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    Princess ' s Theatre— The last season , as . we puonc are at present advised-althoug h such arrangements are by no means immutable even after publication—Zf Mr . Charles Kean ' s skilful , and , we hope , lucrative tenure of this theatre , was opened on &aj tt « 3 night , when Th 6 Merchant of Venice was performed to a crowded bouse , with all the correctness for which the lessee has legitimately acquired a worldwide renown . The careful readuTg of the text , enforced upon every artist by the precept and example lendour of the oriesthe

    of their leader , the sp access , propriety of the restorations in points of detail , leave an impression of unity upon the mind of the spectator who has witnessed any of Mr . Kean s Shakspearean revivals that ordinary managers can rarely be expected to furnish . We consider the combination ' rare of adequate capital with a large amount of dramatic talent , and a thorough mastery of the business of theatrical management ; but he is no common theatrical director , who to these adds a large spirit of commercial enterprise that unflinching incurs liberal outlay in such fugitive commothe calculati that

    dities as stage properties , upon on lie will in time be recouped by the public to whom he oilers a first-rate equivalent for their admission money . Such a manager is Mr . Kean , who in aid of all other resources can draw upon the celebrity of his name * and the esteem his character has procured for him in influential circles . With felicitous discernment he has restricted his great managerial efforts to the illustration of Shakspeare , for no other alliance could have supported him against the costs of the entertainments with which he has delighted the town . Under Shakspeare ' s ensign , however , he Las fared , they say , so well as to contemplate retirements and we must not be the last to congratulate

    him upon his prosperity . The Ptne and Harbison Company , — Dnrrur Lane Theatre . —Neither the public nor ourselves are weary of the Rose of Castillo , and * to all appearance , it will be long before either of us cry , " Hold , enough ! " The serried ranks of the pit and galleries still show none of those dismal gaps that make treasurers to quake , and tradesmen , who watch the weathercock of " the business , " and shake ominous heads at " paper , " to press for their little amounts . That tlie celestials should delight to honour the present Drury Lane company as they have done no other for many a long year , we can account for after ¦ a visit to the region of their high . Olympus , for ,

    towards the close of the performance on Wednesday ¦ evening , we wandered to the erst famous slips—in our schoolboy-days a coveted yet forbidden precinct , as sacred to opulent or extravagant flaneurs , and as distasteful to the respectable patresfamiliarum of that perioil as are the Casino galleries of to-day . We stood alone on the once crowded benches of that dizzy height , which we once had looked to as a barely possible culm of delight , and were rewarded for our ftiry climb by an appi'eciation of Miss Pyne ' s delicious songs and singing as Elvira , that we certainly had never reached in the more aristocratic circles ielow . We confess that with all our desire to find beauties iu this opera , and witli no dull ear

    for them , iro had before understood neither the extent of this gifted lady ' s talents , nor the beauty of the orchestral and clarionet obligate * accompaniment to the air " Oh joyous , happy days ! " although we have doubtless more than once alluded to it as the gem of the opera . No noteworthy change has taken place in the performance or other arrangements of the Hose of Castillo , which the bills now announce to have been performed a hundred times . The novelty , however , which drew us to Drury Lane on Wednesday was the production of a now balletdivertiaseincnt , in two tableaux , composed by M . Petit , entitled La Fltur d'Amour , which might have been as appropriately called lajleur do lia , des champs , ¦ dejtwnin , or d ' asparge , if you will , for all we could unravel of its meaning . There was an artist in the

    up with an admirably grouped corps of coryphee peasantry and a harvest-wain and drivers a la Leopold Robert . Here a very spirited tarantella is introduced , which more than redeems the dulness of the first scene . But the most startling feature of the ballet—an invasion , perhaps , which may prove fatal to old and sensitive amateurs—was the introduction of a chorus in aid . This time it is only behind the scenes . What it may come to is at present incalculable . As the peasants are working away at their tarantella , a procession of the Host is- imagined to pass outside , and the dancersdrop upon their knees , thus unveiling to the spectators the beauties of the scene itself : a solemn strain of church music floats i i i i r nnmnhte . nen-

    over all , and the divertissement is legitimately brought to a close . Of Mr . Mellon ' s music , and the almost faultless manner in which it is executed by the band , we may speak very highly . It is clear that no class of music is foreign to Mr . Mellon . He feels , we believe , more at home in the lighter compositions , but we are nevertheless of opinion that he will not be aware of his own power until he has tried his hand upon work of more solidity , range , and pretension than quadrilles or ballet music . Had we space we could say much more on this head , but must return to the Pyne and Harrison doings , from

