The Sun.
London, England, 1868-04-13 00:00:00

QUEEN'S THEATRE.

On Saturday evening the new dramatic version
of Mr. Charles Dickens's famous story, 4, Oliver
Fwist," which it was at first rumoured had been
prohibited by the Lord Chamberlain, was produced
at this theatre. With respect to the original work
itself we are not called upon to say a single word ;
it is a book that will ever retain its place amongst
the great creations of its world-renowned author as
one of the most extraordinary tales of fiction
in the English language, but on the present occa-
sion our duty is to deal with the latest dramatic
version of the celebrated work. The greatest ex-
pectations arose when it became known that Mr.
John Oxenford had undertaken the task, it being
generally supposed that we should have at least a
fair compression of the story, but unforA
tunately it is not so. Everything has been
sacrificed for the purpose of making a part for
Mr. loole, as the Artful Dodger. The story has been
cut and slashed to pieces. Little Oliver is nearly a
nonentity; Bumble sinks down to nothingness;
Fagin is altogether a mystery to those who have
not read the work ; Bill Sykes, it is true, is kept a
remorseless, revengeful savage, but for no per-
ceptible cbject. Mr. Brownlow is converted into an
insignificant person ; Nancy is changed into Mrs.
Sykes, and Rose Maylie and Mrs. Corney merely
appear once during the whole of the three acts, and
nothing more. The part of the Dodger, for which all
this sacrifice has been made is, in reality, after
all, quite a burlesque character, and to most of
those present on Saturday evening there must have
been but one feeling, and that was of regret, to find
that such merciless and unscrupulous mutilation
had been performed by an author of the standing
of Mr. Oxenford. The adapter has omitted nearly
the whole of the moral of the work, and that
portion of it which he has retained is con-
fined to the coarser, but true, realities of the
book, without the least connection or continuity.

The first scene is devoted to Mrs. Corney and
Bumble in the workhouse. In the second Oliver is
found journeying on to London, and we are intro-
duced to the Artful Dodger. In the third Oliver
is brought to Fagin in the thieves' den. The
fourth scene is pure pantomime, illustrative of 3
street row, consequent on the loss of Mr. Brow w
low's pocket handkerchief. The employes of the
theatre rush helter-skelter across the stage,
and the conventional pantomime policeman follows•
This scene called down great disapprobation. The
first act closed with Oliver's examination before the
magistrate, whose continual reiteration of the
words " Who's that whistling in the court ?" made
the audience hiss loudly. The Artful Dodger
makes an absurd and ridiculous scene in the
witness-box, and the fall of the act drop was
looked upon by the majority of the audience
as a positive relief. The second act takes 113

to the garret of Bill Sykes, and the proposi-
tion of Monks to get Oliver back is made to Sykes
by the Jew ; Nancy agrees to secure hire, and Oliver
is in a few minutes brought into the garret. The
second scene is in Mr. Brownlow's house ; and

the last the arches of London-bridge, where
Nancy communicates her suspicions to the old gen-
tleman and Rose Maylie, and is overheard, not by
Noah Clapp°le, but by the Artful Dodger. In the
third act Fagin excites Bill Sykes to vengeance oil
Nancy, and finally, in a garret in St. Giles's,
Nancy is murdered by a pistol shot from Sykes'
Sykes himself being killed in trying to escape by the
roof from the crowd below who clamour ‘, secure
the murderer " before Nancy is shot !
IVith such a work as Oliver Twist, such a talented
company, and such a theatre as the new Queen's, it

is very regretable that so crude a dramatic version
of the novel should have been produced; and, what-
ever may be said of the former versions acted at the
Surrey and other theatres, they were very far sups"
rior to that Mr. Oxenford. Mr. Tuole as the Art•
ful Dodger was of course funny, and elicited

