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    VI ,n i ®lft mT W* ^ "* _________

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    Vi ,N I ®Lft Mt W* ^ "* _________

    Cjr * Slit * .

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    */ TWO LOVES AND A LIFE . The new melodrame "by Tom Taylor and Charles Reade , produced oa Moniay at the Adeijphi , strika me as being the best melodrame I have seen for these tea years , the most various and the most interesting . The story is rapid and crowded with incidents and situations—too crowded for a drama , but a melodrame can't well be overdone in this respect . The dialogue is very superior to -what we are usually treated to , being full of natural touches , sparkling sentences , and . occasionally a touch of poetry . The cliaraciters are various , well-defined , well-contrasted . And so through fonx long acts the story moves , carrying with every turn fresh smiles , fresh laughter , and fresh tears : real good honest laughter , real tears ¦ ¦

    of ^ tmtThbs . ' . ¦' ¦ - ' ¦' .. ' ; ¦ - ¦• - ¦^ o tell you the story would occupy at least a couple of columns , and then would % ot be satisfactory ; for it is not a story developing one idea , one passion , or -one character througnv all its p hases , but a story crowded with episodes , andi although clear enough in its march , yet complicated by the n ^ &bfer of elements it embraces . ^ One must not look critically at it ; one inust accept the large licence of melodramatic motive and probability ; one ihust allow much that is unorganised—details thrown in for their own sake rather than for the sake of the % liole ; and , content with the unmistakable interest and movement of the play , accept it for what it is . * <^ h £ mise en jBC&ievras admirable , with the one exception of a vile and

    WANTED A SHE-WOLF . - s I wanted no sle-wolf ; quite the reverse : I wanted repose and—the Christian Fathers . But what does the restless Charles Mathews care for repose ? What does he care for Christian Fathers ? He seldom reads them . I went . Wanted a She-Wolf turned out to "be one of the latest Parisian novelties—Jfomulus , a charming piece by Alexandre Dumas and Regnier oat of a novel by Augustus Lafontaine , and done into English by some admirable Unknown—omne ignotum pro mirifico !—so that you see four men -with immortaJ souls have been employed on one act : parturiunt mentea nascitur ridicula scena !

    The piece so produced is , as I said , a charming piece—a little cabinet picture , representing two philosophers in the serenity of their studies disturbed by the apparition of that phenomenon which may interest but must disturb philosophers—a baby . To whom does this ¦ " specimen of mottled humanity in long-clothes " belong ? Antl «* how gat it there ? " Questions vhich perplex philosophy , and agitate the piece . The child is adopted , and , because a foundling , is christened Romulus . 3 To sooner is that historical name bestowed on it , than Professor Placidus feels the historical necessity for a she-wolf to suckle it . Si nous avions une louve !

    By the way , it is worth remarking , to the credit of tie stupidity of a British public , that not half a dozen people present seemed to understand frhy the she-ivolf was wanted . la Paris this was the great mot of the piece . In England tfcey roared at the idea of Romulus being succeeded by a Remus , but regarded the desire for a she-wolf as if the nursling lad been a -wolfcub . The piece was played by Charles Mathews , Frank Mattlews , Baker , and Miss Oliver , tut a discerning public found very mediocre amusement in it .

    couplets , which , lighten and vary the French vaudevilles , is a hapnv in ™ vation . ttv mno-It was on Wednesday I saw this Wrong Box , and on Thursday my breakfast peace of mind was disturbed by reading in the Times that I was that evening again to be dragged to a theatre—the Ltceum—to see a piece with the incomprehensible title of

