, 1873-06-29
A FIRST NIGHT.
From London SOctefu for June.

people who never miss it. One goes ont Of Gu
| rieaity, another professionally. The regula
| play-goer likes to be present because his attend
ance On these occasions has become q habit t
him, just as the Derby is with another uc2u
! One goes because he is friend OF the drama
tist another because he is not; third is ther
on account OF his interest in the management;
| fourth simply in the hope that the nanagemen
has made mistake. The critics 50 in fulfil
ment Of their calling. OF course they are boret
whether the play is good or bad. It is the thin
to be bored. Sometimes they are indeed to b,
pitied; but they take out their torture tenfolt
| when they sit down to scarify the piece. Th'
most astonishing thing is, when you think tho.
have been dreadfully bored, and when you ar.
glad thoy hnye gall at homo for ink, to find b,
their papers that they have been delighted. A
other times, when you think they have an op
portunity of honestly praising : piece, you Gu
criticism are insorutable. 1 give then
up. Thank goodness I an not pro.
fcssionally engaged except once in
way. Now and then sit amidst the critics With
! my bristles up, look bored, feel bored, aud &c
out enTying tho pooplo who ara not called upon
to write their opinions OF what they have seer
and heard.
But ve all like first night; it is so unlike
any other night. You see people whom you
wish to see: There is . sort OF suppressed ex.
citement in tho house which outside interest
to the play. Then there is always the chance Of
q row. Pieces have been killed first night. It
is true the custom Of s'taking care ~ OF the
house has grown of late into such a habit that q
sort of check has boon established. Something
Is indeed required to neutralize the coldncse Of
the general habituea OF theatres on first nights ;
but crowd of spplauders scattered through the
house rather oVerdoe8 the business.
Let us look round q first nights house and see
who tho people are in the stalls and boxes. They
people on the stage. We will sec the
notices. In tho stsge-box is MIR. John
Oxenford, q white-headed, genial Hooking gen-
tlemen aud critic Of tie Times. It is not
necessary to mention the satellite who always
accompanies him. But in the sane boz We no
tice Miss Neilsou Nlrs. Lce) and her husband
Mr. Lee was the subject Of great practical joke
in America, arranged BY Mr. sotharn, and men-
tion I'd in the papers a short time ago. The Now
York Herald devoted couple of columns to the
story. Miss Nelson is quite as pretty as her
photographs. She wears low dresa, very much
after the fashion Of the portrait Of Nell Gwynna
in "Pepy's Diary" Mr. O1enford toiA talk
during the performance, but when you read his
criticism in tho Times you find that he knows all
Levys, OF the Telegraph. Their chief critic is
nursing his leg in the stalls. He ia young man,
with q brown beard and moustache, and we'll
formed, intellectual head. His ZANE was men-
toned In the action brought by Charles Reade
against the Morning Adre7tiser. and it is likely
to crop up in libel suit pending, believe.
against the defuncs Zig-Zag. Mr. Clement
Scott has made himself known by his we'll
written and pungent criticisms. He was
"AImaviva" iva -. in aS the London Figaro and 10
Close by Mr. Scott sits, silent and mufled up to
his chin, Mr Heraud, who used to write for the
AlhenEu1a, and is tie hero OF that story of Jer-
rold in which Mr.. Heraud's poem about Shell"
is mentioned: The clearl5-shaven face, some
what cynical in it's expression, and ornamented
for the time with pair Of glasses, looking out
OF boz On the other side OF the house, Is the
weu-known countenance OF Charles Dickens, son
Of the famous author Of /" "Pickwick-" Mr.
Dickens writes those excellent dramatic notices
brght-eyed young man BY his side insently
watching the piece, in Abery, whom Dickens
will presently chat on account Of the failufa Of
F" OEiann," but the proprietor Of Al the Year
his own. Albe1y is clever at ropartee, but apt to
be personal. Not more so, perhaps, than the
gentleman who is just entering the box, Mr.
Stephen Fiske, the husband OF Mrs. John Wood,
for whom Albery is engaged upon new play.
nlr; Fisko rnbs his eyes, and tres OF quiet
round to ahrug his shoulders and laugh: Mr.
Fiske came over to England, some yearB ago,
with the winning yacht in the famous internA-
tional raee a, graphic description of Which he
Round. He was for many years the dr.-
matte critic Of the New York Herald,
and is now credited With the stiugs Of the Horned,
If which paper he is the proprietor. It is not |
generally known that Flske was the author Of |
English Photographs, by an American, and the !
magazine papers which caused aseusation under |
he nom de plume Of ''An American Feninn,"
It is capital night for celebrities, this first |!
night Of our ske*ch. Shirley Brooks, the editor !!
IT Punch, is in the stalls, and in the next scat |
aand, who gets up something like Mario, though |
here is no resemblance between the two Mr. !
Burnand is handsome man, for ali that, and |
'ne Of the most industrious Of our public writer's
Looking over the stalls from the dress-ci1cle,
nto which they have been forced by their !
ate arrival and pressure below, are Leopold
Lewis, of Bells fame, who is Enthusiastically
troklng his whlskers; and Mr. Tom Purnell,
gho is evidently expressing his opinion Of the
iece IN tones sufficiently loud to attract general
Ehich had short but brilliant career; Mr Pur-
ell wrote those AltenGuna criticisms, signed
J., which Charles Reade sacrificed in an article
q which he called Purnen ga cipher, signed
nth an initial"
Turning again to the etalls, Cur glass falls
pom the puckered but genial face OF E. T..
blanchard, whose knowledge Of the drama and
q history, past and present, is, Perhaps une-
ua1ed. 4 roundfaccd kindly looking 1ady in
lack (whom few people seem to know, md those
NV the more elderly men Of the time), sitting at
10 back Of the stalls and talking to another
dy, evidently her sister, is Mrs. Charles Dick
as. Her sister is Mrs. Romer, q widow.
hey are neighbors in the Regents Park district,
I'd evidently enjoy first nights. One Of Mrs.
ickens' younger, sons; bright, Intelligent
'ung fellow, has recently been reading, for
laritable institutions, some OF his fathers
orks, and has acquitted himself with credit.
II. Dickens ia noble woman never to have
'truded her story upon society. They say she
Is boz full OF David Copperfeld's ~ love-
tiers. Dickens whose correspondence was
Hays studied, must have written charming
Fe-letters how charming, We may never
low.
Mr. Firth, the artist, lie sitting near tho orches-
3 with one OF his sons. and farther On is Mr. {
oy Thomas, Of the Daily Ae,os. Close by sits /.
r. F1ldes, young, earnest toler In the fields OF
t, who is destined for fame and fortune. The :
rk gentleman to whom he is talking Is Joseph
atton, editor OF the Gentleman's Magazine,
d, what is perhaps more, author OF 1.-The VAL q
OF Poppies," an edition de lure Of which is to c
published by and by, with illustrations by I
ldes, who drew the pictures that illustrated | {
ckens' last thoughts in ''Edwin brood" Mr. t