OPENING OF THE NEW THEATRE ROYAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 555, 19 July 1862, Page 8

OPENING OF THE NEW THEATRE ROYAL.

Ou Saturday nis;'it the new Theatre Royal was ' oppaoil for the fiwfc time. Fortunately 'the night \va« fine an I a crowde.l audience a-^emblel, the home bein fille 1 from fl >or to ceiliny: very eooa after the doors opened. It was estimated* that tliers were/ ab Jut a thousand persons in Ihj house. The dress-. circie was crowded to the last rtegrec^and the large mrnber of 1 idies pi*33snt affmled subject for general remark. The house pre&nte-l a very handsome and indeed brilliant appearance, the bright cofora of tho dcconitioni reflecting the lvilliaut light from a handsome chandelier Imaging from the centre. ■ Tlie hou-ie is fitted up in every respact with careful regard to the comfort of tin public, the seats being conveniently pi iced for affording .ill a view' of the sbacye, and comfortably s'uH'ed. There are four dis--tin'et parts of the house at which different charges for admission are m.ule — the dress-circle, the sideboxes, the stalls and the pit We, some time ago published a detailed description of the house, as it wa-J to be, but we may be excusel if we now give a brief sketch of the result. The front elevation of the theatre to Princes-street, presents a very commtndin!? appairance, style, the Tuscan, giving an aspect of solidity seldom attained in wooden, buildings. The front entrance is by a p.uY of massive folding* doors, and from it the general - piblic is eriablel by various ptssages and stairs to reach whatever part of the house may bs required. Each part of the house i 9 absolutely disf.inct,-au;l, as his already been remarked, each i 3 according to its 1 class made comfortable and convenient. There is one box fer, the centre of which is appropriated to fie "* dresq circle ;" the stalls nre in the" front of the pit, imme 'lately adjoining the orchestra. We-'no'ticed t lat tli,3 pit has a" very considerable incline/ which enables praani at the exlreme back to seeai well a<« those in the front seats, The stage i 3 large nnd roomy, its dimensions being 40 ii. by 42 ft., and is set off by a handsome proscenium flanked by gildeJ fluted columns, and surmounted by the royal arms. The whole do -a great credit to the architect Mr. - diaries (J. Smith, and to the contractor Mr. J. B. • Thompson, who have so well given effect to the liberal ideas of tlie spLited proprietors M&ssra. Reynold* and Jones. The piece chosen f>r the opening night was Bulwer's fine play of the "Lady of Lyons," which was followed by the laughaVe comedy of the Stage Strufk. The new company did not shrink from coming boldly b^fol•c the public to meet at the very onset critical opinion. It was a bold expariment to try tlia opening-night with such a play as ths Lady of Lyons. Almost every one Iris sesri the La*ly of Lyons, seen it too performed !>y actors whose names' will live in tho memory long after themselves have retired both from , the mimic stage and from the stage of life. Whilst a more takin^plny could scarcely have been -substituted, it would, attlie same tima,'have been difficult to have chosen one inwhich there was ain,ore general high ideal of acting demanded. Bulwer, is one of the very few who have excelled in more than one ""field of litcnituwv As a poet, he has scarcely half-a-dozen livina; peers, as a dramatist he has achieved plays than, which none acted are more popular, and as a novelist some incline to think he has no equal. 'As a purely domestic drama, the " Lady of Lyons" poaS3S33S singular merit. It abounds in highly poetical passages, and the characters are well drawn, Tcousistenb, nnd natural, thousrh dragged through somewhat unlikely event-3. Pauli ie is introduce.l as the silly, inflated girl, spoiled by a stupid mother. Love did for her what it haa done for many another woman, lifted her out of herself. This regenerating influence 13 artistically brought forward in the scene when the disguised Meluotte tells her : "It is the Prince thou lovest, not the man," and she replies, ''That were lie to sink as low as that poor gardener's son, he would be the more dear for the sweet thought that slio could prove' how true is woman's love.'' Tlie scene in the cottage displays something more than artistic treatment, to a graceful fancy, genius lent its aid. The natural' anger at the " vile revenge orfths ""poor, powerless girl," the wronged and outraged love betrayed where. it had most put its trust, the disappointment as tho alabaster palace facied into the humble cottagft j and, through all, and over all, the disposition to forgive are beautifully pourtrayed. The parting scene, in which, forgetting her wrongs, she remembers dnly that' Claude was the husband of her love, is altvays effective, and ». touching. The same is to be said of the scene in which she consents to the sacrifice to save Jier father, hue indigntntly declaims against Beauseant's love. The concluding scene in which the marriage contract i< destroyed, although somewhat unnatural, is highly dramatic, and never foils to bring; the gods down. Claude Meluotte's-character, although well arid consistently developed^ daes not start fVonv so natural a. foundation, hence lie is unveal thrbughout. . Undertaking this onei-ous play for the first night was highly creditable to the self-confidence of the new company, aud we may add tint the re-iult fully justified that confidence. We' have seen Ellen Tree, and Charles Keeue, and' Mr. Phelps, and Mr. Warner, as Pauline and Claude, so that we cannot say we have never seen the play botteracted, but wecansay we have never sosrx it batter acted on a colonial stage. Mdme. Marie Durct made an excellent Pauline, she entered jnto the spirit of the part, and without apparent effort went, through the alternations of character we have been at pains to describe. In the scenes wa -have specially referred *o they were particularly effective. Air. Clarance Holt 1 wked and played CLiudri Melnotte with excee.liug ti4e iudgment, and ability, and well deserved the hearty appl uue he reoMved. Dim is found an able " lvpre entative in Mr. Wolfe, and Mr. Sliiels and Mr Ryan, as j\lonsieura De^ch.ippells nutl Boiuissant, came in fur a deserved nvjed of praise,. Tlie mise' en sjene and stage a>rangemj*)t3 we're highly creditable, especially wiien ifc is fionsi lered they were the offspringof a first night. Altogether it may said t iat anything nearly so good of the kind has not been seen in Ounedin or indeed in New Zealaud y before. The auJij.ico frequently evinced t'icir satisfaction, aud nt tlie close of the piece the principirt characters were called on. Mr. Holt addressed £ few \yords of thanks and future promise to the crowded house. The amusing afterpiece of". Stage Struck" waa performed with vivacity and* energy, and went off very successfully. Airs. Holt displayed rare' ability a*s a comedjenn; and we anticipate this lady will prove a prime favorite with the Dunetlin , theatre-going public. Miss Montrose, Mesas. Dale, ■ Shiels ariu I Manly should also be mentioned in terms of praise. • This brought a most successful evening to a, cioue, R ,d we may be allowed to express a hope that It will prove the harbinger of a successful campaign.

