The Sun. — 1838-06-05 (London, England)

SADLER'S WELLS. This theatre opened last evening with a grand historical spectacle, called The Rye House Plot, founded, as its title indicates, upon an occurrence which has gained undying celebrity, in association with the fate of Lord William Russell. Lawrence Lee, a farmer, is enamoured of Ruth Rumbald, the daughter of the owner of the Rye House; from his propinquity to the scene, and his well-known objection to the Stuarts, he is necessarily admitted into the baud of the conspirators, but upon ascertaining the extent to which they intend to proceed, he acquaints the King with their designs. The " Merry Monarch " proceeds in di, guise to the Rye House, and arrests the band of traitors, and, as a reward for his loyalty, pardons Lee, who is afterwards united to Ruth. Of the dialogue we are unable to speak, in consequence of the unqualified indicatives of approval which the holiday audience continued to evince from the raising of the curtain until its fall, thereby rendering the piece little better than dumb show. The scenery was very beautiful; got up with a degree of care, and an evident disregard of expense, and painted with an adherence to historical fidelity that is highly creditable to the artist. The theatre has been newly decorated. A very amusing farce, I'll not have a IVife, followed; and a romantic drama, entitled, The Tempter, concluded the entertainments.  ASTLErS. The enterprising proprietor of this establishment produced last evening a new piece, in which those interesting animals, horses, formed the principal feature. The first of the two new pieces is The Oracle ; or, the Olympic Conquest of Babylon, and is described as " written expressly* for this theatre by Mr. Baxter, to introduce the treble company and double stud, aided by new scenery, dresses, properties, music, and striking stage effects, on a scale of grandeur hitherto unprece_ den tcd. To the par nolile were allotted the principal parts (next to the osses, as they are ca' led en the Surrey side), viz., those of Cleostratus and Prince Zerxes, the plot of the piece being woven from materials drawn from that portion of classic story which relates to the murder of the father of the Prince by Cleostratus, to the endeavour of that tyrant to sustain his tsosition on the throne he has usurped by imputing that murder to Marpesa (Mrs Campbell) the wife of the slaughtered monarch, and to the just retribution which he afterwards meets with from the hands of Xerxes himself, at the moment he is about to sacrifice that prince's Innocent child to revenge himself on his captive Azema (Mrs. Shepherd), the wife of the injured prince, who has refused to consent to be united to hint. The dialogue in which all this stab-and-clatter sort of scenes were worked out was beneath criticism, and therefore we will not criticise it. After thepiece Was brought to a conclusion a series of those teats of horsemanship for which this establishment is more particularly celebrated took place in the circle. Mr. Ducrow was here in his element, and played his admired act of Figaro on horseback to perfection. The well-known ponies surpassed themselves in their "tricksy" feats, and Mr. Price threw twenty-six summer_ sets successively, to the astonishment of the audience, while Miss Wood_ Lord's equestrian scene was deservedly applauded. The entertainment concluded with what the author of the playbill styled a " British Loyal National pageant of The Oueen! God bless her " The audience was a very crowded one, and more noisy, if possibly, than on any former occasion on which we have attended the performances at the Royal Amphitheatre.