The Theatres.

THE THEATRES .

Bro . the M . W . the Grand Master visited the Comedy last Saturday , where " Erminie" is being played to enormous houses with brilliant success . Miss St . John has never been seen to greater advantage . * # # " Nadsherda" is said to be the title of the new

p lay which is to succeed " Dark Days" at the Haymarket . In it Mrs . Barrymore will join her husband , and the cast will not be much altered from the present , except that Miss Lingard will be missed . She is about to go out with a company of her own , in a new drama by Mr . Clement Scott and Mr . Wilson Barrett , on tour in the provinces .

* * _ The last nights of "The Fay O'Fire , " as we predicted , are likely to be shortly announced , on which Mr . Dark and Miss Ewretta Lawrence will transfer "On 'Change" from the Strand to the OperaComique , Miss Minnie Palmer taking possession of the former house . A new piece , by ' Mr . T . P . Hurst , author of " Loose Tiles , " precedes "On 'Change" now .

* # * " Kenilworth " is now announced lo be brought out on the 19 th inst . In the meanwhile the stage is undergoing some alterations necessary to the burlesque . This new piece for the Avenue is looked forward to with much interest , as it will include a popular and brilliant cast both of ladies and gentlemen . #

* * Tlie Holborn is announced to reopen with comic opera next Saturday , the 12 th inst . Miss Vivianne Dallas is to play the chief character . This young lady , who is new to the stage , has lately been playing in " Boccaccio " in the provinces in a company of her own , and has won much popularity . "The Pet of Newmarket" is the name of the opera . We do not know if Miss Dallas is to be the " Pet , " but h _ pe she will be the Pet of the Holborn .

* Bro . George Edwardes , the popular acting man . v _ er of the Savoy , leaves Mr . D'Oyly Carte at Chri-t nas , and joins Mr . Hollingshead in partnership at the Gaiety , where we are sure he will prove himself equally popular . We wish him every success in his new career as joint manager . "Jack Sheppard " is announced as the new burlesque , in which , we believe , Miss Farren will be seen , and again charm her admirers .

* * Great preparations are in progress at the Adelphi for the new drama by Messrs . Pettitt and Sims , which is to deal with the affairs of the sea . It is said 400 men of the Naval Reserve are to appear in the piece , which

will include Miss Mary Rorke , Miss Millward , Miss Maude Brennan , Mrs . John Carter , Mr . Terriss , Mr . Garden , Bros . ] . Maclean , P . M . 1319 , and J . D . Beveridge , and Messrs . Howard Russell and Percy Lyndal . In consequence of the stage being required , the theatre will close next Saturday , the 12 th inst ., until Boxing-night .

* * The " Theatre Annual" is just published , and contains tales written by Bros . Toole , Irving , and Sims , Messrs . Chas . Wyndham , Frank Marshall , Wilson Barrett , and Beatty Kingston , and poems by Mrs . Bancroft and Mr . Clement Scott ; the latter is also the Editor . Besides this there are portraits of the following in character : Misses

Eastlake , Kate Rorke , Ellen terry , Phyllis Broughton , and Violet Cameron ; Messrs . Wilson Barrett , Willard , Terriss , and Bro . Irving . We can heartily recommend it , as also the December number of the " Theatre , " containing photographs of Miss Eastlake in " Hoodman Blind " and Bros . Charles Warner . Mr . Godfrey Turner writes an interesting article on " The Falstaff Lectures . "

* Bro . Augustus Harris ( Maybury Lodge ) announces t ; e withdrawal or "Human Nature" on the 12 th inst ., in 01 der to rehearse and get ready for the Pantomime , "Aladdin , " which is to be introduced to his patrons on Box ' mg-n ' . gYit in all the glories of Drury Lane management . ' lt is to excel its forerunners . One of the chief

attractions is to be the procession of famous beauties from the earliest ages of history . We do not know if the favourite ladies of our day are to be represented , or whether the show will end with the last generation , This scene is to take the place of the procession of Civic Guilds of last year , and

that of the Kings and Queens of England in the pantomime of the year previous . Bro . Harris also furnishes the Pantomime of " Cinderella " at the Crystal Palace . On the withdrawal of the Christmas entertainment , " Human Nature " is likely to be brought out again , as its popularity has incrtaseil rather than diminished .

