AMUSEMENTS.

Evening Star, Issue 3846, 22 June 1875, Page 2

AMUSEMENTS.

QUEEN’S THEATRE. Bachelder’s panorama of “ Paradise Lost ” was exhibited at the Queen’s last night to a good audience. A number of presents were distributed; and the same atti action will be continued throughout the week. PRINCESS THEATRE. A new piece was given at the Princess’s last evening, entitled “East and West,” which is one of the most extraordinary productions ever placed upon _ a stage. It consists of a seiies of sensational incidents and startling situations strung together on a very weak thread of a plot. The unities of the drama are ruthlessly violated ; characters are brought prominently into notice for no apparent reason, for, after leading one to imagine that they are absolutely necessary to the development of the plot, they disapper mysteriously and without cause ; and the vicious element of sensationalism, instead of proving an attraction, works its own cure piece pushed beyond the borders of the highly ludicrous. “ Eastand West ” calls for a considerable amount of ingenuity from the mechanist, for amongst the scenery is the interior of a cotton mill, a railway station, a quartz-crushing machine with the stampers in full work, and a railway trestle-bridge with a

train passing over it. These were all done justice to last night; in fact, the drama is well PI" ® n .the stage, and there was no perceptible *? tho , Wol :Wag of any portion of the elaborate mechanism. The plot is very simple ; Charles.Rand and Ella Tiernay, the hero and r™ lne > w° r ,kers in the same mill, and become betrothed to e vch o’her. Ella has left her, and this a lawyer named Job Sna’i endeavors to lay bis hands upon by forcing her to marry one Harold Redpath. As Ella has a droi led o’ j ction to this, incessant attempts are made to sill her lover! but without success, and all at last ends happily. Mrs Bates takes the part of Ella Tiernay, and Mr Stoneham that of Charles . .; but both characters are rather tame—the pnnnpal duty of the former being to apostrophise dear Charles ”in his absence and pray to heaven to protect herself from violence ; while it is thehero s particular province to sigh in return after dear Ella ” and be the victim of no less than seven attempts, during five acts, to hurry Mm to a violent end. Mrs B*tes still cherishes her great fault, a sing-song, drawling, affected delivery ox the most commonplace remarks if she has to say only *■ Good morning, Mr Snarl, it is utterea as though tom from the very depths of a blighted heart. Mr Stoneham has not a very great deal to do except scramble out of unpleasant situations, which he does with praiseworthy alacrity. Mr Bides “®® ® disappointing part: at first it appears that he has one in which he would revel,- but Mountain Jim after all has little call upon his exertions beyond dropping-in with a rifle or revolver at theright moment to save Charles Rand’s Me. A considerable amount of the comic element is supplied by Miss Stoneham as Hepzibeh, a regular slangy, Yankee girl; and the part is played with spirit, though there are too many choice Americanisms put into the faithful servant girl’s mouth, the villain lawyer is played Clinton well and truthfully,, but at supposititious “telling” situations he be 3 comes too boisterous. Mr Musgrave as Vutnam Sparkes has a good part, but, like Mr Steele s Paudeen and Mr Power’s Bob Small, it seemed scarcely made the most of last night. We expect to see an improvement in these characters this evening, when the drama Will be repeated. Mr Stoneham as Judith Wolf and JMr Savil.e as Itedpath contributed much to the success of the piece ; and a word must be said in favor of Mr Hoyle’s Joe Bailees, though this gentleman s voice is against him. TEMPERANCE HALL. . koyal Leith Lodge L0.0.F., have initiated a course of lectures, and last evening the second of them was delivered in the Temporanoe Hall by Bro. Bracken. About' 160 persons, a large proportion of whom were ladies, spent a very pleasant “ Evening with Samuel Lover.” The lecturer hastily sketched the career of the poet and novelist, gave some of the most admired of his compositions, and wound up by quoting the verses ho himself contributed to the columns of the ‘Sun’ when the news of Lover’s death reached the Colony. Mr Bracken was frequently applauded in the course of his lecture, and deservedly so for the way in which he delivered that most amusing chapter known as “ Father Phil’s Subscription List. ’ Bro. Stout, M.P.C., presided, and in introducing the lecturer suggested the desirability of celebrating the .anniversaries of bur greatest poets, &c., by spending an evening with them. The customary votes of thanks to the lecturer and chairman brought the proceedings to a close.