The New York herald., 1869-06-13
THE LONDON STAGE.
Gossip About the Drama-What In Doing and
What is Going 10 BE Done.

'NOW u tue Wlnttr Vi our uiocoh- nahb 'haI
fellow shakspeare He is eyerIastlngH cropping up
TO my discontinue. Had he not been born before
me. what man / should have BEEN NV name
would have risen like a mountain above the sphere
OF time. But he has forestaled all my good things
Somebody else has, nevertheless, made a similar
complaint Z" Pe'edn Qtu nOstra ante nos dtreru1A'
What / was going 70 say when you, reader, inter-
rupted me was that the winter OF our discomfort
IKE that OF our climate, Is far ever from being
turned into glorious summer OF any kind whether
moral or meteorological. The weather which, In It's
influence on the drama and other entertainments,
discussed so learnedly In my last letter has been
going from bad to worse, the few bright,
warm days which now and then glad
den our hearts being Immediately succeeded
by spells OF gloom and horror which tell wefuy on
the spirits. At this present writing / feel that 1t
would have been well for the world and myself that
had never been born, and envy the Irishman who
declared that his father and mother never had
child, neither boy girl. On Thursday last, 30
cheerful and consoatory was the weather, that felt
as II could have forgiven my enemies-hang them!
To-day am at war with mankind, for the clouds
lower, and oh, the rainl the weary dreary rain how
1t pattered on my wndow-sll Eleven months wet
and one IN onth m0st-that is fair description Of
one English year. Talk OF the flowers OF May, for
s0othl Marry come up with you Here is May, at
least SO the Almanac says, but where be the iow-
ersf Poor things, they are at their Wits ends, or
rather their roots ends to make out what It means
whether they are TO come out or go in, 30 contra
oictory Is the season. A rose in my garden told
me as much this morning Sometimes we have
storm and sunshine prevailing simultaneously in
different parts OF London. That Is just what nap
pened the other day-the rain falling in torrents In
Holborn while the sunbeams were dancing efrugent-
ly upon the old tower at Cananoury. Fancy fellow
going home TO his wife as wet as a fish while the
aforesaid wife IL as dry as chalk, although she has
Al af
the climate typlnes apty enough the condition OF the
dramatic world "The theatrical horizon wears
changefu countenance' as the penny -aners would
say; which, being dissolved into homely English,
simply means that some o. tue theatres are dong
haymarket, the Prince OF Wales, and the Globe
drive tnrlvlng trade; the Royalty too, Is prosper
GUS, and the strand Is nightly turning money from
the door-the worst thing earth TO turn from any
door. En- T'dpdache there Is not much dong at the
Gayety, the Adelphi and the Holborn while the
Olympic and the Princess are both on the eve OF
closing, and Drury Lane and the Lyceum are al
ready shut.
AT the Haymarket Mr.. Blackstone has had pleasant
proof that tnere Is no pay like "Home" for drawing
good houses. The piece has had a great run; but
well runs the fox that Is never caught and as much
be said OF the drama, which, however successful,
comes not to an end. The piece is TO be played for
the last time tins season on tomorrow evening; and
during the first fortnight OF June Mr.. Sothern Will
appear alternately as Garrick and Lord Dundreary.
He VIII then go TO the Standard To fulfil starring
engagements in conjunction with Miss Ada Caven-
dlsl. Apropos OF Home" the cast OF the pay was
weakened OF late by the temporary retirement OF
that excellent comedian, Mr.. Compton nee Macken-
zie, In consequence, | grleve TO say, OF
severe domestic afilicuon. His son-an amable and
promising young man-who was studying for the
medical profession and acted as assistant a
try doctor, was seized with scarlet fever few days
since while In assduous attendance upon a
patient, and soon paid with his young life
the heroic penalty OF MS devotion ~ to duty.
last and played with his customary humor. Alas
my heart What a world 1t Is ! What sorrow and
anguish lie but an inch beneath the surface Of the
the saddest surely must be the task OF making
Others laugh while ones own heart is breaklng The
drama or " Home" VIII be revived In The autumn.