* We regret to state that Miss Ellen Terry ' s health has been so unsatisfactory of late that she has been compelled to withdraw , her part being ably played by Miss vVinifred I . inery in "Olivia . " On Monday " Louis XL " will be revived for a short time , which has not apart for Miss Terry . After that Mr . Wills ' s new play , " Faust , "

will be produced ; the date is not yet fixed , but it is not likel y to be long . Mr . H . B . Conway is to be in the cast . Faust" is being looked forward to as a great event . Rumour says the mounting of the play is to supersede anything ever done at the Lyceum . This is saying a great deal f / ter Bro . living ' s stage mounting of "Hamlet" and Much Ado about Nothing . " # #

* " The Japs , " in spite of the lessees tryingto keep the """ sta P <' ' ' las met > ts doom , which we predicted from the hrst would not be long . To-morrow night ( Saturday ) a new burlesque , entitled "The Flvin ? Anirlo-Dutchman and

the Phantom Penny Steamer , " is to be produced , with we clever trio , Mr . Willie Edouin , Miss Alice Atherton , and yf 0 . Lionel Brough , in the chief parts . A welcome addi" ° r , 1 will be Miss Helen Hastings , who , last Friday , gave a matinee at Toole ' s , where she played the chief part in " The

The Theatres.

Country Girl" with much success . This young lady has not been seen for some time , and we notice she is not remembered by some of our contemporaries . We think we are correct in recognising her as having developed from Miss Tiny Hastings , who played in " Vice Versa " and " Silver Guilt , " at the Strand , and in " The Three Hats , " at the Royalty , two or three years ago . We were certain at that time of her ability . We shall notice the new burlesque at the Novelty in another issue .

* * * On Monday , Bro . Toole returns to town and reopens his own theatre with a new play , written for him by Mr . Maddison Morton , who is one of the brethren of the Charterhouse , and the- author of several pretty little pieces , some of which Bro . Toole has produced . " Going It" is the title of the new play , which has already been well applauded in Glasgow . It is much of the same

orderwe are told—as other of Bro . Toole s character sketches , the subject being that of a middle-aged gentleman who comes up to London possessed of means , and "goes it , " of course , paying dearly for his fun . The extravaganza , "The O'Dora , " is to follow . We do not doubt that our popular brother will receive the usual hearty welcome from his audience , and make a first night speech , which , we regret , circumstances will prevent our being present to hear .

* * - In noticing the new play at the Olympic , we have remarked that the British public cannot expect to have each production more attractive than any which have gone before ; but an exception must be made to Gilbert and Sullivan ' s last work— "The Mikado "—which has been playing at the Savoy since March , and probably will be

playing by next March and long after that . It is allowed by all that this comic opera crowns all those which have been produced by those gentlemen , not excepting " Patience , " which it most resembles . It is said that Mr . W . S . Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan are engaged on another opera for Mr . D'Oyle Carte , and that will be their last . If so , it will be a source of much regret that

their long connection will cease ; but playgoers and music people will ever bless their names for the enjoyment they have caused , both on the stage and in many a household , with their works— " Pinafore , " " The Pirates of Penzance , " "Patience , " " Iolanthe , " "The Princess Ida , " and "The Mikado . " Having taken off the Army , Navy ,

and the House of Lords , Mr . Gilbert flies to Japan for the plot of his last work . Both its story and its music have long ago become quite familiar to most people . Many of our readers must have danced in "The Mikado Lancers , " and have heard Mr . Gilbert's words , sung by Mr . George Grossmith , to Sir Arthur ' s music :

" As it seems to be essential that a victim should be found , I've got a little list ; I ' ve got a little list Of social offenders , who might well be underground , And who never would be missed — never would be missed . There ' s the pestilential nuisances who write for

autographs ; All people who have flabby hands and irritating laughs ; AH children who are up in dates , and floor you with ' em flat ; All persons who in shaking hands shake hands with you like that-Arid all third persons who on spoiling ' tete- _ - tetes '

insist—They'd none of ' em be missed—they'd none of 'em be missed !

