The Sun.
London, England, 1844-04-09 00:00:00

SURREY.

The principal Easter piece at this theatre—for there
were two others—was an adaptation from Mr. Towns-
end's " Whitefriars," under the direction of Mr. R.
Homier, to whose skill and judgment it does consider-
able credit. The scene is laid in a period of our history
in which the worst passions of the vilest men were let
loose, and it is one, too, which is not without its interest
and moral for the times we live in. The main paint in
the plot is not unlike that upon which the interest of
Richard Savage, not long since produced here, was
founded. Mervyn (Mr. E. F. Saville) is the son of Lady
Howard (Mrs. H. Vining), by whom he is disowned,
and whom he does not know to be his mother. Under
the guidance of Titus Oates (Mr. Eleslop) and Colonel
Blood (Mr. H. Hughes), a former lover of Lady Howard's,
he is unintentionally made a party in the murder of Sir
E. B. Godfrey (Mr. Hawkins.) After his return from
the war in Scotland, whither he is forced to fiy, and
where he is made a eaptain in King Charles's
service, he falls in love with Aurora Sydney (Mrs. R.
Honner), of whose charms, Charles (Mr. Johnson) also
becomes enamoured, and whose honour be tempts by a
casket of jewels, sent by Mervyn. The offer, of course,
is indignantly rejected, but the Merry Monarch, bent
on accomplishing his object, effects a meeting with
Aurora Sydney, and endeavours to force her compli-
ance, but Mervyn rushes in, and an encounter ensues,
the King being assisted by Blood, and Mervyn by Claude
Duval (Mr. N. T. Hicks). Blood and Mervyn being
wounded are taken to the laboratory of Elkanah, a Jew
poisoner (Mr. R. Honner), to whom Lady Howard offers
a considerable sum of money, upon his undertaking to
poison both. Mervyn refuses his remedies, but the
Colonel imbibes the poison through his wound. After
it begins. to act, he calls upon Elkanah, who informs
him that Lady Howard instigated him to infuse the
poison. Before his death he procures a meeting with
Lady Howard, and just as he gets her to acknowledge
that Mervyn is her son, he calls in the latter, who is con-
cealed in an adjoining room, upon which his mother swoons
and dies in despair. The Colonel also dies from the
poison, and the curtain drops. The piece possesses some
good scenes, and was very well received. The charac-
ters are very creditably sustained. Mrs. 'Vining and
Mrs. Honner performed their respective parts with
taste and ability; and Mr. Johnson, Mr.- Hughes, and
Mr. Saville, were very effective in theirs. A little
comedy, called the Scapegrace of Paris, and a short
piece, called Barak Johnson, adapted from a tale in the
New Monthly Magazine, followed, and went off very
well. The theatre was very well attended, and the
pieces were announced for repetition amidst loud ap-
plause.

VICTORIA.

A new drama, entitled Leontine, or Sixteen Years Ago,
was produced at this theatre last night, and met with
considerable success ; the principal characters, being
sustained by Mr. Osbaldiston ; Mr. C.J. gird, a premis-
ing actor, who made his first appearance here last night ;
Mr. Coreno, also his first appearance, who played the
character of Paul Dupont, a simple hearted portrait
painter, very respectably ; Mr. Freer, Miss Vincent,
and Mrs. G. Lee, all of whom sustained their parts in a
creditable manner. The plot was well arranged, the scenery
well painted, and, in short, the piece was produced in a
manner highly creditable to the enterprising lessee. The
drama was followed by a pretty little ballet, called
Ondine, or the Water Spirit, which introduced Mr.'
Frampton's talented juvenile ballet company, eleven
in number. Some very pretty dances were performed in
a mannerwhich called down the applause of the audience.
Another drama, bearing the title of the Bridge of Kehl,
was also produced, in which Miss Saker, from the New-
ciistle Theatre, made her first appearance here, as
Madelon. After the drama, Mr. Frampton and four of
his pupils performed what the play-bills termed a
" grand pas de cinque ala Chinoise," which was also
well received, and was followed by Buckstone's Ice
Witch, a Norwegian tale of enchantment, which con-
cluded the evening's entertainments. The house was
very well attended.

OLYMPIC

The manager of this theatre has been happy this
year in catering for the amusement of his Ea.;ter pa-
trons. Two entirely new pieces bear testimony to his
efforts to deserve support; and the unqualified approba-