The Sun. — 1841-09-02 (London, England)

HAYMARKET THEATRE.  An original farce, from the pen of Mr. Bernard, was produced at this theatre last evening, under the title of The Boarding School. The scene is laid at a village in Devonshire, during the reign of the redoubted Swing, in 1839, where Lieut. Varley (Webster), Capt. Harcourt (J. Webster), and Cornet Kavanagh (F. Vining), officers in command of the district, prefer raising the flame of Love to extinguishing the flames of Swing, and accordingly sit down in form to lay regular siege to a boarding•school for young ladies, kept by Mrs. Grosdenap (Mrs. W. Clifford). After making the regular advances by serenades, letters, &c., they each make a lodgement in the heart of a younglady, the Captain taking possession of that of Miss Caroline Blythe (Mrs. Stirling), while those of Julia Manvers (Miss Charles), and of. Miss Mary Mite (Miss P. Horten), the daughter of a rich cheesemonger, are respectively surrendered to the Lieutenant and Cornet. The officers have just managed to scale the walls of the play-ground when Mrs. Grosdenap, accompanied by Farmer Holly (Mr. Clark), the father of a pupil in prospective, enters, and re she utters the words, " And now Sir, you will see my pupils at their amusements," turns, and perceives each of these three young ladies with an officer at her feet. The situation told admirably, producing roars of laughter. . The officers thus foiled send off Mrs. Grosdenap on a. fool's errand, by a pretended letter from the Earl of Aldgate, who is desirous of placing his daughter at her establishment, and then introduced themselves as deputies to the writing-master, the geography-master, and the dancing-master. These respectable gentlemen having been waylaid and nearly murdered by a Swing mob on their way to the school, they make the most of their time, and have got the consent of the „ladies to elope, when Mrs. Grosdenap returns and disconcerts all their measures. They escape out of a window. She raises an alarm of thieves, and the officers re-appear in their proper characters, and are welcoMed by Mrs. Grosdenap as her preservers from the villains who had entered her dwelling, evidently for some very horrible purpose. The Captain replies to her welcome, by a most flattering eulogy, and all the officers joining him in expressing a hope that every one will be as well satisfied with Mrs. Grosdenap's boarding-school as they have reason to be the curtain falls. The piece was most 'successful, and deservedly so. The dialogue is carefully written, and is full of good hits, and the incidents and situations are broadly humorous. The character of Cornet Kavanagh was evidently originally written for poor Power, and the melancholy thought of the unfortunate fate of that exquisite actor, and most worthy and kind-hearted man, prevented our enjoying the farce so heartily as we should otherwise have done. F. Vining acted the character most judiciously. He was evidently aware of the disadvantage under which he was placed, and, therefore, with -excellent taste, avoided everything that could raise a comparison between himself and poor Power. Web ster's Dancing-master was the richest thing we have seen since Liston's Opollo Belvi ; and the Farmer Holly of Mr. Clark was a trifling part made of consequence by the excellence of the acting. This gentleman is exceedingly clever, and bids fair to take high rank in his profession. David Rees acted the part of James, a Billy Lack-a-day sort of servant with great unction. His appearance on the stage was the signal for a roar. Mrs. Stirling's naivette told excellent in the character of Caroline Blythe, the unsophisticated goodtempered school girl, and Miss P. Horton and Miss Charles as the vulgar and the sentimental young lady were both admirable. Mrs. Clifford as Mrs. Grosdenap was the very personification of pompous ignorant quackery. At the fall of the curtain Webster announced the piece for • repetition every evening amidst the most flattering of all applause, for a broad farce,, the hearty laughter of a crowded house.