heroics, in imitating all that is imitable in Mr.
Macready, convulses the house with laughter. Nor
can we exempt from this responsibility Mrs.
Poynter, who plays the part Mississarris, " Ata-
lanta s duenna, ' the guard of the old Greek stage,
with, in this instance, an eye to the "males." Her
bonnet is otre of those things that, seen, becomes a
part of sight. " Gracious goodness l Goodness
gracious !" as Mr. Buckstone would say, " What
a bonnet !" Never before was anything like it seen
upon the head of woman. The lady's lover might
well address her in the words of the old song,
" Oh, leave ofr that bonnet,
Or I'll lay upon it
The loss of my wandering soul."

Miss Ellen Ternan and Miss Marie Wilton made
' their first appearances in the course of the evenin,,
and their performances were cordially applauded.
Miss Oliver, who is re-engaged at this theatre, als,
experienced an enthusiastic reception. Her face
sparkling all over with hippy smiles, her step airy
and elastic, and her words tripping on the tongue
with triumphant gaiety, she is seen to special advan•
tage in such light and radiant pieces.
The scenery throughout is finely executed, and
displayed in appropriate lights. There are some
beautiful " interiors' and some brilliant landscapes,
which have the charming distinctness and vividness
of Mr. Calcott's co'ouring. The front hall in the.
King's palace ; the King's orchard and kitchen gar-
den by night; the view of the race-course near
Scyros ; and an historical episode, as it is termed,
representing a heterogeneous multitude enjoying
the feStivities of the season, may be particularised
as amongst the most striking of th. 9 scenes. Nor
should,we forget .to mention, as one of the attrac-
tions of the piece, a new ballet divertissement, in
which Miss Fanny Wright dances with 'grace and
prepision.