" There s the nigger serenader , and the others of his race , And the piano organist—I ' ve got him on the list ! And the people who eat peppermint and puff it in your face , They never would be missed — they never would be missed !

Then the idiot who praises , with enthusiastic tone , All centuries but this , and every country but his own ; And the lady from the provinces , who dresses like a guy , And ' who doesn't think she waltzes , but would rather like to try ;' And that singular anomaly , the lady novelist—I don't think she'd be missed—I ' m sure she'd not be missed ! "

Mr . Gilbert has enriched " The Mikado " with some of his wittiest and most pungent puns , the dialogue and lyrics alike being worthy of his brilliant pen . Sir Arthur Sullivan ' s music bears the strain of his former works , " The Mikado " being almost a continuation of " Patience " and " Iolanthe . " The mounting of the work is of the usual order of the Savoy—exquisite ; nothing left to be desired . The dresses of the chief characters and the chorus ladies

and gentlemen are of themselves a work of art . The company includes Mr . Rutland Barrington , Mr . Grossmith , Mr . Lely , Miss Lenora Braham , Miss Jessie Bond , Miss Brantram , and Bro . Richard Temple . It speaks for its popularity that " The Mikado" is the only play , except " The Private Secretary , " which was being played in the spring and run through all the hot summer months , and is still drawing as crowded houses as ever it did .

* To those about to see " The Capers , " and Miss Bertie Crawford in it , our advice is , don't , unless they want to be depressed . A more milk-and-water piece could not be conceived . It must take very little to amuse our transatlantic brethren if they can laugh or even sit out such a dull performance as occupied the stage at the

Standard last week . But we can only credit Miss Bertie Crawford ' s popularity as being amongst the backwoodsman who scarcely ever has the opportunity of going to a theatre . Will Mr . Walter Parke rush to the newspapers and disclaim being a joint author of such a stupid play as "Capers ? " It is of the variety order of entertainment , without anything entertaining in it , either dialogue , dance ,

or music . "Capers" is without a single redeeming feature , and we hope our American friends will not waste their time in sending over such trash for us to see . Miss Bertie Crawford is of the Minnie Palmer and Lotta type . Neither of those ladies need feel the least jealous , for she onl y imitates them at a distance—and that a great way behind . She may call herself , or be called , the Tennessee Nightingale ; we prefer our own nightingales , and she is as like them in her singing as light from darkness . Dance

The Theatres.

she cannot either . Youth and comeliness are her only forte . It is odd that when Minnie Palmer was in London , and had made a genuine sensation , Lotta came over and tried to win the public in the same style of entertainment , but utterly failed , and now "My Sweetheart" is again announced to appear in London , yet another American lady makes her debut , and has ignominiously failed to win the least sympathy , for none is deserved .

Mrs . Conover would seem at last to have met with fortune at the Olympic . She has long courted it , but until she was tempted to produce the new drama by Mr . Robert Buchanan and Miss Harriet Jay , " Alone in London , " she had not been successful . The theatre would seem in a fair way of reviving its old days . It has been made comfortable and cheerful looking . The terrible

draughts and horrible smells which held sway there for so long with ill luck , have been banished . " Alone in London " will suit the tastes of those who like the uncompromising blood and _ thunder type of melodrama , and for others who do not enjoy such realistic scenes there is much to attract . It gives an old story in a not very new form . But how is it possible for every author to devise something which no one has ever done before ? A drama to be a reflection nn

the stage of real life must be like those which have been played before in style , until real life entirely changes . As an eminent actor remarked to us the other day , " Some people continually cry out for something quite original , and are not satisfied unless each new play eclipses all its predecessors . " The scenes in the Olympic play are those so dear to a large section of playgoers , introducing modern London in every act . We have a common lodging-house

in Drury-lane faithfully portrayed , a burglary in a bank , a representation of Westminster Bridge , showing the Houses of Parliament from the south side , and a sluice gate at Rotherithe , the latter the most touchingof all . We shall not now go into the details , horribly and comically depicted in "Alone in London ; " we shall content ourselves with merely remarking that Annie Meadows , played by Miss Amy Roselle with her usual power and depth of expression , is

