The New York herald., 1872-03-04
THE LONDON STAGE.

eeon and His Rivais-The Irrepressibie
Onenbach-Nilss0n the Next star Of Her
Majesfy's Opera.
LONDON, Feb. 10, 1872.
The prospects OF the drama are gloomy, very
gloomy, just now; hut there Is nothing singular in
that Tor so also are the prospects OF all other inst
tutions In this wlnd-rocked, rain n-drenched, fog
draped island. Was ever known such weather.
Call this climate! You might as well call 1t a
wheelbarrow
"Arise my soul, and with the sun thy daily
course OF duty rnnn SO sang that blessed pot OF
ointment the Rev. DR.. Isaac Watts or busy bee and
bark and bite memory, though Tor my own poor
part can't help thinking that the man who cannot
manage to do his daily duty in more brilliant style
than the sun does his in these dreary latitudes
might as well leave 1t alone altogether. IL is a
favorlte boast OF the Britlsers that the never
sets upon their empire. That may or may not be.
but certain 1t s that he rarely rises upon their capl
tai London at this present writing is dark, dismal
disc0nsoate as that lake In the Helvetan Alps
which Is supposed 10 be haunted by the ghost Of
Pontius Plate Rain, rain everlasting rain; fog
that you might cut with a knife; pavements as wet
rs the sea, and breve overhangng armament
80 mulled with cloud and mist that not an inch
OF blue sky has been visible for months past. Such
is LONDON OF which DR.. Johnson declared that it is
'the best place in summer and the only place in
winter" clear, clean conscience Is that bird In
the bosom which sings like nightingale through
out the darkest night, and were 1t not that the
melodious sOngster In question is everlastlngly
warbing In my breast I really know not what
would become Of me In this Stygian city should
certainly go mad with despondencv but happily the
mems sib conscia reci Keeps me as merry as lark.
We are now upon our second year OF winter. 1
know man, very clever fellow indeed with more
brains than breeches, who has made meleor0logy
the study OF his life, and VINO Is on terms OF
personal familiarity with every star ia the
heavens, and he knows for certain that we
shall nave no summer this year. Certainly we
had none worth talking about last year. We were
roasting knees before sea-coai fires III the mid.
die or last July, and there Is no reason why we
should not be similarly employed In The middle
OF next Juy. o Allah! who cares? Come what
may, let us keep the sunshine Of the soul un-
clouded. Fate regulates all earthly things upon a
wise principle OF compensation, and there Is much
truth IN the remark OF an old writer, III Providence
hath removed the English TO greater distance
from the influence of those genial rays which ripen
the wits OF Eastern nations it hath made the
Britons abundant amends by iIdulging them in the
conceit that they are wiser than all the rest OF the
world besides" And truly there is not a little con-
ISOLATION IN that blessed thought Yet after all said
and done, there Is no denying that climate such
as that with which Albion Is afflicted Is exceedingly
trying even to the most philosophic temper.
There was time when. let the floods fall and the
storms rage as they might, you could go TO the
play with smooth brow and light heart, happy
in the knowledge that in the mimic world of the
stage you would find scenery landscapes silvery
seas ana bright. Joyous scenes OF ''pas oral iifen
There was time when the tIanaitiOn from the
snoW fields and lcebergs OF the Arctic circle to the
southern lGay was not change peasanier or more
complete than IRON the cold. bleak streets or London
TO the warm precincts OF wel-lighted theatre where
one OF Shakspeare's delightful comedies, "As You
Like 1t" or "rhe Midsummer Nights Dream,' for
example, was beng performed; but those comfort.
able days have passed away, never, apparently, TO
return. Immortal lhalla
WHAT A CHANGE HAS COME OVER US
The muse Of the drama now fulfils her functions,
even as irs. Commodore Tennion, In 'Peregrine
Pickle" performed her religious duues with
chance with the town. The scenes must
bloodireezing. haIr-strring; ana one more Of
the dramatic personages must be chucked out OF q
way train pitched into the seething sea- flung from
the summit OF a precipice into the yaWnlng abyss
beneath. or otherwise inhumanly treated, If the
rors the drama, let its literary prctensOns be what
they may, is received with cold disdain. and soon
passes into oblivion. Nothing can be gloomier or
more distractng than the aspect OF AFFAIRS out OF
doors In tins siberian weather. You seek comfort
at the play, and what 40 you hnd2
ERA OF SENSATIONS.
You 60 to St. James Tneaue TO see "Les Pauvres
de Paris'--the poor OF Paris, squalid and ragged,
Shlverlng and covering IN the. midnight blast, or
SKulklng III cellars and garrets You go the
Lyceum 10 see murderer, maddened with remorse
In a snow STORM; to the Adephi, to see poor deyll
hurled head foremost from the turreLs or
NOtre Dame into toe street below lQttis MEM
Jo see woan in white '% wanennr % ne amid i2Spe rrve.
stones Oh moonlit night, and cveriastingy CROP
pipg up under circumstances the most appalling; 10
the queens to see the stage converted INTO q VOL
canO throwing UP sheets or name ana hood OF
hery lava Ihi, ls what we have come 10 III the
lanu Shakespeare It. Is Il state OF things utterly
dIscreditaDle to the Iation-a reprOach and scan
dal To me boasted intelligence Of Inc age: and
having said SO much there / leave 1t. sine man
VINO speaks the truth should have one foot III the
sllrrup," said ALL son-inaw OF Mahomet, ana am
very much OF the same way OF thinking. 80 having
as my stecd Will carry NE, making no further
aluson IN TINS letter to the degeneIacy eituer OF the
praying 1or you, dear reader. even as tnat priest
prayed Tor LORD Lexington, "God Almighty turn
AL III from you and your family, and make us all
less melancnOiy.n
mere has been little change OF late IN the play
bilis at any OF the London houses.
RELIC OF BOXING NIGHT.
At Drury Lane tney are sui dong capital busi-
ness Win Mr. Il. H. Banchard's pantomlnie of slon
Inumb," which has outiived ine festive season in
whose special service IL was originally produced,
and looks sun as fresh and vigorous as IL looked on
Boxing Ngnt, wheu 1t was represented for Inc first
all Inlngs, even TO the most prosperous oil panto-
mines, aud the day or rather the night, Is at hand
Nutu ''lOHl Will nave 10 give way TO
"Amy Robsar,," which Will be revived with great
splendor oil scenery and costume Mrs. Hermann
Vein succeeding Miss Nelson as the representative
OF the heroine, and MIR. j. Z. COwper appearing as
Narney.
zine Last Days OF Pompeli,n which was received
rather cOldy On the first night has rallied wonder
fully since hen anu seems to grow IN favor with
pubic night by night. Inc audiences are now large
and enthusiastic, and the plaJ Will doubtless DO
good service 10 tue managers exchcquer. Tne lact
Is mat 1t had been DuJ lnadequateiy rehcarsed,
and actors, scene painters and stage mecGansts
pall lnt S,l IN lrSt tpI ~ tnr
the manager he was rich enough 10 weather the
storm OF hl.luck ana quietly bde the turning of the
tue. Dotn wlnd ana wave are now III nls iavor and
he Is having delightful SAIL OF IT, What a fine
thiug 1t Is TO be rich money makes The mare go''-
and the play run. poor manager could not nave
Afforded 20 walt; he would nave gene TO the bottom
long ago.
Mr. Dion B0ucicaults comedy OF al ondon Assur.
ance" Ills the Vaudeville Theatre TO Overhowing
every nlgh supersedlng the necesslty Ior the pIo.