DEAR MR. PUNCH,--The other evening, wishing to enjoy a little music,
I went to the Lyric Theatre, and found that the opera chosen for
performance was called _Sweet Nancy_, founded upon a novel with some
similar title by Miss RHODA BROUGHTON. The prettiest tune I heard was
one that I fancy had been played before, and my belief is the stronger
as Mr. HENRY NEVILLE referred to it as "a dear old song." It had to do
with "_Darby and Joan_," and reminded me of J.L. MOLLOY'S delightful
song with that title. The rest of the music was not very striking.
Even to those who hold that the plot of an Opera is only of secondary
importance, _Sweet Nancy_ could not have appeared to be exactly
teeming with incidents. However, it was very nicely played by Miss
HUGHES, and that now mature Lancashire Lad, the aforesaid HENRY
NEVILLE. Without declaring that I should like to see it every evening
for a thousand years (which I believe is a _façon de parler_ even
in China), I certainly could sit it out again. If I wished to be a
fault-finder I should say that the piece is too long, and seems all
the longer because some of the characters are supposed to represent
schoolboys, and a girl of thirteen. The adapter is Mr. BUCHANAN--a
poet and a playwright. This gentleman, I believe, has made many other
pieces (more or less) his own, with (more or less) success. He seems
to have a knack of turning old plays into new ones. I live in hope
that when I next visit this great Metropolis I shall find that he has
re-written the _School for Scandal_, and brought _Hamlet_ up to date.
Yours always, A CRITIC FROM THE COUNTRY.
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[Illustration: "TOO MANY COOKS--!"