The London Theatres.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5034, 21 June 1884, Page 3

The London Theatres.

(From the " Star's" Lqndok Correspondent.) A GOEGEOUS NEW HOUSE. NEW PEODUCTIONS. MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS. London, May 2. THE NEW " EMPIRE " — AN ELECTRIC BALLET. j Twenty-eight theatres are now open in the West-end of London, most of them t doing really good business. The latest | addition to the hand — the Empire, in \ Leicester square, is an extraordinarily 1 gorgeous house, and bids fair to prove a j very serious rival indeed to the Alhambra. j A few weeks ago people were gushing over i the glories of the Prince's, now the ques- i tion all well-regulated "mashers" put' tot one another ia "Have you been to the i Empire, old chappie ? " I looked in there j about nine last Thursday^ and was simply I amazed. Such a comfortably-fitted and j spacious auditorium, such a magnificent i green-room, such regal staircases and such j a general effect of brilliancy and glitter have j certainly never been seen in a Metropolitan \ theatre before. Moreover, the performance j aceordswell with thehouse. MrParnie has j taken Herve's " Chilperic," whiohJjOffers abundant opportunity for spectacular effect, and retaining only the liveliest and most ! popular airs, mounted it regardless of expense. Processions, ballets and merry choruses (none of them too long), follow each other in quick succession. A novel comic element has been introduced in the shape of a famous French drole, or clown, I who, although unable to speak a word of { English, keeps the audience in fits of j laughter. The climax of the Empire show, i however, is the electric ballet, than which i few things more weird and strange have been on the stage. At one moment Chilperic's army stand apparently lost in the gloomy distance of the dark forest ; the next the whole scene is filled with a blazing mass of silver-clad Amazons, upon whose helmets, spears, and shields glitter countless tiny electric lamps of many colours. The shield effect struck me as specially good. The lampj are arranged in the centre in the form of a bouquet of gems, and the glamour when they suddenly spring from deepest darkness to the most brilliant incandescent light almost blinds one. The acting and solo-singing in a spectacular show like the one at the Empire, does not naturally g-o for much. Nevertheless, Mr Herbert Standing 'makes a good Chilperic, and Miss Madge Shirley a pretty Spanish Princess. Mdlle. Camille D'Arville is Predegonda, and Harry Paulton and Miss Sallie Turner supply the comic element. THE " IRONMASTER." THE STORT OP THE PLAT. " The Ironmaster," a literal translation by Mr Pinero of Ohnet's popular French drama, " Le Maitre de Forges/ was produced at the St James' Theatre in Easter week, and scored a success. Like many other pieces brought out at this house, I don't believe it will succeed anywhere else. Take Mrs Kendal and her marvellous acting away, and the interest would collapse. She supports the whole weight cf the drama. It is so French as to be almost incomprehensible to the majority of English theatre-goers, and, indeed, but for Mra Kendal's art, they would simply laugh at the Btory. In the first act we learn how the Marquise de Beaurepaire, a proud and wealthy, but very kind-hearted old lady, loses a fortune, and how her daughter, Claire de Beaupre (Mrs Kendal), is jilted ia consequence by the lover she adores, a certain • Due de Bligny. De Bligny is a poor man and a gambler. In an evil moment he puts himself in the power of Monlinet, a moneylender, who prevails upon him to accept a fortune in conjunction with the hand of his beautiful but ambitious daughter Athenais. The latter has long hated Claire for her high-breeding, her grace, and her popularity, so when De Bligny absolutely becomes betrothed to her, she resolves to go over and inform her rival that she has been jilted. The part of Athenais is splendidly acted by Misß Vane. The mock affection, the artificial smile, the hard laugh and the bitter vindictaveness underlying all are admirably indicated. She does not, however, get much satisfaction from gloating over Claire'sdiscomfiture, for though we can see the poor girl is struck to the heart, she preserves a tone of polite indifference. When, however, Athenais goes out for a moment, the veil is cast asunder. Outraged pride overcomes mere sorrow. She bethinks herself of a certain rich young iromnaster, who adores her blindly, and would consider himself the happiest of I