    lttdicrdU 8 libel on the sea , which a nation of " tars" ought to have yelled at miaerision . The gradual stealing on' of the mist , the picturesque grouping of the inen with torches , the movement and life of the crowd on Tower-hill ife ^ t ! j | % xeen ^ arranged . The acting , too , # ^ u ^ tisually good . IfWeb ' ster Sad never played but that one part of the J Jekuit ^ it would be enough to stanap hi m as the first melodramatic actor on Wfrfita ^ e . The re presentation of the chaiigea from the feeble , senile old Quaker uito the calm impassible plotter and back ? again into the old Quaker , when strangers eyes are on him , was artistic . The concentrated calm , as of a sdul once greatly tried , so greatly , that now no earthly-influence has power to it

    again move , witti whica netcld the story ot hi 3 love and 8 < wn > w-.-pro-^^ # ^ ic ^ d : | he ^ udie ^ ce ' ; - ' ;^; scene waTin * my opinion a masterpiece . His' assumption of the fisherman was picturesque ; but to my thinking nis long tirade in the cave was as poorly as the other passages were finely delivered . Declamation , is , . not fusi forte . * He is not . rapid enough , nor varied enough , nor rhythmical enough . As the Protestant priest he recovered hiniself ; and the father ' s emotion was most pathetically expressed . Madame Celeste played better than I have ever seen her . The natural touches of the earlier scenes were most naturally giyen 3 and varied pleasantly the picturesque melodramatic business . The burst of hysterical joy with which she receives the Duke ' s assurance of her lover ' s pardon was also very fine ; but the tone , and manner of her demanding the pardon were shrewish , and should % e softened : it is true the authors have grvren her "but

    shrewish languajg ^ sh f . ni ^ jsjt . . get over that . It was a blot on a performance otherwise d 1 stinguwhe < a for its truthful emotion . as well as picturesque action . Miss Woolgar will not let me praise her as my admiration of her in general makes me wisht to praise ; she has two faults growing on her : one of uttering many passages in a quite private , confidential manner to herself , as if at rehearsal ; ^ the other of throwing her arms and her voice about in exaggerations of feeling which destroy the effect of naturalness aimed at . Keeley as the schoolmaster was , as usual , immensely ludicrous without a hint of buffoonery—laughter oozes from every pore of that rotund comedian ! In one word , a great success , a success deserved ; a success for the authors , a success' for the actors , a success for the treasury ! It is quite pleasant to write the word " success , " so you see I iterate it ; for does it not mean pleasant feelings everywhere—in the audience—in the authors ' families and circles—in the theatre ? And does not success breed success ?

    Only compare such a night as thai of Monday last with the previous Monday at the Haymabket , when for four hours of bad air , bad acting , bad writing , a dreary drama , an impossible drama , and a miserable audience , we had three hours and a half of bad air , very bad , for the house was crammed , ( Webster places not the critics in cool , comfortable stalls 1 Yah !) but it was gaily supported for the . sake of the good acting , good writing , amusing drama . The amused audience sliouted and bravoed , a . nd went home happy ! Every man and woman there that night is prepared to go again to the theatre , because so amused , and this is the way success breeds success ! . v While we were shouting congratulatory bravoes to Tom Taylor and Charles Reade , another audience was laughing at the Olympic at another piece by Tom Taylor :

    THE WRONG BOX , which is a neat little version of a neat little piece , Une Nuit aux Soujjflets , familiar to all visitors of the Sr . James's Theatre , through the admirable acting of Levassor and Lafont . I cannot say that it is acted in the same satisfactory style at the Olympic ; for although Wigaa plays Lafont ' s part with all Lafont ' s finesse , and more than Lafont's humour , Miss P . Horton murders the part of the silly , stupid Duke , so wonderfully and so humorously played by Levassor . It was a bad , an exasperating piece of acting . Not

    only did Miss Ilortonprofoundly misconceive the part , converting the formal imbecility of the Duke into the voluble silliness of a court page , but sho did not even act up to her own conception , leaving us in doubt whether she meant to represent the espieglerie of aCherubino , or the stupidity of ajprincc . Mr . F . Robinson , as fehe young lover , made the great mistake of " taking the stage" on the slightest provocation , and of trying to get " tragic effects' of very ordinary situations . He must learn to curb this ambition of young tragedians , and learn that the only way to " make something " of a part is to play ity not to play something else . The introduction in this piece of the

