The Sun.
London, England, 1850-08-06 00:00:00

STRAND THEATRE.

A new, original, and most thoroughly English drama
was produced here last evening, with the moat tri-
umphant succltss. It is entitled 7he Daughter of the
Stars, and is from the pen of Mr. Shirley bruukes, who
has, after a short probation, achieved for himself a po-
sition in the very front rank of living &lash drama•
tiers, and whore ieputution for the artistica! construction
and working up of a plot, for conception and delinea-
tion of character, and for dialogue, which is by turns
grave and gay, but always vigorous, and, when gay.
sparkling with brilliant epigram, will be greatly en-
nericed by the production of The Daughter of the
Stars, which is one of the best built and one
of the most intersting dramas that has been produced for
years. The following is an outline of the plot :—The
Hun. Anthony Hue kstone (Mr. Ferret)), a cold but.
shrewd man of the world, quarrels with his out-spekeu,
candid, generous nephew, Ernest Dalton, a lieutenant in
the navy (Mr. W. Farren, jun.), and, banishing him from
the house, adopts, as he thinks, the offspring of a younger
and vagabond brother—a wild gipsey ero
" Daughter of the Stars" (Mrs. Stirling), who has b- en
traced and discovered by the family lawyer, Mr. Craw-
ley (Mr. G. Cooke). The second act finds the keen
spirited and high he anted gipsey cultivatedinto the polish
and manner of a lady without having lost one-whit of the
brave we man's heart which from the first In-rat withiu
her boom. The agent in effecting the transformation
has been Katherine Dalton (Mrs. Leigh Murray), the
secretly. married wife of Ernest, and who has been in-
troduced to the family is the character of a governess,
whom Miriam loves as a sister, and upon whom even the
worldly bashaw, Mr. Ilawkstone, has an intention c.f
conferring his band. But miserably does K:therine
Dalton pay the penalty of the double game she is phi) -
ing. Mr. Haw kstone persecutes her with his addresses,
Miriam tortures her by contes.ing that she-secretly loves
her (Katherine's) husband, Ernest; and the denouement
is brought about by the sudden appearance upon the
scene tit the naval lieutenant, when tt e secret of his mar-
riogt with Katherine is revealed, followed by the advent
of Crawley, now a runaway bankrupt, who avows tiat the
gipsey is his own daughter, whom fw his own purposes
he has foi.ted upon the faintly as one f its members
The fate of the wortunate Miriam is left to the reader's
imagination; that, it must be a dreadful one there cats
be no doubt. There is introduced into the drums a
rich low comedy character, diacchus Be. s-sing (Mr.
Compton), the butler of Haw kestone, who, having for-
merly officiated us butler at St. Mildew's College. Ox-
ford, hath from that feast e f learning brought away
divers scraps, which he puts to the most amusing uses.
His "favourite aversion" is a lawyer, and he always speak,
professionally. This part was acted with quaint and
unctueur humour by Compton who made every point
t--11. Ihe part of the Daughter of the Stars was exqui-
finely pet formed by Mrs. Stirling. Her appearance as
the gipsey was beautitully picturesque, her acting as
the lady of education was the perfection of high comedy,
us her last scenes were of the most pathetic and
heart-rending tragedy. Mr. Farren'a Hawkstone
was a perfect artistical delineation, he acted
with more vigour than he has exhibited for some time
past, and we were happy to observe a marked improve-
ment in his articulation. The piece was admirably cast
and admirably put on the stage. At the conclusion all
the artistes were called on, and then there were loud
calls tor Mr.-Shirli y Brookes, who at length made his
appearance, and was greeted with enthusiastic cheers.
The house was crowded to suffocation in every part.