The Sun.
London, England, 1845-03-25 00:00:00

PRINCESS'S THEATRE.

The Stranger is a play so well known to every
part of the British empire, that an observation upon
it would be almost as superfluous as upon the opera
of La Sonnambula, yet each is so exquisitely beauti-
ful, that the announcement of either is always a
guarantee for a full house. Such was the result, last
evening, cf the announcement of The Stranger at the
Princess's; but no doubt the appearance of Miss
Cushman as Mrs. Haller attracted very many. She
is a young lady of great talent, and evidently under-
stood her part well, and appreciated it, too, for her
reading and acting produced a simultaneous disguise
of all the fi.ir eyes and faces, and a display of all the
white handkerchiefs, in every box where a female
was visible. Mr. Grahams Stranger was a
good piece of acting, and such as proves
him to be a man of no inconsiderable ta-
lent; and both he and Miss Cushman were
well supported, and did not elicit a whit more ap-
plause than they merited, though it was loud and
long-continued. The new " Grand oriental burlesque
Extravaganza" was very beautifully got up ; the
talent of the painters to whom was entrusted the exe-
cution of the scenic department of the display, was
here most effectively brought out—the distances,
lights, wood, water, and perspective, were distributed,
softened, and fixed in a manner so skilful and true to
nature, as to rivet the gaze, deceive the senses, and
elicit an involuntary burst of admiration. It opened
with a view of an oriental palace supported on arches,
beneath which appeared to flow water between arti-
ficial marble embankments, until all disappeared in
the distant meeting of the horizon. Then came a
moonlight scene of beauty still more exquisite but not
less perfect ; while the crowded corps dramatique
heightened the coup d'ceil to an effect almost magical.
The author of the piece deserves much credit for the
terse sentences and home and witty hits he has made,
of the truth and facetiousness of which the audience
admitted many proofs by their repeated plaudits.
The couplets took occasional sly hits at the state of
" things as they are," such as when Timour was
taunted with not attempting to lay siege to England,
" Where might be reaped a harvest rich and good."
The mighty monarch compassionately exclaimed
"But then her walls are only made of wood,
"Yet if he did begin, he'd make them rue it.'
Whereupon his right-hand man put in an (aside)

"So Joinville said—l'd like to see him do it."

The scene then changed to a burlesque tournament,
the Largesse of which the King Timour gave forth in
these words, pipe in hand :
"Now, Heralds, blow, and blow it long and loud ;
"And while ye raise a dust, I'll blow a cloud."

The spirit of the piece was kept up with unabated
vigour to the end, mar which the heroine, in reply to
an innuendo from the Grand Vizier, expresses her
doubts that

"A minister with power could ere abnse it."
" Aye, quoth the V. do any thing but lose it."
" I will resist him, despite all his terror,
And make him know the law by writ of error."
" Be careful, madame—Don't increase his fury;
For if you do, he'll challenge all the jury."
The piece had not concluded by twelve o'clock, and
up to that time the interest and amusement it created
and kept alive were such, that not a seat was vacated
until the curtain dropped.