    whom we were nearly straying into reflections upon English composers . On Monday next will be produced the romantic four-act opera of Martha , arranged for this company by Mr . T . H . Reynoldson , with Mr . W . Harrison as Lionel , Mr . J , G . Patey as Plunhei , Mr . G . Honey as Lord Tristan , Mr , T . Grattan Kelly as the Sheriff of Richmond , Miss Louisa Pyne as Lady Henrietta , and her sister as the spubrette Nancy . The management have , we hear , taken « iueh pains with all arrangements , and the opera will be very completely produced . The publication of the libretto in a handy octavo form , with musical illustrations , is a novelty , and will no doubt be

    appreciated by the public . Egyptian Hall . — Mr . and Mrs . Howard Paul , to borrow a phrase from our fashionable reporter , continue to entertain numerous circles of friends by repeating the performances to which we drew attention a fortnight since . It is hard to say whether Mrs . Howard Paul ' s racy impersonation of Molly Doolan , the good-humoured rnaid-6 f-all-work , with a military sweetheart , Barny Ryan , or her " unprotected female , " Selina , Singleheart , most d elights the air portion of the audience . We have not before alluded to this lady ' s very capital imitation of Mr . Sims Reeves in "Come into the garden , Maud , " which , coming at the fag end , is so near the end of the bill that we had not heard it until a night or two

    and Pekin . About the we can say nothing , but of the general correctness of the former , and several others we havfi riot space to particularise , we can speak in terms of high approval . As works of art the tableaux have merit , and the authorities from which they have been compiled are Colonels Anstruther and Kennedy , Lord Cochrane and Captain Hall , besides private sketches by military and naval men , and those in possession of the East India Company .. This exhibition is very well worth a visit either by day or night . The morning diorama is at 3 . 15 , and the evening one at

    8 . 15 . English Opkra in India . —English amateurs and composers will welcome the intelligence that English Opera has taken root and blossomed , at one coup in India . On the 31 st August last , Wallace ' s grand opera , Maritana , was performed at the Theatre Royal , Kirkee , with the following caste : —Chaises the Second , King of Spain , Mr . Crowe ; Don Ccesqr de Bazan , Captain Miller , 3 rd Dragoon Guards ; Don Jose de Santarem , Mr . Newnham , C . S . ; The Marquis of San Fernando , Major Learnionth , 17 th Lancers ; Don Philip , Captain of the Guard , Mr . Tende , 3 rd Dragoon Guards ; Senor Luis , Alcalde of Madrid , Captain Stanley ; Don Torribio , Grand Inquisitor , Captain Cockerill , 3 rd

    ago . We can speak with equal approval of Staler / Mildew , the " poor relation , " who lives no one can tell where nor cares how . Poor Staley ' s comic hits , a la Billy Barlow , at the topics of the day , were intensely relished . As we must—true to our vocation— season our praise with the usual aliquid amari , let us again suggest to the clever couple that their entertainment would be all the more entertaining for the omission of The Good Old Days , a burlesque or one of Mr . Woodin ' s impersonations . Tliese caricatures of senility , popular though they unaccountably are with entertainers—for Mr . Howard Paul is not alone in this sin against good taste—are rather painful than otherwise , if not repulsive , to the majority of their audiences . Let them be assured that none but the very vulgar enjoy them .

    himself is his own only apparatus . He seems reallj a complete self-acting machine , and even to ^ astomsti himself . Lest some innocent member of the public should bring him under the notice of the authorities —these being evil days for sorcerers—he goes the length of illustrating one of his feats between the parts . He performs it first rapidly , ana then step by step . The audience fully comprehend it now , and its charm . is lost for ever . But all others are still a mystery , for the same key will not unlock them , and we beseech the Herr not to continue hia revelations . Let us have a little pleasure left in an pxhibition of natural magic . That pleasure must be himself is his own only apparatus * He seems reallj

    as much damaged by demonstrations , as is that we take in stage plays when we first see the wrong side of the curtain . " The secret of the once-celebrated bottle trick has been so ventilated that it has almost ceased to be attractive . If Frikell once explains his wonderful pe rformance " the inexhaustible hat , ' he may as well , like Prospero , 1 Break his staff , Bury it certain fathoms in the earth , And drown his book . . Great Globe , Leicester-square . — Mr . Wyld has just opened a new and ve ry pleasing set of twenty-six tableaux illustrative of the new treajfcy ports in Chinaarid of a few of the localities besfc

    verisimilitude of the latter , known to us through her Majesty ' s special correspondents of both services , and the admirable letters of Mr . G . W . Cooke . We have a pleasing evening view of the Cow-Loon pass with Chinese shipping , and a bright glowing one , which we can speak highly of from personal recollection of the island and harbour of Hong-Kong , with her Majesty ' s guard-ship and a number of junks . Tiger Island , a locale of more recent and more stirring incident—if we except the Boca Forts—is also represented . So are the Peiho r iver , Chusan , Whampoa , the French Folly , Ningpo , Shang-hae , and the cities of Nankin