men if she accepted him. He is sent for. Claire tells him of the Due's defection, and addß that sho will now marry him if he chooses. At this crisis De Bligny himself arrives to apologise for the intrusion of Monlinet and Athenais, and is introduced to Philip Derblay (the ironmaster) as Gl&ire'sfiance'e. When the second act opens it is the night of Claire's marriage with Derblay, and all her relatives are assembled in the latter's castle. One by one, however, they leave, and Claire, upon whom a terrible dread and fear has been settling, at last finds herself alone with her husband. At first Philip attributes his wife's icy coldness and stony silence to fatigue, but when upon his offering her a caress she half shrieks, and shrinks away with ill-concealed loathing and aversion, light begins to dawn upon him. An affianced couple are never left together in Prance, so he has not had a chance of speaking to Claire since the betrothal. Now in a moment he sees it all. Sho has simply made a tool of him, and married him to spite De Bligny. At first the injured man's wrath is awful to see, and he raises his hands to kill Claire. By-and-bye, however, he settles down into a determined cold anger, that we can see will continue. Claire shall be free. They will be husband and wife in name only. Presently, perhaps, she may change her mind, and wish to regain her husband, but he, Philip swears a great oath, that when that time comes she shall sue in vain. Six months pass. Clare has been very ill, arid with her illness the penchant for De I Bligny (who is now married to Athenais) seems to have disappeared. She is, indeed, beginning to love Philip passionately, and to be very jealous of his persistent attentions to Athenais. The latter makes as i much mischief as she dare, but eventually goes too far, for Claire publicly requests her to leave the house, and to the surprise of everyone Philip supports his wife's decision. After this there is of course nothing for it, but a duel. The Due challenges Philip, and they meet in the forest close i bye, but Claire arrives in time to throw I herself before Philip and receive the bullet intended for him. She is not, however, killed, and a reconciliation brings down the curtain. A "new" comic opera. i " The Beggar Student," the comic opera ! by Millocker, is merely a Germanised ver- [ Bion of the " Lady of Lyons." Some noblemen, to revenge themselves on a lady who : has refused them, dress up a beggar student as a prince, &c, &c, &c. The music jis delightfully catching and sure to be , popular. I have not seen the performance i at the Alhambra yet, but the papers speak in. high terms of the mounting and ballets. " DOT " BOXTCICAtTLT'S NEW COMEDY. " Dan'l Druce," after a not very lengthy revival, will be withdrawn from the Court ■Theatre to-night, and " Devotion," a new comedy by Dot Boucicault (eldest son of the great Dion), substituted. Little Boucicault is one of the moat boyish actors on the stage, but he inherits the faculty of " playmongering," and has already produced several fairly successful COmedi- ' ettas. I have , not heard whether " Devotion " is the dramatised version of Besant's " Chaplain of the Fleet," which he was said to be preparing for the Btage some time ago. I MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS. I The Criterion Theatre, entirely renovated and reconstructed, has been reopened by Mr Charles Wyndham, whose world-famous performance of the irrepressible Bob Sackett in "Brighton" is as | screamingly funny as. ever. Some people say Tbole makes them laugh more than any other living comedian, but I always find Wyndham much more amusing. Lawrence Barrett, the American actor, does not look like becoming a success in England. His opening piece "Yorick's Love," was withdrawn from the stage of the Lyceum last Saturday, to make way for "Richelieu/ 1 and, on Monday next, | " Francesco di Rimini " will be produced. These frequent changes are ominous. Mr Bland Holt, of Melbourne, has secured the Colonial rights of a new Irish melodrama called " The Donagh," now being played at the Islington Grand Theatre, and you are sure to see it in New Zealand ere long. It is as full of ghastly sensationalisms as the most blood-thirsty I theatre goer could desire, but the great | attraction of the piece is a beautiful pano- ; rama of the Lakes of Killarney, painted Iby BeVerly. This, in itself, would pull a | much worse play through. I Since the cheap prices were inaugurated, I Her Majesty's Theatre has been a sight. j Night after night the vast auditorium is | crammed to excess, and " The Ticket-of- | Leave Man " goes with even greater verve \ and spirit than at the Olympic. I The Gaiety Theatre is going rapidly I down hill. " Our Helen " was a dead i failure, and Byron's " Uncle " and " The ! Bohemian G'yurl" have been revived. | These are both amusing, and may perhaps I answer as a stop-gap, but the sooner Mr I Hollingshead can underline something | really novel the better. Old burlesques i re-hashed, almost invariably turn out deadly i dull. ! Joe Eldred, who I see died out in Sydney the other day, was a great favourite with our English sporting fraternity, and for many years leased the York and Doncaster Theatres for the race weeks. He played Micawber in "Little Em'ly" admirably, also Quilp in " The Old Curiosity Shop," i but the piece I used to think him most ; effective in was a two act melodrama, by | Dion Boucicault, entitled " Hunted Down." j Madame Taglioni, the great premiere danseuse, of Italian Opera, in the palmiest days 'of the ballet, died in Paris last week, aged eighty. Only recently she was living in London, and after the loss of her fortune by the Franco-Prussian war earned her living by teaching deportment in connection with Court ceremonials. Mary Anderson's treasurer, a smoothtongued young person named Abud, says that j597,Q00 passed through his hands during their recent season at the Lyceum. The expenses were comparatively speaking small, so you can imagine what a lot of money " Our Mary " and her father-in-law divided. No wonder the latter looks with an evil eye on all eligible bachelors, and does his best to keep them out of his house. Miss Anderson's husband, whoever he may be, is scarely likely to permit old Griffin to go on absorbing half his daughter-in-law's earnings. I have not said anything about " Dick," the new comic opera at the Globe, because I know nothing, save that it is declared to be a great success in Gilbert and Sullivan's style. Before next mail I hope to see the piece, and form my own opinion. Some of the lyrics published are unquestionably funny.