OUR LONDON LETTER. Literary, Social, and Theatrical Jotting.D London, January 16,1885.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 97, 11 April 1885, Page 5

OUR LONDON LETTER. Literary, Social, and Theatrical Jotting.D London, January 16, 1885.

Sardon's "Theodora" Is drawing in Paris, If produced at all in London, it will be at the Princesses'. The scenic effects are said to be superb. Sarah Bernhardt is acting unusually fine, even for her. Bancroft haß declined to avail himself of his right to buy "Theodora" for the Haymarket. After the run of "Diplomacy," another old success, M Masks and Faces," will be rerived. 11 The Ironmaster" has given placer to "As You Like It" at the St Jameses Theatre, Mr Kendal, of course, playing Rosalind. I have not seen the revival yet, and so cannot give an opinion as to its, BUCC6SB. The Court Theatre management are going in for sharp, crisp little pieces, played solely by " stars.' l "Young and Winthrop" will be withdrawn next week, and a two-act oomedy, backed up with a farce and an operetta, substituted. After a run of a little more than nine months, " Called Back " was on Saturday week finally taken off London boards. The piece owed its success rather to the strikling impersonations of Mr Beerbohm Tree and Miss Lingard as "Macari" and " Pauline " than to its intrinsic dramatic merits, and will, I imagine, be voted but a commonplace melodrama when seen on your colonial stage. "In the Banks," which is also approaching its end, seems to me a much wholesomer production. The popularity of this last-named play with the general public has been something extraordinary. For eighteen months it has been performed seven times a week to such houses as the Adelphi has never before known. Even now the Gattis are groaning at having to take the play off, business is so good, but the company for Sims's new drama, to be called, by-the-way, "The Theatro of Life," have been drawing salaries since September last ; consequently, unless the management prefer to go on payingpeople fordoing nothing indefinitely, they must produce it. The 25th of next month is now fixed for the premieri of " The Theatre of Life." The scenes are fifteen in number, and will work on the new principle— viz., one vast "set" merging into another. Over 200 supers appear in some of the tableaux, Mr Charles Warner, of course, takes the leading role, and Mi?s Mary Rorke (a real ingenue") has been specially engaged for the heroine. Other principal characters will be performed by James Fernandez, John Ryder, Chas. Glenny, Beveridge, J. B. Howard, Miss Louise Moodie, Miss Harriet Coveney, Mrs Carter, end Mies Nellie Lyons. "The Private Secretary" and "The Candidate" are, with Drury Lane pantomine, the great "draws " in London at present. Theformer'hasanceChriatmaabeen played nine times a week (six evening perI formances and three matinees), and this, 'recollect, though the comedy is well into the second year of its run. As for "The Candidates," Chas. Wyndham announced on New Year's Day that his bookings ahead covered a period of three months, and represented £7,000. Hollingshead, of the Gaiety Theatre — always well to the fore at a game of " brag "—promptly pooh-poohed the Criterion's success. " Why," said he, writing to the "Era," "prior to Sarah Bernhardt'a season of 1882, the jookinga at my theatre totted up to close on £14,000." To show what big "coups" London managers do at times achieve, I may mention that the takings per diem (two performances) at Drury Lane since Boxing Night have, according to Augustus Harris, seldom varied more than about £50, never being less than £970 or more than £1,020. Poor Holland, with his "cirquerces" at Covent Garden, is, on the other hand, losing two or three hundred a week ; but then, the show scarcely deserves to succeed. Some excellent promenade concerts were started a few weeks ago at "Her Majesty's Theatre." They didn't do well at first, but are picking up now, on the strength of a "Fan" waltz, sung by girls in matteau costumes fanning themselves. The idea is of course, a plagiarism on the more effective " See-Saw," but succeeds. Talking of waltzes, try "The Enchantress," by Tito Mattei; "The Old Love and tho New ;" " Novor Forgotten," by E. Stiles ; and " Hypatia," by a lady. Meissler's " Far Away in Dreams " and " Delusion " are, I am told, pretty good too, but I haven't heard them. " Geo. Eliot's Life," edited by her second husband, Mr Cross, came out tho day before yesterday. I am in the middle of it now, and much interested. The chief fault of the book is that the numerous letters and journals of which it entirely consists are insufficiently explained. For example, in her letters to Blackwood, the publisher, reference is made to certain communications sent to the " Times" when the identity of the author of " Adam Bede" was puzzling everybody, but those communications are not given. Such missing links aggravate one intensely. Miss jß van s waB very diffident of her own powers when she first attempted fiction, and had John Blackwood/s criticisms on "Amos Burton" ("Scenes from Clerical Life") been a shade less favourable, " Adam Bede " would never have, , been written. Mr Blackwood hurt Geo. Eliot's feelings by some severe remarks upon " Janet's Repentance ;" but for this, the 'story would have been followed by another" "" Scene from Clerical Life," called " The Clerical Tutor." " Adam Bedo " (in the author's estimation her best work), was an instantaneous and prodigious success. Blackwood paid £800 for the book,but after eight editions, comprising 16,000 copies of the 3-vol. issue, md been sold in a few months, he tore up the copyright and gave Miss Evans a fair share of the profits. The story of how " Adamßede " was inspired is told in Geo. Eliot's own words, and will be found most interesting. Thanks to the success of "Adam Bede " and "The Mill on the Floss," Mr Lewes and Miss Evans were able to afford a visit to Italy, and this led to tho writing of "Romola," for which Smith and Snider paid £10,000. " Middlemarch " realised a far larger sum, and so did "Daniel Deronda." Be sure and read this " Life." A capital novel, one of the old Kingsley sort, full of adventure and fighting, and big game shooting, and muscular Christians, is "The Witch's Head," by H. Rider Haggard. The hero, after serious provocation, meets his hated cousin in a duel, and shoots him dead, only escaping himself through the over-confidence of his adversary, whose ball (carrying.- a little high) passes through the young fellow's hair, instead of his head. This fatal end to the duel necessitates temporary flight, so Ernest (as Mr Haggard's hero is called) goes to South Africa with his second (an old colonist), who initiates him into the joys of big game shooting, &o. Later, the Zulu war breaks out, and Ernest- takes part in the awful disasters at Rorke's Drift and Isandula, only escaping with life, to be presently Bfcruck blind by lightning O

course, an unhappy love affair formß part of the story, but it ia not very prominent— in fact, the reader's interest will centre principally in the South African scenes of which the superb Zulu, Mazooka, must be pronounced the real hero. Another first-olass tale, clearly the work of a pur© and high-toned woman, is " Restored," by Emily Spender, now published in a cheap form at two shillings. It was of this book, when it first came out, that the 1 • Spectator " (most critical of all literary censors) said : No one can read " Restored " I without being the better for it, and yet the work is emphatically a novel, and a most interesting one to boot. I won't describe the plot, as it would spoil your pleasure. '•» Some One Else," by Mrs Croker (whose " Proper Pride" I nave often recommended to you), is just readable, and that's all. I don't advise anyone to buy it.