The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-02-03
THE BLONDE BURLEs0 UERs.
Mobile Critic Assaults and Caresses
the Lydia Thompson Troupe.

The Mobile Register prints an article-des-
criptive and aesthetic, slashins and caressing,
truthful and poctical-apropoS of the fair
haired Britshers now performing In Mobile
That the Charleston youth may know what to
expect if the Lydia Thompson troupe come
this way, we transfer the article to our col
umns.
Dulce est leSipeTe in loc0-which was doubt
less meant by the author to be literally rem
dcrcd-British blondes are no end Of fine
thing in their place. What that place may be,
it is not so easy to define. 1t certainly is not
in the legitimate drama, we are doubtful about
putting It in the ballet, and we hardly think
about them with the youth who declared,
There should be a gunboat in every family"
There was not long since corporation In the
goody city Of Paris, called La Societle pour Ia
1rouGgatiOn deS tenineS blondes. That's 1t.
We have found the locum at last But with us
underdone Americans, the British Blondes seem
only a pllzzliug entrenSt between the solid roast
beef of the drama and these highly saccha-
rine dulces suggested by sawdust and Spangies.
Criticism were guilty Of needless cruelty did
she stop to break upon the wheel butterflies
such as burlcsqucs must Of needs be-. And
perhaps it were more discreet to say but little
of the personality that now and then comes
simmer of gaudy wings. But the troupe has
come to us hcraldcd with many blasts. We
have been hidden to tumble before the sound,
even MS stones In the walls of Jericho; and be-
fore we do this might we not just glunce into
the LARGE end of tile horn and see If it be really
'sound and fury signlylng nothing!
The burlcsques are simple threads OF absur-
dity on which to string fearful puns, broad
hits at the times, and q number of very fair
nj, cnl
of these comes Miss Lydia Thompson, the
piece lie resistance, albeit not large nor, we
Should opinc, peculiarly tender. She is petite.
trim and very spicy: with neatly moulded
limbs and Il sprightliness Of face and body
telling little of her long stage life. In fact,
Miss Thompson bids fair to rival Delazet in
this tcnacity of youth at least, for, undressed
at the fOotllghts, she does not look sixteen:
AS an actress she is nothing If not CHIC; pert
gesture here and moue there, taking the
place of the power and voice she lacks. AS
i. singer, Miss Thompson had best not be
noticed; but as dancer she does better.
Yet We do not think, as whole, that her
performance is as clever as those OF two
others in the same line known to Moblle-Mrs.
Oates and Sophie Worrel. The former has
equal advantages Of face, figure and vivacity.
She, too, is nothing If not chic, while her voice
is infinitely better. Sophie Worrel, with less
personal attractions than Miss Thompson, has
quite as much of the very peculiar forte OF bur-
lcsqucs. !,
This is not q new opinion formed on short
acquaintance of two nights. We have seen
Miss Thompson and her troupe in New YORK,
Baltimore and elsewhere, with every accesso-
ry OF scenery and stage effect. And we hon-
csily think that so well supported, so well
..mounted,r Mrs. Oates would make far
greater success-if as lceH managed:
Next in the trump Of fame comes MISS Mark
ham. The pens of the critics have Deen IKE
lover of wolncn' They have been .'shrieking
and screaming Pauline. While Miss Thomp-
son is small, Miss Markham is large. While
one is LIGHT the other is heavy. While one is
pi0uante the other is-well-not. Besides
fully developed person, generously exhibited,
we sec little claim Miss Markham has upon our
brothers Of the quill, (of course we speak
upon tho surfacc,) for her acting is ferociously
mild and her voice is peculiarly fitted
for that simple ballad. 81 cannot sing to-
night" There are other feminine men,
bers of the troupe, but we have little to say
of them-cXcept that they are very wllitcd and
most blondely bcwigged-save Miss Eliza
Weathersby. She is the sole member of the
troupe who does not seem to think that na-
tnrc-''above the belt"-should be entirely
hidden. A jolly, pretty and sprightly ,specl-
men of the maids Of Merrie England" we
vcrtisemcnt of the chemist; and she has an
arch pleasant manner that carries off well her
good-tf uncultivated-ideas OF acting. In the
farce, which but for them would have dragged,
she very clcverly Supported Dir. Beckett.
We had an idea that we possessed natural
and cultivated knowledge of what q pretty
woman is. We give it up; we know nothing