THE THEATRES.
AT Easter, Mr. Puff, with his usual ostentation, offered the houseless "Drama" a home at the Haymarket ; and as Comedy had already 'fixed upon that pleasant little place of public entertainment for her chosen seat, a few innocent folks—regarding Mrs. GLOVER as the representative of Thalia and Melpomene rolled into one—fancied the Tragic Muse was included in the comprehensive invitation. Whit- suntide arrives, and lo ! Tragedy suddenly rears her drooping head above that of the New River, and the stage erst inundated with " real water" is now drowned in tears. Mr. PHELPS and Mrs. WARNER, finding SHAKSPERE driven from Drury Lane and excluded from Covent Garden, have made a bold stand for him at Sadler's Wells; determined, though the citadel be lost, to fight for one of the outposts : and they show so gallant a front that there is every prospect of their holding out successfully. Macbeth was placed in the van, and the people of Pen- tonville rallied round the standard of SHAKSPERE is crowds, cheering the IAs:in of the banner as heartily as the Eton boys did the waving of the flag at the Montem. But while Tragedy takes the lead at Sad- ler's Wells, Opera and Farce are not forgotten ; and the residents of this populous district have now a variety of intellectual amusements provided for them at a well-conducted theatre. HOOD'S " Song of the Shirt," which appeared originally in Punch some months ago, has found echoes in the exhibition-room and the theatre as well as in the popular voice : but the simplicity of its pathos suffers in the drama of The Sempstress, by Mr. MARK LESION, as well as in the picture by REDGRAVE, which is introduced as a tableau vivant. The treatment it has met with on the Haymarket stage, however, is mild compared with the melodramatic horrors suggested by the title of another stage-version of the subject at the Surrey Theatre, in which the needle is sublimed to an "instrument of torture." Miss P. HORTON IS the Haymarket Sempstress, and charming in her woes : on the other band, BIICKSTONE, as the shopman of a roguish linendraper, causes tears of laughter. The revival of another of MORTON'S comedies, Secrets Worth Knowing, though less successful than A Cure for the Heartache, is welcome for the sake of FARREN'S admirable personation of Nicholas Rue : the sordid cunning of knavery lurked in every twinkle of his eye and wrinkle of his face. Mrs. GLOVER'S Sally Downright, too, is capital ; and the other characters were well filled. At the Princess's, the temporary indisposition of Madame THILLON, whose engagement is drawing to a close, gave an opportunity for the production of Blanche de Vainly, a new drama, by Mr. BERNARD; in which Mademoiselle EUGENIE PROSPER enacts the heroine, a coquette who is punished for her flirtations, very cleverly. Miss SABILLA No- VELLO took a benefit at this theatre on Thursday ; and showed, by her performances of Amine in the Sonnambula and of Norina in Don Pas- quale, the progress she has made as a dramatic singer since she first appeared at Drury Lane : in the latter part, the vivacity of her acting, combined with the sweetness of her voice, her correct intonation, and musician-like execution, produced a very favourable impression. Two Heads are Better than One is the title of an amusing trifle at the Lyceum, in which Mrs. KEELEY, as a gay pupil of Benvenuto Cellini, gives more life to a colossal head, by her pranks withinside it, than the eccentric sculptor himself ever dreamt of. At the French Plays, genteel comedy, in the persons of Mademoiselle PLESSY and Monsieur VOLNYS, has abdicated, in favour of saucy sprightly vaudeville ; of which Mademoiselle DdJAZET, the audacious and witty, is the fascinating representative. The pet of the Patois Royal appears on Monday. Drury Lane closed a prolonged and prosperous season this week. Mr. BUNN has been presented with a superb epergne-candelabrum, by his friends and admirers—among whom are some noblemen and mem- bers of the theatrical profession—as a testimonial to his managerial ability ; and last night, in a valedictory address, he felicitated himself upon the success of his efforts to please the public.
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