laughter whenever he pleased, but his era;
bodiment of the character cannot be looked
upon as one of his great successes'
it was over acted throughout. Mr. Irviug's 13i1
Sykes was one of the best things in the piece, his
make-up being very artistic, and quite a la Crto'
shank. Mr. Ryder's Fagin was but a very ordinary
performance, but Miss Hodson again went in f°:
and secured honours for her assumption of the part
of Oliver. Of Air. Brough's Bumble we have nothing
to say, either good or bad ; he had nothing to do
which even the " utility" man could not We
accomplished.
The scenery was good and elicited loud applause'
but when Mr. Ryder put the piece for repetitil
every evening until further notice, the question W 3
by no means unanimously agreed to, and an imPir;
tial Speaker might have said, had a division bean
called for, " the Noes have it."
The attendance was perhaps the largest that
assembled since the pretty theatre opened.

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE—This Dal"

(BY TELEGRAPH.)
GEAVESESD, Monday Morning'

Wind, N. ; dull. ;
Arrived, April 12.—Trident, steamer, from Harabur-4
Dacia, steamer, from Odessa; Eider, from Rostock;
Queen, steamer, from Dieppe; Leo, steamer, from P'l2

terdam.
rrived, Aprill3—Carllsth, steamer, from Gothenburgo;l
Orion, steamer, from Antwerp; Fyenoord, steamer, fr° r
Rotterdam ; Sjofna, from Christiana ; Fourth of Noveni
from Skiel ; Western Norland, from Frederickstadt ; °0
twos, from Melbourne; Vigil, from Shanghai; Racer, U°

Melbourne ; Seine, steamer, from Boulogne.
Sailed, April 12—Tweed, for Buenos Ayres; Concor
steamer, for Boulogne.

DEAL, Monday Morniog"

Wine N.N.E., fresh.
oterf
Passed—Foolk Rohaman, bark, Fortitude, of
to,
and Jennie, brig, from the north for the west;
screw steamer, from Santander for London.

FLOWERING SUN D AY. —A very pretty Ctlstr
prevails in the country districts of South Wales of ale
bling in the churchyards on Palm Sunday and spres",o.
fresh flowers upon the graves of friends and reletigili
After the late mild winter spring flowers are unusu
plentiful, and on " Flowering Sunday," as Palm SllOl ,lilo
mile.' in this locality, all the churchyards were dreSse;iii
bright flowers and wreaths of evergreen. The cllsto ie
not by any means confined to the lower classes, 6/1.-f0
many of the graveyards flowers of hothouse culture 1"
mingled with the more modest field flowers. A
ROYAL BOTANIC SOCIETY, REGENT'S- PARIC'..;r
a meeting of the fellows of this society on Saturdar". f
fessor Robert Bentley in the chair—the names of °tie, d
lowing candidates for fellowship were read :—gr•
Duval, Mr. E. W. Allpress, Mrs. Mackenzie, gr* -;011
Honkie, Mrs. Edward Walker, Mrs. Jones, Miss C°ll"cttoil
and Mr. Archibald] J. Brunton, in addition to 16 Cie

on the same day. - Lit/'
RETALIATION.—At a recent meeting of the ;400,
caster Town Council, Mr. Alderman George St'e'i; to
himself a spirit merchant, gave notice of his intenti°: Or
move, at the next meeting, "That no wine, spirit'oe
fermented liquors be allowed to be consumed bir oD
corporation when assembling in the Council ChatnbAeoia
Sundays to attend divine service." Ho proposed
so, he said, ou account of their having adopted a
tl
in favour of the Sale of Liquors on Sundays 131."' t,lO
which, if it became law, they would be deprivinsvia
working man of the opportunity of getting a gles%° ore'
in a public-house on a Sunday, whilst they (the °,1.,
tion) would be drinking their wine in the Council 'foto
her. He wished them to act consistently, and til jf•
it was that he intended to bring his motion forWnr",i4 te,
however, gentlemen chose to bring their own botkiroola
the hall, and carry the wine home to drink, he 5,J,113a„
tr not object.—ln reply to the Mayor, Mr. Jackson 10'
most certainly should press his motion, and an en
the next meeting was made accordingly.