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, " Oliver
Twist," 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 °co."
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 3
fair compression of the story, but unfor•
tunately it is not so. Everything has been
sacrificed for the purpose of making a part for
Mr. 'I ole, as the Artful Dodger. The story has been
cut and slashed to pieces. Little Oliver is nearly 2
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 3
remorseless, revengeful savage, but for no per"
ceptible object. 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 feelingond 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 ha 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
street row, consequent on the loss of Mr. Brown-
low's pocket handkerchief. The employes of the
theatre rush helter-skelter across the stage,
and the conventional pantomime policeman follows.
Phis 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 lvae
looked upon by the majority of the audience
as a positive relief. The second act takes 114.
to the garret of Bill Sykes, and the proposl'
tion of Monks to get Oliver back is made to Sykes
by the Jew ; Nancy agrees to secure him, and Oliver
Is in a few minutes brought into the garret. 111
-,econd scene is in Mr. Brownlow's house ; an
the last the arches of London-bridge, where
Nancy communicates her suspicions to the old gec-
tleman and Rose Maylie, and is overheard, not by
Noah Claypole, bat by the Artful Dodger. In the
third act Fagin excites Bill Sykes to vengeance 01/
Nancy, and finally, in a garret in St. Gilcs,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
Lhe murderer" before Nancy is shot !
With 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 verso°
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 supe-
rior to that Mr. Oxenford. Mr. Toole as the Art'
ful Dodger was of course funny, and elicited
laughter whenever he pleased, but his ercleci
bodiment of the character cannot be look
upon as one of his great successes'
it was over acted throughout. Mr. Irving 's j3lll
Sykes was one of the best things in the piece, 11.,
make-up being very artistic, and quite a la Colll,
shank. Mr. Ryder's Fagin was but a very ordinat:,
r
performance, but Miss Hodson again went f
and secured honours for her assumption of the Part
of Oliver. Of Mr. Brough's Bumble we have nothing
to say, either good or bad ; he had nothing to cl°
which even the " utility" man could not il5
accomplished.

The scenery was gqpd and elicited loud applause'
but when Mr. Ryder put the piece for repetition
every evening until further notice, the question 01
by no means unanimously agreed to, and an iraPa;
tial Speaker might have said, had a division beef
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.)

GRAVESESD, Monday Mania"

Wind, N. ; dull.
Arrived, April 12.—Trident, steamer, from Ilambill:0:
Dacia, steamer, from Odessa; Eider, from Rostock; Vslo
Queen, steamer, from Dieppe; Leo, steamer, from ItoL
terdam.

A rived, April 13—Carl 15th, steamer, from Gothenburg'
f lli
Orion, steamer, from Antwerp ; Fyenoord, steamer, -r o r
Rotterdam; Sjofna, from Christiana; Fourth of Novenibe,..l
from Skiel ; Western Norland, from Frederickstadt ; Pr
tesus, from Melbourne ; Vigil, from Shanghai; Racer, 119"4-
Melbourne ; Seine, steamer, from Boulogne. iot
Sailed, April 12—T weed, for Buenos Ayres; ConOrci
steamer, for Boulogne.

DEAL, Monday Morning•

Wine N.N.E., fresh.
ter I
Passed—Foolk Rohaman, bark Fortitude, of BO
and Jennie, brig, from the north for the west; Yobs':Pl-
oh
screw steamer, from Santander for London.

FLOWERING SUNDAY.-A very pretty ellstolll
prevails in the country districts of South Wales of assij;
bling in the churchyards on Palm Sunday and spread s,
fresh flowers upon the graves of friends and relatiliely
After the late mild winter spring flowers are unusu6;
plentiful, and on "Flowering Sunday," as Palm Soll°,l a
canal in this locality, all the churchyards were dressed
bright flowers and wreaths of evergreen. The o°lo
not by any means confined to the lower classes, all" re
many of the graveyards flowers of hothouse culture IC°

mingled with the more modest field flowers.
ROYAL
BOTANIC
SOCIETY, REGENT'S pAR1C.";,,,,,
a meeting of the fellows of this society on Saturday—"'",-,1,
fessor Robert Bentley in the chair—the names of the
lowing candidates for fellowship were read :—lklr• 110°0,
Duval, Mr. E. W. Allpress, Mrs. Mackenzie, gr. p
Hankie, Mrs. Edward Walker, Mrs. Jones, Miss Ceu":o3
and Mr. Archibald] J. Brunton, in addition to 16 eje-t
on the same clay. Alr
RETALIATION.—At a recent meeting of the 0'
caster Town Council, Mr. Alderman George beksc)to
himself a spirit merchant, gave notice of his intentioll
et
move, at the next meeting, " That no wine, sPirits'tlie
fermented liquors be allowed to be consumed bY
on
corporation when assembling in the Council Chareb,eirieg
Sundays to attend divine service." lie proposed ""tio
so, he said, on account of their having adopted a Pc„t
iu favour of the Sale of Liquors on Sundays nil" the
which, if it became law, they would be deprivieS ele
working man of the opportunity of getting a glass
in a public-house on a Sunday, whilst they (the 00,4):ai'
tion) would be drinking their wine in the Council uiforo
her. Ile wished them to act consistently, and there if,
it was that ho intended to bring his motion forwardies to
however, gentlemen chose to bring their own b°ttboalci
the hall, and carry the wino home to drink, he sid be
not object.—ln reply to the Mayor, Mr. Jackson Ba, for
most certainly should press his motion, and an Ott.'
the next meeting was made accordingly.