    Dragoon Guards ; Archbishop of Madrid , Captain Frank Chaplin , 3 rd Dragoon Guards ; Lazarillo , Mr . Rawlinson , 3 rd Dragoon Guards ; Maritana , Mrs . Frank Chaplin ; The Marchioness o San Fernando , Viscountess Dangan ; Choruses , Men- at-Arms , f&c . Signor Costa officiated as conductor of music , and Captain Iiose , A . D . C ., had the pleasant sinecure of prompter . After the overture an appropriate prologue was delivered , amidst great applause , by Sir Robert Walpole . The right hon , gentleman , considering that lie had been buried for nearly a century , presented a gallant appearance , and spoke with much spirit . At the close of the opera the enthusiasm of the audience was unbounded . Maritana was called for ,

    Professor Frikell , at the Polvgkaphic Hall , King William-street . —We have been for several weeks looking for a change of the . performances at this establishment , but the extraordinary delight with which the original performances of this true professor of the black art was received has prevented our having that pleasure Until naw . The greatest favourites of the former bill being still retained , wo need do little more than again express our admiration of tho " Little Devil ' s present of 100 / ., " " Frikell omnipresent , " and " The golden egg . " We cannot pretend to explain to our readers—but if they will go the magician ' s hall they may always find somebody ollicious enough to do so — how Ileri' Frikoll , whom we consider , par excellence , tho most elegant artist of his tribe , contrives by his now method u to sow on buttons , " or

    and almost buried under an avalanche of bouquets . We have positively no space here for enthusiasm . Our Indian friends are of course delighted to announce tho performance of the first opera in India , and by an amateur company , too . So are wp to record it , for it is really an event , and , considering the times , a remarkable one . Mr . Crowe ' s make up , singing , and acting , are described to us as little short of ideal perfection . Captain Miller was a masterly Don C < e « a >' , andMrsiChaplin ' flimpersonationoO / anVaHrt , wo are informed by our contemporaries of Bombay , was a lesson to all actresses , present and future- Lieutenant Watts , of the South Mahratta Horse , painted

    "to sec without spectacles ; " but even theso deceptions sink into abatement beside" tho " oxohango of heads , " which , to use tho expressive hyperbole of a visitor , " completely paralysed us . " Wo saw produced a black dovo and a white dove . Wo saw them—wo insist upon it , without tho slightest respect for tho assertion to tho contrary of tho thick matter-of-fact man next us-r-docapitated . We saw tho living black dovo fittcd-with thu white dove ' s white head , and tho living white dovo with tho'black dove's head , To nay that wo did not eoo theso thingu whoa wo did , is absurd . Tho prpfussor was there to give explanation . "It is not tnt ' oanique , " ho tpld us every minute , and wo could aeo well enough it was not " mdoanigue . " There was not , and thoro never is here , any such visible apparatus , rudely fashioned and absurdly painted , us other wizards indulgo in . Tho gentlemanly , busy little Herr forgot that ho

    tho scenery . Tho Costa of tho evening was , it is whispered , Mr . Howard , the Director-general of Public Instruction ; and tho stage-manager was Groathed , the horo of Agra . After the opera thoro was a ball and supper at tho Moss of tho 3 rd Dragoon Guards , when several couples formed a Marl tana Quadrille . Lord Elphinstpno , the Chief Justice , tho Goinmandor-in-Chlof , Sir II ; Somerset ; Sir Hugh Koso , and many other colobrUics , bosidos of course fts . muott youth , beauty , and grace of tho fair so * as : could bo collected , wore pleased to asaiat at this JoH g htfljI inauguration of English opom in I «<»» . . wWoh jU who wore nrosont will remember with groat pleasure .

    case , Sylvia ( Madlle . Zilia Michelot ) , iu a short black tunic , black belt , long grey silk stockings , and a pair of captivating bottines , who did , wo admit , after dancing a revival of the nearly fossil Polka Original © , present a flower to a lady in tho moat unwieldy specimen of truncated crinoline it has yet been our misfortune to behold . Tho aforesaid anomaly threw so little light into tlio subject as it wont on that wo must abandon tlio unprofitable inquiry , what it camo for and what came of it afterwards P We should Bay that JHeadlles . Morlacchl and Pasquale—tho former a datueuse of great powor , though not yot JLu town- —are interesting , progressive , and , what irfust % b them bo more Batjsfttutory thnn all our opinions , much applauded dancora . Tho second scone , " TJUo Neapolitan Harvest Homo , " is a view on or of , if we remember right , tho Chiaja pf , Naples , filled

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    THEATRES AND PUBLIC ENTERTAIN-• MENTS . . .

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    ^ , ^ 0 ^^ 9 . 1858 . 1 THE HADEB . ¦ ¦ ¦ . . 1071 ¦ . — ~ r ~ rr = ^ === ^ ¦ ¦

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Oct. 9, 1858, page 1071, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2263/page/23/