... . IT may perhaps seems depreciatory to say of the revival of London Assurance at the Criterion that its most striking features are supplied by the tailor and the milliner, and yet this is in very truth the case. The happy thought, admirably executed, of dressing the dramatis personœ in the correct attire of their bygone yet not antique period impresses one more than the acting, either of the ...

... . To the Grand Theatre for Cattle Show week The Bungalow was -taken on At ohday.by a. company which has for some time been playing Air. Horner's adaptation in the provinces. This farcical comedy, which enjoyed at Toole's Theatre a run deci dedly in excess of its apparent merits, has nevertheless a cer tain rollicking fun of its own, and this was pretty generally recognised by its audience at ...

... . This temple of the ballet was crowded densely on Monday last. The attraction was a new ballet, entitled Mound the Town, invented aud arranged by Madame Katti Lanner and Mr, George Edwards with excellent music, chiefly original, by M.Wenzel beautiful scenery by MM. Telbin and Bruce Smith, and costumes designed by M. Wilhelm, and manufactured by Miss Fisher. The ballet is arranged in five ...

... . BOTH Mr. G. R. Sims, the lyrical humourist of cockneydom, and Mr. Robert Buchanan, the poet turned playwright, have now won assured positions in dramatic authorship, and each, it may be added, has plenty of confidence in himself and his work. But neither would be slow to admit that in the manu facture of that conventional concoction, the Irish drama of the English stage, he has much to learn ...

... OUR CAPTIOUS CRITIC. THE BEST MAN. MR. TOOLE has so many friends in his audiences that he can by himself do much for an indifferent piece. The Best Man has therefore had a fair measure of success without very empha tically deserving it. Some of the incident, which is French in form though English by locality, is amus ing enough. But the fun is only at inter vals, and there is not a little ...

... . BALFE'S popular opera The Bohemian Girl was produced on Saturday hist at the Olympic Theatre, which was well at tended; excepting that half of the too high-priced stalls were unoccupied. The manager, Mr. Valentine Smith, has little chance of success in his endeavour to run English opera at the Olympic unless he can secure the sympathy and support of amateurs belonging to the lower strata of ...

... . THE subject of His Wives, the new farcical comedy by Mr. T. G. Warren, which now precedes Airey Annie at the Strand, is of course bigamy, as is plainly suggested by its title. Now, for bigamy, when introduced into comedy, there is, as we have before pointed out, no possible remedy save a homoeo pathic one. One bigamy cures another, inasmuch as the dis covery that it has been committed, say, ...

... . DONIZETTI'S Lucia di Lammermoor is so commonly characterised as a hackneyed opera that one might suppose it to be per formed at least half a dozen times in every operatic season. As a matter of fact, it is seldom performed, and Gounod's Faust and Bizet's Carmen are much more hackneyed than Lucia. To those who have heard every important performance of Lucia during a period of more than ...

... . MISS MINNIE PALMER'S reign is over at the Vaudeville, and Miss Bessie Hatton rules in her stead. The change is certainly lor the better, artistically, though a second examination of a dramatised version of The Prince and the Pauper, only confirms the impression that Mark Twain's ingenious and pleasant story is but indifferently suited to the needs of the stage. The play founded by Mr. Joseph ...

... OUR CAPTIOUS CRITIC. THE AMERICAN. I ADMIT that it shows my bad taste, hut I am not an enthu siastic reader of Mr. Henry James's novels. They are very clever, and very full of observation. But when I have time to spare for fiction I want stories with quick movement, more plot than laterals, and more grip upon the heart than upon the mind. Too much minute description, however natural, and too ...

... . The Sioux, announced as an Indian Pantomime Ballet Divertissement, by Charles Lauri, with music composed and arranged by Walter Slaughter incidental dances arranged by Francis Wagner costumes by M. and Mdlle. Alias, was pro duced on Monday last at the Alhambra, and was received with great fiivour by a-large audience. Mr. Slaughter has furnished some well-written and characteristic music, ...

... . YESTERDAY (Friday) week was the anniversary of the pro duction of La Cigale at the Lyric Theatre, and attracted a large and brilliant audience, including many members of the aristocracy. The reckless but fascinating grasshopper, was admirably represented by Mdme. Geraldine Ulmar; the indus trious and. thrifty ant by Miss E. Clements (Charlotte) and familiar successes were depicted by ...