The Sun.
London, England, 1868-05-29 00:00:00

HOLBORN THEATRE.

List evening Messrs. Boucicault and Charles
Reade's dramatic version of their very successful
novel, " Foul Play," was produced at this theatre,
with the most perfect and complete success. The
story has become so popular that its adaptation to
the stage became a matter of certainty, and it will
be at once readily admitted that more competent
hands than those of its talented authors it could
not have fallen into. The drama is divided into
four parts, and the only difficulty that pre-
sented itself was the compression of the story ;
however that has been cleverly performed, and we
have that which is not often the case a close, com-
pact, and highly interesting drama, and one which,
if we mistake not, will result in a success far
greater than that of "Flying Scud." The great fea-
ture of the piece is that a previous acquaintance
with the navel is entirely unnecessary, as from the
rising of the curtain until the close of the
fourth act.. everything is plain, clear, and
intelligible. • The first act opens in the office of
Wardlaw and Son, St. Mary Axe, during the
panic of 1866 ; and here we rind Arthur Wardlaw,
the jdvenile partner, occupied in perusing the falsi-
fied books of the firm with ruin staring him in the
face, the result of his. long-concealed system of
fraud. We also learn that he has insured a vessel
called the Proserpine, with a cargo of gold from
Australia, for more than its value, a portion of the
plot being to change the valuable cargo to another
ship, but to substitute for boxes of the precious metal
ingots of copper. He has bribed the mate of the
ship, Joe Wylie, to commit the act, and the success
of the villain's scheme is announced by the entry of
Burtenshaw, one of the underwriters of the
vessel, pale and almost distracted, to ask for time
before he is called upon to pay his part of the policy,
viz, £20,000. Joe Wylie, the mate, then arrives,
he relates the success of the scuttling of the ship, but
he causes Wardlaw some uneasiness from the fact
that there was on board a missionary chap who sus-
pected foul play. He, however, quiets him by the
information that he placed him, a lady, and four of
the crew, in a leaky boat, a thousand miles from
land, in the Pacific, so that no fear need be enter-
tained of anything arising from the circumstance, as
he would be certain to go down, provided those on
board did not perish by hunger. Arthur Ward-
law is also anxiously awaiting the return of
Sir Edward Rolleston, formerly colonial governor
of one of the penal settlements, and his daughter
Helen, to whom Arthur is the affianced husband,
who have taken their passage on board the Shannon,
another of the ships belonging to the firm, but his
horror is terrible at the entry of Sir Edward alone,
who informs him that owing to ill health his daugh-
ter was prevented shipping on board the
Shannon, but had taken her passage in athe
Proserpine. This catastrophe brings the first
act to a conclusion. The second opens with
a beautiful painted scene—" Godsend Island"
in the Pacific—where we discover Helen has been.
saved from death by Robert Penbold, and that two
of the seamen also survived long enough to make a
declaration that the vessel was wilfully cast away.
The two have been the only residents on the island
for nearly a year. Love, of course, lightens their
captivity, but not before Robert Penfold has told
IL,len that he is a convict, but that the man
who really committed the forgery for which he
suffered was no other than Arthur Wardlaw. Sir
Edward at this moment arrives, having left England
with the determination of searching atnongst the
Pacific Islands for any of the remaining survivors
'of the Proserpiue ; and on the discovery of his
daughter he also recognises in her preserver one of
the convicts who had escaped during the time he
was governor of the settlement. Helen, after a
struggle between love and duty, returns with her
father to clear the name of Robert Penfold from
ignominy, and on her arrival in London she com-
municates with the authorities in Scotland-yard.
Hawkins, a detective, is put on the track of Arthur.
He discovers the gold supposed to be on board the
Proserpine in the cellar of an old house in Cqancery
lane, and also secures Joe Wylie, who, through the
base villany of his rich companion in crime, Arthur
Wardlaw, has been left locked up in the cellar
with the gold to die, by which means he hopes to
do away with the evidence of Wylie. However,
Joe is rescued by Hawkins ; he makes a clean
breast of it, the crime is clearly brought home to
Arthur Wardlaw, and he also confesses to the for-
gery for which Robert Penfold was convicted.
Helen of course marries Penfold, Wylie is accepted
as evidence against Arthur, but the forger is bereft
of reason and falls lifeless:to the ground. It will be
at once admitted that with such a plot the success
of any drama was secured, but when to that was
added the united ability of a talented dramatic
corps, splendid new scenery, -and elegant ap-
pointments, the reception of the new piece
was enthusiastic. Mr. G. Neville, as Arthur
Wardlaw, acted with more than his usual
excellence ; Mr. D. Price, as Robert Penfold,
and Mr. J. Irving as Joe Wylie, quite realised the
characters in the novel, and Miss Hendrade as
Helen Rolleston acted the part with the utmost
feeling and pathos, whilst in the character of Nancy
Rouse, Miss Fanny Josephs threw such spirit into
it that it became one of the best in the drama.

The whole of the principal performers received

the honour of a call, and lifr. i'arselle, the clever
stage manager under whose direction the piece was
put upon the stage, announced it for representation
every evening amidst the enthusiastic applause of
very crowded audience.