The Sun.
London, England, 1850-12-27 00:00:00

SADLER'S WELLS THEATRE.

A crowded and very unusually noisy audience as-
sembled at this theatre last night to witness the first
performance of the new Christmas pantomime. Boxes,
pit, and gallery were alike filled to overflowing, and
the inconvenience endured from the heat and pressure
must have been extreme. The performances opened
with Southern's tragedy of Isabella, the principal
characters of which were sustained
_kl` Miss Glyn,
Mr. Marston, Mr. Bennett, and Mr. Waller, and so
far as could be judged from a pantomimic performance
the play appeared to be well cast and judiciously per-
formed ; but owing to the uproar that prevailed,
arising, it must be admitted, from a riotous spirit of
fun more than any worse feeling, the tragedy was
gone through from beginning to end pretty much in
dumb show. Then followed the event of the evening,
the new pantomine, entitled Harlequin and the louse
that Jack Built in 1851. It will, of course, be per-
oeived atonce that advantage was taken of the greqt
forthcoming Exhibition to procure a Litt ii for the panto
mfzne, and,toccreate, a prepossession in favouz .of .it ;,
and expectation was so far satisfied, that one of the
opening scenes exhibited a very beautiful representa-
tion of the crystal palace, which called forth the loud
and repeated applause of the audience—a feeling that
was in no way diminished as the Nepaulese Ambas-
sador, Jenny Lind, and various other distinguished
personages arrived to visit it ; but when a clerical-
looking personage arrived, intended, apparently, to
represent Cardinal Wiseman, he was unceremoniously
dismissed from the stage as not good enough to keep
company with the other visitors. This was about
the only allusion to the late polemical discussions
"that occurred in the course of the evening. The
scene, however, in a short time changed to the adven-
tures of Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp; and
after going through the prominent passages in
the life of that worthy, Aladdin was changed
into Harlequin, the Sultan's daughter into
Columbine, the Sultan into Clown, and Alad-
din's Mother into Pantaloon. These parts were
sustained by Mr; .C. Fenton, Miss Caroline Parkes,
Mr. Charles Stilt,: and Mr. aylor. There was also
a Sprite, enacted by Mr. R. Stilt, and a Juvenile
Clown, performed by a little lithe limbed fellow,
Master Charles Stilt. Then followed the usual tricks
and transformations which, from time immemorial,
have formed the wonder and delight of the juvenile
audiences assembled on these occasions. The panto-
mime was more political in its allusions than we re-
member it to have been in former years; and we
cannot say that the fun was increased by this no-
velty. The author was apparently afraid of car-
rying one of his political hits to its legitimate point,
lest he should offend some one or other in the audience.
When little John's Bills for next session turned
into a long Parliamentary train, the clumsy vehicle,
' valich evinced its name in the slowness of its mo-
tion, was rolled off the stage amidst the silent wonder
of the audience, who seemed hardly to know whether
a satire or a eulogy was intended. It was otherwise
in the case of Lord Brougham, whose
_various and
übiquitous appearances, as an English chancellor, a
French citizen, an American schoolmaster, a boar
hunter at Cannes, and a poacher in Westmoreland,
elicited great laughter and applause • and the pro-
posed monument to Sir Robert Peel, being a tableaux
of a family in hunger and despair on one side, and a
large twopenny loaf on the other, as an illustration of
"old and of new times, was, though perhaps not very
original, warmly applauded. It must be added that
there were a few mischances in the moving of the
machinery incident to every first performance; but
we are not sure that the failures thus caused were not
among the greatest sources of enjoyment to the good-
natured but noisy audience.

