p. 338

410.
eyes were remarkable.

Mr. Buchanan's engagement was not pro-
longed.

June 1st Mrs. Duffield's benefit "Jane
Shore"--Jane Shore Mrs. Duffiel ; Alicia
Miss Weston ; Lord Hastings Mr. Perry ;
Gloster Mr. Morton. Four infant sisters
made their debut as juvenile dancers. A new
comedy was produced called "Take that
Girl Away!"

June 5th Eytinge's benefit "London As-
surance."

June 7th A. H. Davenport's benefit. "Don
Caesar Bazan."

June 8th Miss Jenny Folkrod's benefit.
"William Tell"--William Tell Mr. Perry.

June 9th the last night of the sseason.
Ticket night for the employees. "Rob Roy."
Some wag annonunced Thayer for the bold
Highland robber.

Thursday June 14th the Walnut was re-
opened for one night to give a complimen-
tary benefit to Mr. Chapman. The comedy
of "The Rivals" was performed. Mr. Lewis
Baker acted Captain Absolute and Mr.
Ryner Faulkland being volunteers ; Acres
Mr. Chapman ; Lydia Languish Miss Wes-
ton. The farce was "The Widow's Victim."
Thus Mr. E. A. Marhsall closed an active
season.

Mr. E. A. Marshall projected a summer
season and entered into arrangements with
Mr. Dion Boucicault and hsi Fairy Star
Miss A. Robertson for a limited period. The
lessee to add to the comfort of the public
during the hot weather made a contract with
Mr. Barry to introduce into the auditorium
ten thousand feet of of cold air per minute.
The machinery was put into operation on this
opening night for the first time.

The summer season commenced on June
16th, 1855 with "Andy Blake" and "Used
Up"--Charles Coldstream Mr. Boucicault
and "The Swiss Cottage" in all of which
Miss Robertson was the polar star of attrac-
tion. She proved the personification of a
dramatis personce in one person. Nightly
she pursued her old characters Mr. Dion
Boucicault assisting and strengthening the
casts with his very clever tact in acting.

June 19th Mr. Boucicault produced his
comedy of "Love and Money"--Lord Fiply
Mr. Boucicault ; Claude Plantagenet Mr.
a'Beckett ; Lady Rose Lawless Miss Robert-
son. With "Andy Blake." This continued
several nights being full of hits at the pass-
ing topics of the day.

Dion Boucicault performed old Haversack
in "The Old Guard" with much graphic
humor of the Napoleon veteran.

June 29th Miss Robertson's benefit. "Lon-
don Assurance."

On July 3d last night of the Fairy Star
she played her "Young Actress" with great
applause.

Independence Day July 4th the season
closed with "The Invisible Prince"--a very
clever performance--and "The Young Act-
ress" for the benefit of Agnes Robertson and
her guiding star Dion Boucicault.

Monday July 9th Mr. E. A. Marshall re-
opened his theatre in Walnut street with the
Ravel corps of pantomomists dancers acro-
bat and tumbling performers. Mad'lle Vic-
torine Frank and Mad'lle Nathalie were
added to this large company. They con-

tinued all the summer with their usual pieces
and various entertainments that never have
been equaled in this country for novelty and
general excellence. Their popularity has for
thirty years been unbounded. The season
continued till the 6th of September when the
regular dramatic season commenced with the
comedy of "Extremes" with Mr. and Miss
Richings and mostly the old company of the
last season.

So Marshall had no positive recess this year
of 1854 and '55. It was "all the year round."

CHAPTER CXXXIII.
Arch Street Theatre--Season of 1854-'5--
Wheatley & Drew Managers--Stock pieces
--An anecdote of Dwyer--Samuel Drake--
"Fortunio"--Mrs. A. Parker--"Night and
Morning"--Benefit to Madame Augusta.

The Arch Street Theatre commenced its
fall and winter season of 1854-'5 on the 19th
of August 1854.

During the recess exertions had been made
to improve the comfort of the house and to
redecorate the interior with modern elegan-
cies. The walls of the lobbies and boxes were
repapered and new carpeted and new and
convenient entrances had been made to the
various parts of the auditorium especially to
the parquet. The orchestra stalls were en-
larged and new furnished. Thus the house
was made in every way attractive and conve-
nient to the public. Two new drop curtains
were painted--one by John Wiser--with
renewed stock scenery and other scenic acces-
sories improved.

The best of the "old star company" had
been retained while several new candidates
for public favor were to appear. Messrs.
Wheatley and Drew were in themselves a
host. Many young performers of merit who
have since become eminent as stars were
initiated and fostered in their dramatic
school.

The theatre opened with "Money" which
happily became the augury of the entire sea-
son for their treasury flourished throughout
this very hard winter of 1854-'5. The follow-
ing was the cast: Alfred Evelyn Mr. Wheat-
ley ; Graves Mr. J. Drew ; Sir John Vesey
Mr. Thayer ; Stout Mr. F. N. Drew ; Sir
Frederick Blount Mr. Shewell ; Lord Gloss-
more Mr. Gile ; Captain Dudley Smooth Mr.
Fisher ; Clara Douglas Mrs. J. Drew ; Lady
Franklin Mrs. Kinlock ; Georgina Miss
Olive Logan. An interlude of dancing was
given between the pieces by Miss Ludlam
and Mons. Zavistowski. The laughable farce
of "Bobtail and Wagtail" concluded the en-
tertainments--Bobtail Mr. J. Drew ; Wagtail
Mr. F. N. Drew ; Mrs. Bobtail Miss Olive
Logan.

The prices of admission remained the same
as usual.

The house was full and fashionably attend-
ed and the old favories and new candidates
were enthusiastically received. It has been a
custom from time immemorial for the Phila-
delphians to receive their old favorites on the
first night of the season with rapturous ap-
plause.

This season of the Arch Street house was
not very conspicuous for extraordinary novel-
ty in the way of new melo-dramas or specta-
cles of scenic show. With a very good
"stock" company they relied upon their
own merits and the old legitimate drama to

work out their own salvation and the restora-
tion of the pure drama. We have not there-
fore many new incidents to offer herein but
will as briefly as possible offer the statistics
in one chapter. The old comedies were per-
formed nightly throughout this season of ten
months and twenty days. Some of these new
and old ran often for a period of two or three
weeks together.

August 21st the new comedy of "Romance
and Reality" was performed--Jasper Manly
Mr. Thayer ; Jack Swift Mr. John Drew ;
Frank Meredith Mr. W. Wheatley ; Laven-
der Kydd Mr. Shewell Rosabel Mrs. John
Drew ; with the new farce of "Grimshaw
Bradshaw and Bagshaw." The characters
were sustained by Messrs. J. and F. N. Drew
and Mr. France. This bill was repeated to
good houses and immense plaudits.

August 28th the first-time herefor many
years of the fine old comedy of "She Would
and She Would Not"--Don Manuel Mr.
Thayer ; Don Philip Mr. