The Sun.
London, England, 1842-05-10 00:00:00

LYCEUM AND ENGLISH OPEICA

HOUSE.

This theatre opened last night with an excellent com-
pany, two new pieces out of four, and the preliminary
salvo of the national hymn. Charles Dance's burletta of
the Beulah Spa commenced the entertainments. The
piece itself is neatly cast, and the component characters
fait night conferred on it arnished air.. Auxiliary gemS,
also, were not wanting in the introduction • of two new
songs by Caroline Grantley (Mrs. H. P. Grattan),
both of which were sung with a deal of witchery,
and the exquisite naivete infused into I'm o'er
young to marry yet," was enhanced no less by its
light tunefulness than its fascinating style ; this lady
made a dashing beauty, a sweet guitarist, and a merry
gipsey. The waspish Mr. Batchelor (F. Matthews)
was irritative as a nettle, and reminded one of Farrell
in his best bits ; Oxberry was excellent in the maudlin
boy. L'Amour Vainquer, the second piece, laid the scene
in Idalia, and showed off to much advantage some light-
limbed dancings. Miss Ballin was the Venus—but one
of a somewhat syiphid cast, and younger than would be
imagined of the Aphrodisian Queen, unless, as supposable
at that moment, when she sprang from the sea-foam, and
might, by stretch of license, be fancied to be more juve-
nescent in her beauty ; she exhibited, nevertheless, much
rotundity 'of limb in her postures, and several
graceful swayings of the 1.6.4. Hymen and
Cupid (Miss and Master Marshall) tripped airily ; the
rapidity of Mr. Gilbert's foot-fittings was surprising,
though in some of his positions he was not Men balance.
The new burletta of Enthusiasm is without aim or plot,
and hangs together by the slenderest thread imaginable,
but has one or two clever portraitures. Messinger Smith,
of the Thespians (Mr. Walter Lacy), makes love in the
most ineffable manner to Mary (Miss J. Mordaunt) :
her old guardian, Mr. Vane Waverly (F. Mathews),
is smitten with her likewise ; but young wit, as usual.
is more alert than sexagenarian, and love and marriage
are ratified in a breath by the younger parties, and the
help of Bore (Mr. Granby). The' crazy trait, in Mr.
Waverly's composition, whereby, as a phrenologist, he
discovers the bump of destructiveness on his own head,
which drives him, while acted upon by this fancy, Or
frenzy, to demolish evtry breakable commodity within
swing, was felicitously hit. So also was Messinger Smitns
temporary assumption of the music-master. Mr.Fitzball's
new melodrama of the Trooper's Horn, or the Goblin of the
Chest, rounded the evening's entertainments. The pl4t
is based upon the nefarious action of the Wizard Earl 0
S(ailis (Mr. Diddear) who inhabits an enchanted cast*,
and wears a charmed lite. Like the styx•dipt Achilles,
he is vulnerable but upon one score ; and his deadly
enemy, Lord Robert of Brankrotne (Mr. Barker), it is
foretold him by the red fire-goblin (Master Marshal*,
shall alone achieve his death, when he behelf the face 4f.
this sprite, whom an averted head has hi titer t 4 kept hiddeb
from his sight. The Wizard hereby %es himself safe,
Since Redcap the goblin, is encased in a triple-locked
chest, which spells alone can undo. His enemy in
Lord Robert he has created by standing as'his rival,
and conspiring with him in love for Lady May, a grace-
ful and lovely personage (Miss Mordaunt). The red
sprite is unloosed by the silliness of one of the Wizard's
retainers, Annan (Mr. • Oxberry) ; they behold each
other face to face, and the Earl is about to expiate his
evils on earth, by an immortality of pain below, when
he again holds parley with the powers of darkness,
and demands what ransom they will accept for a
renewal of his life. The life of one alone will
satisfy them—her whom he loves—the Lady May.
Solely regarding his own existence, with his myrmidons
he compasses his object—on the verge. of the fatal hour
he drags her to the cauldron of immolation—the storm-
ing of the Castle at this moment takes place by her bor-
ther—Lady May sounds the horn that shakes the magic
of the Castle, an-I falls into the arms of her brother,
while the Wizard Earl is snatched to the fires of perditioti.
The scene is claimed by Scotland, but it is rather Ger-
manesqUe, we should say, than Scottish. The two cha-
racters of Cosmo and Osric, moreover, must by the wri-
ter's fancy have become transferred to the Highlands b
mistake ; they are decidedly African, and suited only t
Fez or Morocco. • As regards. sustained .excitement, titer
is no lack of this in the piece. The house was full, an
expressed itself well 'pleased.