MARYLEBONE THEATRE.
The performances here last night were of the good
old legitimate school, and the audience of the real
holiday sort ; a pantomime they came out to see, and
nothing else would they pay attention to. The tragedy
of George Barnwell preceded the all-important event
of the night, including in its cast Mr. Dickinson,
Mr. Grant, J. Herbert, J. W. Simpson, Miss Isabel
Simpson, and Mrs. H. Vining, all of whom exerted
themselves to the utmost, but all in vain, for scarcely
one word of the whole tragedy was audible, and all
parties, actors and audience, seemed heartily glad when
it was over. In the due course of time the period
arrived, and up rose the curtain on the pantomime of
Harlequin Alfred the Great; or, the Magic Bango
and the Mystic Raven, and the opening commences
in the playground of despair, where the Demon of
Despair is rejoicing at the state persons arrive at
who indulge in the Blue Devils, and shows four
tableaux of the stages of Despair. The first, " The
Betrayed Maiden ;" the second, " The Poor Needle-
woman ;" the third, " The Gambler ;" and last,
" The Manager at Christmas Time despairing that he
has not a Pantomime." This increases Despair's joy,
when Hope appears, and visits the last of the four
tableaux, and tells him, " There's a good Time com-
ing," for the shade of Grimaldi hangs over their head.
The subject of Alfred the Great is fixed upon for the
harlequinade, and we are then carried to earth, where
the main incidents in the life of that monarch are
most admirably burlesqued, more particularly the
scene in the swineherd's cottage. His love for Ethels-
witha is also made a feature of, and the opening con-
cludes at the camp of Guthrum, the Dane, where
Alfred, throwing off his disguise, announces him-
self, when Hope steps forward and frustrates
Despair, by changing Alfred into Harlequin, the
Swineherd into Pantaloon, Guthrum into Clown, and
the fair Ethelswitha to Columbine. The fun then
commences, and the game speeds merrily through a
number of scenes, local and otherwise, until the pur-
suit is ended, and all parties meet in the realms of
hope, a most beautiful fairy tableaux. The scene that
elicited the most applause was the change from Hyde
Park to the Crystal Palace, a very clever mechanical
effect. The Pope, General Haynau, and nearly all
the events of the past year, are most happily hit off,
and were loudly cheered. Mr. T. Matthews was the
Clown, Mdlle. Louise Blanche Columbine, Mr. Mor-
land Harlequin, and Mr. Lloyd Pantaloon. The sce-
nery and dresses were excellent, and everything has
been done to secure a good run. The house was
crammed to suffocation, and the performances did not
conclude until a late hour.

[We are compelled for want of space to defer till to-
morrow several notices of Theatres, the Exhibi-
tions, &c.]

isthhaetrr the e
errors.
Virgin i
The
n
AN EPISCOPAL MINISTER ON TRIAL FOR ROMAN
ISM
charges trial
aheresygains
tin h holdingim
are,andhat
he
teaching a
s
taughtßom
—The Rev. 0. S. Prescott, of Boston, United Stat o
Mary is an object of worship ; the doctrine of transubstan-
tiation ; that auricular confession to a priest on the part of
the members is pr,
of the Church
oper, and allowable
and profitable; that priestly absolution, in' connexion
with auricular confession, is allowablE, and desirable and
profitable ; and that he has adopted customs and practices
repegnant to the teachings of the Church, contrary to the
spirit and meaning of her standards, as well as opposed to
her established usages, and a violation of her common law.
Tl:e standing committee of the diocese of Massachusetts,
i.ppointed by Bishop Eastburn as an ecclesiastical court for
the trial of the reverend gtritlemv, have requested the
Bishop to institute proceedings in accordance with the canons
made for the determination of such cases.
FORT GSORGE.—The portion of the Crown land
attached to Fort George, with the fishings along the coast,
was on Friday last sold at Stevenson's rooms, George-street,
at 6,5001. The purchaser was A gentleman of this city.—
Edinburgh Advertiser.

MADAME LAFFRAGE.--A letter from Montpelier
states, that the health of Madame Laffrage has declined so
much, that but little hope is entertained of saving her life.
It is proposed to remove her to a Maison de Sante, but that
measure, it is thought, will not prove of any avail.