Swjsht. Simplicity. — 'At a small evening party, not very Jong ago, an elderly lady in-ntioned a family cf the name of Homer, much respected in a certain neighborhood. Somebody present — with the pleasantry adapted to small evening partie3— exclaimed, '■' Pray, madam, are they descended from tlie' great Homer ?" on which the old lady replied, with great emphasis, " Oil, yes, sir, and not a little proiid they are of it, I can assme yon !" This rjminds one of the French abbe, who was introduced at a dinner party to a gentlemen of the name of Robinson, celebrated for ' dressing in rather an eccentric costume— a green coat, hunting <up, and buckskin breeches. The abbe thrice lifted his fork to his month and thrice laid it down with an eager share of surprise, then, suddenly burst out with—" Excuse me, sir ; arer you the famous Rjbirison Crusoe, so remarkable m history." American Diplomatists. — It i 3 in communipations with other powers that the American feeling towards this country comes out mbre clearly, WitE some show of reason, it was apprehended that at the Russian Court not only was more hereditary kjhulness felt towards the tjniled StatO3,"but more jealousy of England was entertaine*l. Mr, Appleton inveighs at St. Petersburg against " that- haughty power which claims to be mistress of tho seas"— .a. phrase which Mr. Adams had varied,, into " k the tyrant of the ocean;" but it was res'Sryed to the notorious Mr. Ca^sius Clay, Mr. Appleton's succ,es.-*or, to' be especially virulent about us in'his language tp. the Emperor of Russia. Whether it was that this distinguished diplomat waa actually fuddled at- Pe.terhoff, or was only intoxicated With vanity on his ,ftrst presentation to a lire Emporor,"a bona"jide pi'loca, and an actual " gSrant of deramoniss," we'cata'iot' < i)retend ~" to say, but his language to the Emperor would justify eit er hypothesis. "The Kmperor asked^tye if^l thought England would interfere,] • I tpldJhiiu we did not care what she did ; that her 'interference wouldtend to unite us the in bvo. . \,\,\' .', ThatijUo course of England' had aroused our, sensibiliths to her in no Vary pleasant manner ,'" The<Emp3"r6V t seemed to like my seeming defiance of John JMII very much." The despatch cnotainjiig the»a.oco'un\'of. -thj^ifiterview is woun.ch.vp with ■ yeryrßtatesjn.'ijuiUke .language, such asaugurg well for Mr! GlayVsupces^Wth'o homo' Governmeht :— " r^trusf iii Gk>U* that General -Sqatt will slowly and surely inMiie p M;feVel|%P, f pt<J^t, look, and gun-barrel,/ hookrattd lino, "bojtfiind sihkfcr ;' ' 'andYthitt wg luriK-Jbeialtspare^tft 'see tliat glorjons old" - restored— ;' Liberby,-and-utrion,. s now , oy<?r, * one, anil; inseparable.' ."^ntur^iit/ > . TThe raan'who awemp'tad to^'wlnstle' abiir-to/l'soap .- haa"injured his' voice" by trying to sing ft/stave, off-.* , barrel/ "' ix '- • -,'->' ' k "-~' ••' ' '''.'U-^fS- <*'•'"'- ^rArr^iJrpad gnawl,v«(u^of ejnployjnanti^at/'spresont; - * '^y.ants "fa .^now;,when tjie. "-.Eq:iiinqotialliae7.> i w;.|ft;*bQ r ,^