The New York herald., 1873-12-28
TNE LONDON THEATRES.
a GRISELDA" NOT a SUCCESS.
The School for Intrigue !"
at the Olympic.
Mr.. W. s. Gilbert Pr0SeCutes the Pail Mall
Gazette-.-A Great Theatrical Scandal.

LONDON, Dec. 0, 1873.
The series OF promenade concerts which have
been held at Covent Garden Theatre. under the
direction Of NJ. Riviere came to a close on Satur-
day night, and are understood to have been very
successful. This Kind OF entertainment was hrst
introduced to the British public 80 years
ago by NJ. julien, and at once found favor. The
young men delighted IN the large well lighted.
well warmed sale where, at the cost OF shilling,
they could promenade and stare at the ladies in
the boxes and listen to the music or
the day. But M. Julien, though the
most charming charlatan possible was some-
[ thing more; he knew really good music and
liked 1t, and eventually he taught his patrons to
like 1t and TO look forward to those evenings when
bits OF Beethoven or Mozart were interpolated be-
tween arum polkas and British Army quadrilles.
His successors have followed suit In this respect,
and NJ. Rviere has been especially lavish In setting
aside evenings for the performance OF classical
works. There is not the smallest doubt That the
musical taste in England has vastly improved
within the last quarter of century, and one OF the
best proofs OF this is the attendance at the Monday
popular concerts, where the very highest class of
music, interpreted by such eXecutants as Joachim
and Halle, is invariably gwen.
The period Immediately before Christmas is the
slackest OF all seasons with
LONDON MANAGERS,
though this week the provincial visitors who come
up to the cattle show VIII bring much needed
assistance to the places OF amusement The regular
theatrical season IS drawing to a Close and the
principal performers are taking their benefits.
Miss Wallis, novice whose bright and clever
acting as Cleopatra has been warmly eulogized
receiving very satisfactory tribute from her
friends. Ii is understood that Anthony and Cleo
patra" has done very well; put, as have before
planned, Mr.. Cnatterton, the manager, does not
expect to make money with his ante-Christmas
season, but looks to the production OF his pan
tomime to recoup him for all his outlay.
l am afraid that MISS Braddon's play Of
"Crselda,n at the Princess Theatre OF which 1
have already written you, is not attractive. Mrs.
ROusby has been ILL., and her part has been taken
by Miss Henderson, who plays IL better than the
original-she could not indeed play 1t worse-but
who fails to invest the drama with any interest.
Such feat is, l fear impossible although arduous
efforts are being made to bolster 1t up and Mr..
George Augustus sala has lent his powerful pen to
its support in an article in the current number of
"Belgravia."
The Olympic Theatre has produced q version of
Beaumarchais' Marriage de Figaro" under the
title Of "The School for Intrigue" adapted by
Mr.. Mortimer, who is unders TODD to be an
American gentleman and the proprietor Of
the London Figaro 1t is not a particu-
larly lively comedy, though 1t has been
much improved since the first night by having
the whole of the second act bodily cut out OF 1t.
One misses the lovely Mozart music which one is
accustomed to hear developing In the intrigue,
and the acting to say the best Of 1t, Is only toer-
able. The Count Almaviva has had only one rep
resentatiye in my memory, and that was Sgnor
Mario. Who that ever saw him can forget the gal
In haar ffn is
played by that greatest OF singers and actors who
even in the drunken scene never forgot that he
was gentleman? Mr.. Neville does his best, but
he is somewhat too heavy and clumsy Tor the
character. or all men OF the day
MR.. W. 8. GILBERT,
the dramatst gives greater occasion to prove that
authors were rightly denomnated the genus iyri-
table. Somehow other he Is always in hot water
quarreng with managers, actors, authors and
newspaper critics. His last feat has been to bring
an action against the Pal Mau Gazette for stigma
tizng his piece OF the .'Wicked World"
COARSE "gross," '.Drutal,n "onensive.n and
'.simpy indecent" There was a great forensic
display, the solicitor General being on one side
and Sir John KarslaKe on the other, and the pre-
siding Judge, Mr.. Justice Brett, delivered an elao-
orate charge. The jury gave a curious
dict, declaring that there was no lndecency In
Mr.. GilDert's play, and yet that the critic
was quite right In saying what he did. Virtually,
Mr. Gilbert thus loses the and will have to pay
the costs, which will probably amount to than
s2,5O0. The most annoying part of 1t to Mr.. Gill
bert that, it appears, the article in question
not written by the regular critic Of the paper but
by an outsider, very young man, who was per-
mtted thus to bespatter Mr. Gilbert's well earned
reputation.
And we have a scandal IN the theatrical world,
such a scandal have not had for years.
All the couliSses, all the club smoking rooms, all
the fve O'Clock tea tables Of those members Of
society who take interest In theatrical matters,
are ringing with it. The hero and heroine are
exceptional people-the lady an actress, ceie-
brated for her beauty; the gentleman an actor,
who has recently made a great step in advance as
juvenile tragedian. How The gentleman took
apartments which he and the lady frequented,
and how the gentleman's wife found them there.
and how an advertisement ems ued, is known TO
everybody, excepting, of course the lady's hus-
band. Nothing else is talked OF just now, and as
for detail we get as much OF that there in
Sir BENJAMIN Backbtes story OF the duel, when
'sthe ball struck against the little bust of Shake
speare on the mantelpiece, and gancing through
the window, wounded the postman, who was COM
ing to the house with double letter from North
amptonshire."