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Considering that "Boxing-day" is the New-Year's-day of the year theatrical, and consequently that this may be looked upon as the last day of the Old Year, we may not inopportunely take a retrospective glance at the doings of the autumn and early winter season, and see what has been effected in the way of dramatic novelty.
At the Adelphi, the first novelty was The Discarded Son, a version of Un File de Fatnille, brought out last winter at the Gymnase. The next was a little original piece de circonstance, entitled Hotel Charges. Then came an adaptation from Un Garcon de chez Very (a Palais Royal piece) called White Bait at Greenwich. Last of all, there is The Thirst of Gold„—that is to say, La Priere des Naufrage's, spick-and-span new, with all the gloss on, from the Atnbigu-Comique. At the Princess's, the only novelty has been 17ze Lancers,—that is to say, another version of Un File de Famille, with the gloss off, on account of the few weeks' wear at the Adelphi. The Lyceum opened with an eccentric prologue, which introduced Mr. Wright, and then resolved itself into a version of Quand on attend sa Bourse, called Wright at Last. This proving a comparative failure, it was thrust to the end of the bill, and a farce, called How to snake Home Happy (taken also, we believe, from a French original) was put in its place. lUr. Tom Taylor's excellent comedietta, A Nice Firm, and a ver- sion of On demande un Gouverneur, (a recent production at the Vaude- ville,) with the title A Bachelor of Arts, brings us happily down to the present date. One novelty at the Haymarket was A Pretty Piece of Business; a come- dietta, styled original, but probably not without a French foundation. Another was a piece of more pretension, and doubtless original, entitled The Hope of the Family. Two little abortions, of the genus operatic, we purposely pass over. The Olympic opened with an allegorical piece de circonstance, and Mr. Tom Taylor's original drama of Plot and Passion. These were found so successful that they have been played every night without intermission. The above list will show that the London stage, guoad original produc- tion, is in a hopeful state. Persons who have derived great enjoyment from the London performances during the last few months, should cer- tainly, in the course of the festivities, not forget a bumper to the memory of the late M. Bayard, and another to the several healths of MM. Labiche, Deanery, Dug-a, Descourcelles, and Jaime fits, for the industry and zeal with which they have contributed to the entertainment of our not very lively metropolis.
Amid the little knot of original producers stands in honourable distinc- tiveness the figure of Mr. Tom Taylor, who has given not taken the lion's share. If we were asked to pick out the most genial production among the small lot of originality, we should without hesitation lay our finger on the comedietta of A Nice Firm.
Looking at the Christmas bill of fare, we are chiefly struck by the an- nouncement of a pantomime at the Haymarket, a theatre usually con- sidered alien to that species of entertainment. The improvement of the stage by Mr. Buckstone has doubtless something to do with the matter. In other respects the list is normal enough. The Lyceum and the Adelphi adhere to burlesque ; the rest to harlequinade.
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