ECCKSTONE'S melodramatic version of Mr. BUI.WER'S Rienzi was brought out
at the Adelphi on Wednesday, instead of Monday as had been announced. It is a superb spectacle. The principal events are sketchily indicated by a series of stage tableaux, with a little dialogue introduced to connect and explain them. For the splendour of the costumes and the beauty of the scenery, it well deserves the success it met with ; and though, like all pageants, it is deficient in animation and progressive interest, at least it has the merit of being inoffensive, and, as far as is necessary for the purpose, characteristic. The outline of Rienai's career is slightly and rather confusedly traced, from the private wrong that urges him to espouse the cause of the people and redress their grievances. His connexion with the nobles—their hatred of and treachery to him, his mistimed clemency and too late severity— his love of luxury and pomp, neglect of the people, and their mistrust, disaffection, and final enmity to him—and his fall among the ruins of the edifice of power which his genius had raised—are shadowed forth, indistinctly enough, but in a way that is intelligible to many who could not so well comprehend Miss MITFORD'S tragedy on the same subject : though the matrix of RUCESTONE'S brain tuts not the.capacitv to contain the noble forms cast in the mould of Mr. Butane's am:agitation.
The numerous dramatis personae are most efficiently represented, for a minor theatre ; and, considering that the characters have little else to do but show off their rich costumes to the best advantage, there is scarcely room for improvement. ELTON has been engaged to personate Rienzi; and a more worthy representative need not be wished : even the principal character, however, afforded but little scope for tine acting. As a specimen of the strength of the cast tend of the company generally, we may mention that the principal persons among the mob of plebeians are O. SMITH, WEBSTER, WILKINSON, RUCKSTONE, and ATIVOOD while VINING is the Norman Knight, Walter de Montreal; and HEM- MING and Roamers the leading nobles of the Colonna and Orsini. families. Miss ITALY is the Wife of Rienzi, and Mrs. HONEY the Page..
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