... . The World Against Her is the title of a domestic drama by Mr. Frank Harvey which has now come to town after a successful career in the provinces. It is certainly not the best of its author's plays, but at the Grand Theatre, Islington, it proves very fairly able to interest playgoers who are not too exacting in their dramatic requirements. The heroine who has the world against ner is Madge, ...

... . THE fifth concert of Messrs. Novello's second season pre sented great attractions in Mr. Cowen's cantata The Sleeping Beauty (conducted by the composer) and Beethoven's magni ficent Choral Symphony. Extra exertions had been made to ensure unusual excellence of execution. The choir of 300 selected voices had worked hard at rehearsals; the fine band had been increased in numbers, and was led ...

... OUR CAPTIOUS CRITIC. AND THE FORTY THIEVES AT DRURY LANF. Some of those dresses must have cost four guineas a yard.-- A Lady. THERE whirl cha otic through my dazzled brain Disjointed visions, born of Drury Lane, Where great Augus- 9 tus gives, this fff Christmas time, The acme of proces- I sional pantomime. The radiant East he of its wealth tv bereaves p To deck with rifled spoils his Forty ...

... . MR. J. A. CAVE began his management of this once famous theatre with every promise of success last Saturday. The house has been furbished up generally, and supplied with a new act drop; whilst the prices are lowered to the standard of a sixpenny pit. The piece so far presented is not a new one, having been already tried a few months ago at the Elephant and Castle Theatre. It is called ...

... . IT is to be feared that Mr. Edouin will not do much good, at any rate in London, with the crude and childish piece produced by him at the Royalty. Ivy, as this piece is called, is classified by its author, Mr. Mark Melford, as a comedy-drama, a definition which, so far as it has any logical significance, seems curiously inappropriate to a play wholly farcical in its humour, and quite devoid ...

... . Twixt Kith and Kin is the title of a drama adapted from Miss M. E. Braddon's story Cut by the County, by Mr. J. J. Blood, who obtained the express permission of the authoress for his work. The piece was originally produced at the Prince of Wales's Theatre, Birmingham, in August last, and during the past week has been played by Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Dacre, at the Grand, Islington, much to the ...

... ELEPHANT A\'li fusiTT.u Tin? A mm? MR. J. A. CAVE, who is about to undertake the management at Covent Garden has been succeeded at the Elephant and Castle Theatre by Mr. Burton Green, and to judge by the applause which greeted lessee and actors at the fall of the curtain on Green Bushes, with which the autumn season has been inaugurated, the Surrey audience are satisfied with their new ...

... JI. MAURICE STRAKOSCH. WE have to deplore the recent death of a skilful musician, upright and honourable man, and amiable friend, Maurice Strakosch, who died last Sunday night, at the age of sixty-three, at Paris. He bad long been ailing, and during his last visit to England with his pupil, Mlle. Arnoldson, he told us that be felt sure he had not much longer to live. A correspondent writes:-- ...

... OUR CAPTIOUS CRITIC. THE POINTSMAN. HAVE certain views as to the main essential towards suc cessful dramatic writing, which may or may not be correct, but which have remained unshaken for a considerable time past, and have indeed only been confirmed by a long course of playgoing. Chief amongst them stands the theory that interest is better aroused and sustained by progres sive action than by ...

... . WE rear tnat Jur. bmne will not do very much good with Blue Ribbons, the farcical comedy by Messrs. Walter Browne and J. E. Soden, tried by him at a recent Gaiety matinee. The piece has one very funny character, that of the proprietor of a temperance paper, The Blue Ribbon Banner, Mr. Drinkwater Dewlap, a gentleman forced by the drift of circumstances to figure as a waiter in a Putney public ...

... OUR CAPTIOUS CRITIO. NORDISA AT DRURY LANE THEATRE. THE due criticism of a new opera is, I have every reason to believe, a work requiring time, thought, and care. The writer of it should be in a position both to estimate and to recall. He should be able to Bet about his task analytically and re flectively, to weigh the merits of every number, and gauge the strength of every bit of composition ...

... The Badminton library. Cycling. By Viscount Bury, K.C.M.G., and G. Lacy Hilliei:. With Numerous Illustra tions by Viscount Bury and Joseph Pennell. London Longman?, Green and Co 1887. IN the whole history of sports perhaps none has been taken up so rapidly and widely as cycling. How it happens that the popularity of the sport grew so suddenly we cannot ex plain, even after reading the full ...