At the Olympic, the bill is changed by the production
of a version of Victor Hugo's Angelo. The manager here has to follow close on the steps of the St. James's Theatre. Mr. Mitchell brings out M. Scribe's Bataille de Dames—Mr. Farren comes in with his Lady's Duel; Mr. Mitchell avails himself of the revival of Angelo in Paris to add one more part to Ma- demoiselle Rachel's list—Mr. Farren has his Angelo too. Is this a wise policy ? If the Olympic is frequented by a thoroughly British audience, the fact that a piece has been acted at the St. James's will bring with it no recommendation : if, on the contrary, the habitues of the French house form an important part of the visitors to the Eng- lish one, comparisons may be made which will not redound to the advantage of the latter. Angelo at the Olympic is a very weak affair ; making one more of a long series of phantoms, which, unlike those shown by the witches to Macbeth., pass away without any recalling mirror behind them. Mrs. Stirling, in the stronger scenes of the piece, is given to a habit of feature-fixing ; but she depicts with much skill the coquetries of La Tighe in the first act, and the progress of the death-wound in the last. As for the artists who play Angelo, Rodolfo, Catarina, they contribute largely to the ineffectiveness of the whole.
There is a sad want of substance and earnestness in some of our mo- dern dramatic companies ; and an evening's performance often leaves the impression that a thoroughly blasé troop has been exhibiting to a tho- roughly blasé public.
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