THE LYCEUM COMPANY.

Press, Volume XLVI, Issue 7350, 1 July 1889, Page 6

THE LYCEUM COMPANY.

During the Queen's recent visit to Sandriugham, Mr Henry Irving, Miss Ellen Terry, and the rest of the company, had the honour of appearing in a command performance before Her Majesty in " The Bells," and the " Trial Scene " from "The Merchant of Venice," "One Who Was There" contributes an account of the affair to the Pall Mall Gazette, from which I take the following :— By degrees the platform (St. Pancras) acquires a most "professional" aspect. First comes Miss Marie Linden, accompanied by her pretty sister Laura, and then Mrs Pauncefort, who has been at the Lyceum for more, years than I care to remember. The genial Bram Stoker shows them their places, and as he turns away I pounce upon him. He gives mc a few details about the coming performance, and then flies off again after some recalcitrant " super." By this time nearly every one has turned up. George Alexander — prince of poetical juveniles—arrives in a pleasant '"summery" costume, and after him Messrs' Wen man and Tyars. each wif.h a most unprofessional looking moustache. *' Daddy ' Howe—the doyen of English actors—appears, and his kindly eyetwinkles as he tells mc that he alone of the whole company has had the honour of appearing before her Majesty in the old days at Windsor. The veteran actor look* as hale and hearty as ever, and I should not wonder if-he spends as many years at the Lyceum as he did at the old Haymarket. At last everybody is seated, myself included—for I obey an irresistible impulse, and jump into the train at the last moment—and off we go. Tne journey takes about two hours and a half, and so at 6.30 we find ourselves at the small station of Wolferton. Carriages are in waiting, and the Thespians are packed away in them by their " pilot." A not unpleasant drive of two miles and a half lands us at the country seat of H.R.H. Bram Stoker " unloads," and the company adjourn to a most excellent " high tea which has been prepared for them in the conservatory—a miniature Crystal Palace leading out of the Theatre Royal "Ball Room. I need hardly say that ample justice is done to the regal comestibles. Mr Irving and Miss Terry, who came down earlier in the afternoon, have been engaged on a tour of inspection of all the " effects " which Mr Loveday has been preparing so busily during the last week, and they report most favourably to their fellow artists. They travelled almost in semi-state, * and received quite a little ovation from a crowd which had assembled at Lynn station. A peep into the Ball Room shows mc that the Lyceum staff have certainly worked wonders. All the scenery is nmv; it ha-> been expressly painted by Mr Hawes Craven, and is an exact copy—reduced, of course —of' the original Lyceum material. Mr Harm has done a nice little act-drop—curtain looped up with gold cord—which is very like the old one at the London house. In fact, Mr Irving and his people have dene all possible to make the performance a perfectly unique one. The stage is seventeen feet deep, and < the •' opening" measures eighteen feat. Limelight, properties, and furniture are all there; in fact, the production Is to resemble exactly the original one at the Lyceum. While the Royal party is at dinner the company dresses and " makes nn," and by a quarter to ten all is ready behind the scenes, and the bulk of the audience is seated. The gallery at the far end of the ball-room is occupied by the servants and others, as it was not found necessary to devote that space to any of gueets. Exactly at five minutes past ten the Queen enters with the Prince of Wales and the rest of the Royal party. The guests rise en masse, and Mr Meredith Wall and his fiddlers, who are on a raised platform to the right of the stage, strike up the National Anthem. Her Majesty occupies an arm chair in the middle of the front row. On her right sits the Prince of Wales, on her left the Princess, then comes Prince George, Princess Louise, and the three young Princesses. The performance commences with " The Bells, which is listened to with the utmost attention. Contrary to expectation there Is plenty of applause, and Mr Irving gets a capital reception. Her Majesty shows the keenest interest in the development of the plot, and whispers frequent criticisms feo her eon aud daughter in-law. In the third act the Lyceum lessee was quite at hin best, and the great mesmerism scene thrilled the " front row " most apparently. The Trial Scene from "The Merchant of Venice," which followed, was perhaps received more quietly by the audience, but Miss Terry made the most of her opportunity in the *• Mercy" speech, and obtained one of the best rounds of the evening. When all was over Her Majesty waited for about ten minutes for the expreß3 purpose of receiving the two " stars," who, after doing a very quick change, were presented to the Queen. Iα a few graceful words, which will be remembered for many a long day, her Majestyexpressed her delight at all she bad seen, and specially thnnked Mr Irving for all the trouble he had taken. As a tangible memento of the occasion, she presented him with a magniiicent set of diamond studs, while to Miss Terry she gave a charming little brooch—two birds, also designed in diamonds. In the meantime the company sat down to supper in the conservatory, and enjoyed themselves hueely after their labours. Ineedhardlysay a RoyAl toast was drank In a decorous manner Places had been reservedforMr Irving and Mies Terry in the big dining-room, where most of the audience had supper, and here again vast congratulations were heaped upon them. All the Royalties, by the wav, wore black, and the Queen had the Garter star on her left shoulder. The Prince, as he usually does, wore the ribbon of the same order. In a woid, the occasion was a triumph for all concerned, and may be regarded as the crowning point of Mr Irving's career. The company left Wolferton at half-past two o'clock on Saturday morning, and reached London soon after five—tired ont. but delighted at their thirteen hours' "tour." So ended an event, certainly historic as far as the drama 1% concerned.