the heroine . She is linked to a swell mobsman . Her husband—not worthy of the name—tries many devices to rid himself of her when he finds he cannot live on her ; and last of all , Richard Redcliffe , splendidly played by—as witness the hisses and groans of the audience—Mr . Herbert Standing , takes his wife—who has fainted in his arms because he is trying to take from her her only comfort in life , her child—to a dock at Rotherhithe , ties her to a post ,

and turns the handle to let the water in ; but when the dock gates open , and the water has almost risen to her face , the inevitable hero is close at hand and rescues her . The last act is not less interesting than the former ones . It is a good idea of pushing the little son through the bars of a window that he may open the doors of the bank to admit his burglar father , but who is received in his mother's arms and hushed , while the door is opened bv the hero , who has

heard of the plot to rob the bank . The wind up may appear a little strange . A waif , who has been injured by the villain Redcliffe , dogs him everywhere , and apprises his wife and the hero , John Tiddlecomb , of all that he is doing , is the means of his being imprisoned , and at last shoots him dead . But this is introduced that the course may be clear for the hero to marry his old lover Annie . Miss Harriet Jay plays the street boy admirably . Mr .

Leonard Boyne is the honest countryman , and adds considerably to the interest in the piece . There can be small doubt that " Alone in London " will draw for some time to come , and will be sent through the provinces . The audience seemed to be intensely taken up with the scenesnone more so than the Duke of Beaufort—an authority on plays—the Duchess , and his family , who were in close

proximity to us . We congratulate Airs . Conover on the turn of the tide . She deserves it , for she has tried to please the public , and is imbued strongly vvith that virtue which is denominated the chief characteristic of a Freemason's heart—we mean Charity . Her name frequently appears in the subscription lists of dramatic charities and benefits . We do not know if any of our three great Institutions have ever been brought under her notice .

ST . GEORGE'S CLUB , HANOVER SQUARE , W . We heartily congratulate the spirited management of the St . George ' s Club on the fruitful result with which so much satisfaction is following the great efforts they have put forth for establishing an institution which has for its object , in addition to the usual conveniences of a club , the bringing together in closer bonds of affinity the sons of England resident beyond the seas . In addition to the great number

of English gentlemen who have joined this club , we understand that a great influx of Australian , Canadian , New Zealand , and American gentlemen of rank and distinction have been elected by the influential Committee , of which the Right Hon . Lord Bateman is President , as also of the club . Among these new members may be recognised many names well-known within the organism of the Craft , both at home and abroad . The St . George's Club is established

by a fusion of the late Hanover Square Club with the Imperial and American Club , and is now designated the St . George ' s Club . Considering the members of this Institution are resident over the habitable surface of the globe , the title will at once convince our readers of its appropriateness , and at the same time afford a guarantee to those who desire the comforts of a well-appointed institution . We understand that thenumberof membersisnow 2000 , and

when we add , that in addition to the influential name of the Right Hon . Lord Bateman , President of the club , the number of Vice-Presidents includes such distinguished names as those of Bro . the Duke of Portland , Bro . Earl Clanwilliam , C . B ., K . C . M . G ., Bro . Sir Philip Cunliffe Owen , K . C . M . G ., C . B ., CLE ., Director of the South Kensington Museum , Sec . of Colonial and Indian Exhibition , 1 SS 6 , W . M . of the Empire Lodge , consecrated on

luesday , Nov . 24 th , P . M . 1159 , who is to preside at a house dinner , to be held on Wednesday next , the 9 th inst ., at which the band of the Grenadier Guards , under the baton of Dan Godfrey , will perform a selection of instrumental music , and many others . We should consider that the influx of members will continue to be legion , and

heartily wish the institution success , feeling assured that in the admirable appointment of , and the conveniences which the club affords our visiting brethren to the 1 SS 6 exhibition , will be assured , convinced of the old adage that a Mason may find " In every land a brother and every place a home . "