THEATRE ROYAL

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1901, 29 March 1880, Page 3

THEATRE ROYAL

The revival of “Formosa” at the Theatre Royal on Saturday night drew the largest house of the season, stalls and pit being densely crowded. Considerable annoyance was caused at the beginning of the evening by the unjustifiable and unruly conduct of a number of Naval Brigade volunteers. These, to the number of between twenty and thirty, rushed the pit entrance, maltreating the ticket-taker, and took forcible possession of stall seats. They were proceeding to further disorderly behaviour when a well merited rebuke from the stage manager, Mr J. P. Hydes, who came in front of the curtain, had the effect of making them, at least in appearance, ashamed of themselves. The play, which was exceedingly well mounted, went remarkably well, Mr Hoskins revelling in his unapproachable part of Major Jorum, and carrying the audience with him. Miss Florence Colville supported the role of Formosa in the style in which she made it one of the most popular characters in her repertoire. Miss Lizzie Morgan played Edith very nicely, and the same may be said of Miss Ruth Gray os Nelly. Tom Burroughs found a manly representative in Mr Boothman ; Mr Jerramos was easy and gentlemanly as Compton Kerr ; Miss Lizzie Laurence was a dapper little Lord Eden, and the jovial Sam Baker, in the person of Mr J. P. Hydes, served as an excellent foil to his petite lordship. Bob Saunders was well played by Mr Rede, and Messrs Alexander and Warren were quite at home as Spooner and Dr. Doremus. The last scene, of the “ Varsity” Race, was enlivened by a clever solo on the “ bones ” by an artiste whose name was not in the bill, and Mr Dave Mason received an encore for an excellent sand jig, substituting a sailor’s hornpipe. “ Formosa ” will be repeated this evening, and to morrow will be replaced by “The Happy Land ” and "The Pilot.”