The Sun.
London, England, 1844-04-16 00:00:00

DRURY-LANE THEATRE

The new grand ballet, Lady Henrietta; or, the
Statute Fair,, which has been recently performing,
' with immense success, at the Academie Royale de
Musique, in Paris, was produced at this theatre last
evening, for the purpose of introducing Mademoiselle
Lucille' Grai' to the English public. The scene of
the ballet is laid in England, in the time of Queen
Anne, and the story is a very simple one :—Lady
Henrietta, one of the Maids of Honour to the Queen,
accompanied by her waiting-maid, goes, disguised as
a peasant girl, to a statute fair, held in Greenwich
Park, for the hiring of servants. She then so com-
pletely fascinates Lyonnel, a young farmer, that he
refuses to marry Minna, the girl to whom he was be-
trothed, and in despair enlists as a soldier. He is
stationed on duty at Windsor Castle, where he saves
the Queen's life, and is promoted in consequence. He
sees Lady Henrietta at Court, and finding his passion
is hopeless, goes mad. In this state of things the
lady relents, and eventually Lyonnel recovers, and
they are united. The part of Lady Henrietta was
sustained by Mdlle. Lucille Grahn, by far the most
accomplished danseuse that has for a long time ap-
peared on this stage. We are no longer surpris'ed
at the marvellous stories we have heard of the
furore which this young lady has occasioned
at Milan and in Paris; and, if we mistake not, she
will create quite as great a sensation in this country.
She is very young, very pretty, and very animated—
her figure is faultless. Nothing could exceed the
graceful elegance of her poses in the grand pas de
deux with Silvain in the first act, and the ease which
she accomplished some of the most difficult tours de
force proved her to be a thorough mistress of her art,
and prepared us to expect great things in the subse-
quent part of the ballet. And highly as our expecta-
tions were raised, they were much more than realised.
It is impossible for those who have not seen bladlle.
Grahn to form the slightest idea of the exquisite beauty
of her dancing in the Pas des Venus. At one moment
she gives us the light, airy, bounding, sylph-like
movements of Taglioni—then, again, the neat, rapid,
twinkling steps of Fanny Elssler, executed
.with a
rapidity that is positively dazzling—then the arrowy
rush of Cerito, and yet there is great originality
about her style. She is no servile imitator. Dancing
is with her what language, what music is with others—
a means of expressing feeling; and most eloquently
does she discourse. To her Terpsichore is indeed a muse
—an inspiration ; the term " poetry of motion," is no
exaggeration when applied to the dancing of Made-
moiselle Lucille Grahn. None but those who
have seen her can form the slightest idea of
the marvels of the Pas des Venus—it is what many
other dances have been called, a true Pas de Fascina-
tion. It was, as a matter of course, rapturously en-
cored. Madame Giubelei, M. Delferier, and that
very clever girl, Clara Webster, danced a
rustic pas de trois admirably, were much
applauded, and in the last act, Mr. H. Payne,
as a dansomaniac, created much laughter by his
humorous vagaries in the Dense des Foes. This dance
was admirably managed, and told exceedingly ; but
we must enter our protest against the principle of
turning such a horrible - calamity as • madness into
ridicule. The laugh which is raised by the humours
of a mad-house, is but a heartless one, at best. The
scenery was magnificent, the music pretty and appro-
priate, and the mise en scene perfect. Mademoiselle
Grahn was called for at the conalusion, and, on being
led forward by Silvain, was received with the most
enthusiastic plaudits. The house was crowded in
every part.