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    SADLER'S WELLS . A . taxb correspondent who knows my weakness in obeying her , and my weakness in staying away from the theatres , sends me this reproof , which , in penitence , I print : — ** Dbab Vivian , — ' Unaccustomed as I am' to address you in this public manner , I cannot refrain front calling your critical attention to a theatre which is not enough noticed by the newspapers- I mean Sadler's Wells . U I went there on Monday evening to see Massinger ' s old play The City Maxtam . If I coold tell the public as well as you can how entirely well it was done , it would not long ignore the great merits of a little theatre , where intelligence attracts more than splendid muse en scene , a , nd where judicious acting , even in very subordinate parts , makes up to the intellectual play-goer for the want of any extra amount of' froth and fury signifying nothing . ' " Oh ! discerning and critical Vivian , let us hear from you more often of the good acting of Mr . Phelps , and his well-taught company at Sadler ' s Wells ; where the old English Flay is played , and always played well—as those will testify who have witnessed the representation of Henry V ., Midsummer Night's Dream , The Fatal Dotory , Th 4 Duchess of Italfi , and now lastly , The City ifadam . They who go once will go , or wish to go , again . " I cannot be critical ; I was too well pLeased to be so . But do you , dear Vivian , listen to tlis call on yoar attention—go there , I pray you , and let us hear what . you say . —Ever yours , " Anna JajcsJ *

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    THEATRICAL , NOTES . What think you of this , by way of a coincidence ? The other day I toll you of a debUlante at the Lyceum named Miss Talbot , who made her bow in a translation of Alfred de Miisset ' s Caprice . While I was writing that notice a ddbfitant was making his bow at the Odeon in Paris , and his name was also Talbot ; and the piece he played in is said to be aai imitation of Un Caprice 1 Apropos of Paris , the great theatrical event just now which forms the topic of the salons and the journals is Regnier's acting in Madame Girardin ' s comedy ; it divides the empire of gossi p with . Meyerbeer ' s opera . Regnier , who has left , so profouad and so charming a souvenir with us all in England , ¦ whom no one mentions but jvith a certain affeetionateness of admiration , —

    whom we , in England , pay the strange compliment of considering the most English of Frenchmen , —has lately had two parts which seem to have surprised evea his greatest admirers in France . Mr . Mitchell , can you not bring Regnier over to us once again , and let us weep and laugh with him in Romulus and La Joiefait peur f Give us Regnier , and do not give us Emil Devrient ; and my pea , which bad actors declare is always steel , shall be changed in-to gold to write your praises ! At the Ltceum they hay *? brought out another farce — " a screamer " - — ; called Number One round * the Garner . It is of the . Boa ; and Cox school of extravagance and fun . ; written by William Brough , on tlie hint of a French piece ; and played br Mathews and Roxby with immeasurable

    extravagance—Roxby being unusually rapid and droll ; Charle 8 Mathews voluble , but not particularly good . One docs not criticise such things , but I defy you not to laugh at them . Mr . J . M . Morton has taken Un homme eiitre deux airs , and , treating it in Ills usual Camberwell style , made a farce tliej laugh at with great readiness at the Princess ' s , —wliich , consider ing that it comes after the Fourth and filth aicts of Charles . Kean ' s Richard III ., is saying something-. Uayle Bernard lms also at tlio same theatre given a version o $ Leon Gozlan's Une ternpele dans un verre d eau , called A Storpi in a Tea-cuj ) .

    But the best Note I have in my voice is that the Opera opens on Thursday next . It is to bo Grisi ' s last season , alas ! The Directors promise great things—and they havo great names to perform , these promises with . We fihalfsec . Vi yiak .

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    = 28 ^ THE LEADE R . SatitrDAY

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), March 25, 1854, page 284, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2031/page/20/