The Sun.
London, England, 1844-02-13 00:00:00

ST. JAMES'S THEATRE-FRE

NCH

PLAYS.
M. L'Herie, from the Theatre des Varietes, made a very
successful debt at this theatre last evening. He is one of
the most.versatile of actors, in fact, a French I‘lathews. The
first piece in which he appeared was Le Roi et le Comedien; a
piece which must be familiar to many of our readers, as it has
already been adapted, more than once' if we mistake
not, to the English stage. In this he appeared as
Stolbach, the celebrated German actor, who having
undertaken, for the amusement of his friends, to personate
Frederick the Great of Prussia, encounters the real lird
fi k,
by whom he had been previously banished from Berlin. or a
similar . L'Hene, as
piece of impertinence. The acting
was admirable. It was really scarcely possible todistinguish
Stolbach personating Frederick, and of Barquio,fas Frederick,
one from the other. At the fall of the curtain L'Herie was.
called for, and appeared, leading forward Barqui. Le
et le Comedien is an excellent vaudeville, certainly one
Rol
of the best that has been produced this season—
it was moreover excellently acted and well put
upon the stage. The vaudeville of l'Art de ne pas
monter an Garde followed, in which M. L'Herie appeared
as Victor, an actor who. for neglecting to attend to his
duties as one of the National Guard has been condemned to
fifteen days' arrest.: He escapes from the gensdarmes, who
are conducting him to,prison, and takes refuge in the room
of a young bonnet-maker. He hears the gensdarmes mount-
ing the stairs in pursuit, he bars the door, puts on an old
dressingwith a handkerchief, gown which
takes h e findshis paints
in the
from room, ties up his head
his
pocket, goes to
the glass and makes up his face for an old man, and when the
gensdarmes arrive, they find him transformed into a garrulous,
childish, old man. The transformation was admirable ;
and as it was made in the presence of the audience
the effect was vastly incFeasecl. His acting was ex-
cellent • never has a vteux bavard been better de-
lineated'. He gets .rid of the gensdarmes, but meets
with theinitor of the young bonnet-maker, who, taking him
for the girl's uncle, asks his consent to the marriage.
He gives it, of course, and then takes refuge in a cabinet,
to endeavour to make his final escape. The girl herself then
enters accompanied by one of her lovers,
o is ftirious at
finding Victor's hat on the table. In the midst of the dis-
pute Victor himself emerges from the cabinet disguised as a
negress, the young bonnet-maker quits the room, and the
megress commences making love to the jealous youth, who
seems notaltogether insensible to her attractions; but on
kissing her hand lie finds the black comes off on his face, he
suspects some trick, and Victor finding all further disguise use-
less boldly confesses his real character, and bullies the other out
of the room. Victor then seeks refuge in the chimney, just
in time to escape from his pursuers. They search the room
and the cabinet, of course without effect, and are about to
search the chimney when Victor, in the garb of a chimney
sweep, and speaking in the Savoyard dialect, appears before
them. He relates his family distresses, and so works upon
the feelings of his auditors by his pathetic appeal, that
he gets from them not only money but snuff-boxes, and other
valuable articles. The real' chimney-sweeper, ; with whom
Victor had changed clothes, now appears, and poor Victor is
at length- captured. The acting of L'Herie was admirable
throughout ; there was something exceedingly comic in his
personation of the negress, and his ramoneur was one of the
most characteristic delineations we have ever seen. The
house was well and fashionably attended.

GAMING (QUI TAM) Actions.—This Bill has pas.sed
the Lords, and stands for second reading in the Comnions.
It is to discontinue certain actions under statutes for the
prevention of excessive gaming, and to prevent for the future
the bringing of such actions. It is provided that proceedings
commenced by common informers for penalties incurred by
playing at or betting on certain games shall be discontinued
playing or betting at the games mentioned
without the consent of the Attorney-General. The following
games are specified :—" Horse-races, foot races, boat-races,
toonbaeperioeuagtihotnttoor the
regattas, rowing-matches; sailing-matches, coursing:matches;
fencing-matches, gblf;
,Wrestling2matches cricket tennis,
fivds •ractrldts,-/01%44 titioils; curling; and !Alt tingbtotie." 'lllr.
Milner Gibson has given notice of a motion on horse-races,.