Some changes In the allotment OF characters have
already occurred, and may again, but let US hope
mat they Will not AFFECT Mr. Sothern, Mr.. Compton,
your countryman, Mr.. Chippendae, one OF the
soundes. actors on the London boards or that de-
hghtful little actress Miss Caroline Hin Mrs Feath
erstonnaugh IN domestic life) VINO plays so charm
ingiy in the love-scene IN the second act. Mr.. Soth
ern will be succeeded at this house by Miss Bateman,
VINO VIII appear in new comedy written for her
by Mr.. Tom Taylor, and In which she has been reap
Ing fresh laures IN the provinces. During the "on"
season the theatre WIN be In the hands OF Mr.. Bar
nett who, with Mr.. Ryder for chief actor, win At
tempt legitimate business.
The Princess theatre Is TO reopen on Wednesday
next for short Shaksperean season, when will be
produced "The Merchant OF Nenicen with Herr
Fornes as Shylock and Mss r. Bouyerie as Porta.
The engagement, informed, is only for a
'limited period"-twnar engagement ever for
more In TINS evanescent world Y-and at IT'S terni-
nation the house will be accessible for some weeks
only TO painters decorators and carpenters, whose
presence Is nowhere more greatly needed, the
inconvenlent III London. so ingenousy incon-
venlent indeed is the plan OF the house. that. there
are seats In II whose occupants miga just well
be walking up and down Broadway for all they see
Of the play. Not that this Is always a hardship,
out there IL an OLD theory that people who 20 TO the
play may as well have view OF the actors. The |
next season Will commence on the ID OF August.
There are those who delight to collect the olym-
pic dust, quoth the Latin lyrst, and such persons
VIII have abundant opportunity 10 indulge their
propensity next week, when the olympic Is TO be
gwen over to dust and darkness Despite the excel.
lent acting OF Mr.. Benjamin WEBSTER and Mr.. Mellon /
In ''MasKs and Faces' aud "One Touch OF Naturen
the public have OF late fought shy Of the little theatre
in Wych street, and the loss to the manager must
have been very great. Mr.. Webster goes back to his
old quarters the Adelphi where he VIII appear next
Monday IN new piece adapted from the french by
his son, to be called 'Eye.n
Al the strand Mr.. Broughs Easter piece, "Joan OF
Arc,n runs It's course triumpnantly, despite the
wonderful discovery OF the learned Mr.. Delaperre,
that there never was any such person on earth as
the "Maid OF Orleans," and Mr. j. Clarse continues
TO convuse the audience by his laughabe acting IN
the comedy OF "Fox and Geese.r
Money still holds sway at Mr.. Barry sulivan's
theatre, IN Ho!born-(as where does it not Y)-but
more curiOus novelties IN preparation. Of these
the most remarkable Is a historical play by very
learned pundit and exc member OF the ROYAL So |
ciety to 6e named-Of all things In the word-"Four.
and-Twenty Hours with oliyer Cromwell" Less |
than that dld for poor Charles Stuart It Is UNDER
stood tnat Mr.. Thomas Carlyle has engaged box /
for every night OF the performance that ne wor-
snip his IDOL, the Protector, II not the nesh, at
least In mmetc form.
holiday piece by Mr.. Alfred Thompson entitled |
columbus; or The Original pitch In a Merry |
keyn and which, though described as an opera |
b0GDe. might be more appropriately characterized |
an operatc burlesque, Is the chief attraction at
the Gayety. As lar regards the mise scene II Is
OF The most respendent plays ever witnessed IN
ths village the scenery, by Messrs. TelDn, Gordon |
ana Malt Morgan, being magnificent, and the cos. |
tunes superb. The girls on the stage are dazzngly |
atlred, aud each man SHINES Ike minen |
whether the play Is worth so gorgeous candle |
is another matter. There are no breaK-downs nor
cellar-nap dances but there are plenty o. groesque
incidents, and the text abounds IN puns, many OF
which sound the lowest depths OF verbal depravity
IL s piece OF brilliant nonsense, well danced aud
richly dressed, and, thanks 10 It's splendid mounting
and the clever acting OF Miss T.. Farren. Miss Con.
Loseby, Mr. Joseph Robins and Others, it goes
down swimmngly with the majority OF the audience,
let the 'Judiciousn groan as they may.
The play going world all agog with laughter at
the most ludcrous OF burlesques by Nj. H. j. Byron,
entitled "The Corsican Botners; or, The Trouble
some Twins.n which was produced at the Globe
theatre ON Whit Monday, aud continues to draw
great houses. IL is a piece OF tomoolery, as its
name implies; but TO find fault with II on that ac
count like censuring a circle for being round
IL Is every excellent foong.r and In begulling the
1nI