At the Royal Court Theatre, which, as I read on the illustrated
House Programme, is "Licensed by the London County Council to the
Proprietors, Mrs. JOHN WOOD and Mr. A. CHUDLEIGH,"--is the LORD
CHAMBERLAIN out of it in this quarter? (how can there be a Court
without a Lord Chamberlain?), and, "under which king, Bezonian?" Was
it in the days of _The Happy Land?_--but no matter. To resume. At the
aforesaid Court Theatre is now being performed an original Farce,
in Three Acts, written by Mr. R.R. LUMLEY. Ah! Ah! LUMLEY, this
isn't quite up to your other piece, _Aunt Jack._ Mrs. JOHN WOOD
is invaluable, and keeps the game alive throughout; while ARTHUR
CECIL's _Duke of Donoway_--not a Comedy Duke, but a Duke in farcical
circumstances--is excellent. WEEDON GROSSMITH is funny, but in
make-up, tone of voice, and mannerisms, the part seems mixed up with
one or two others that he has played, and is very far from being in
the same category with _Aunt Jack's_ crushed Solicitor. BRANDON THOMAS
as _Captain Roland Gurney, R.N._, is very natural. _The Office Boy_
of Master WILSON and the little _Gridd_ of Master WESTGATE (very near
Birchington when the boy is in Mrs. WOOD's hands), are capital. Miss
CARLOTTA LECLERCQ's _Duchess_ is equal to the occasion. The two girls'
parts are unnatural and uninteresting. What ought to make the success
of the piece is the scene where WEEDON GROSSMITH volunteers to sing
"_The Wolf_," and everyone talks and chatters until the Babel ends
in an explosion. It convulses the house with laughter; and if this
situation had been so contrived,--as it might have been, allow me
to say,--as to end the Act, the Curtain falling on the climax, the
dashing down of the enraged musician's song and the exit of the
Duke, the run of _The Volcano_ would have been insured from now to
Christmas. Is it too late to retrieve this? To quote the title of
one of ANTHONY TROLLOPE's novels, "I say No!" There is so much that
is genuinely funny in the piece, that if the alteration is done
with a will, _hic et nunc_, why within a week the piece could be
fixed securely in its place for the London season, and beyond it.
Let funny little WEEDON reconsider his make-up, and come out as
the flaxen-headed M.P. of a Saxon constituency. And a word in his
ear,--SOTHERN fashioned _Lord Dundreary_ out of a worse part than
this. _The Volcano_ shouldn't "bust up." That's my opinion, as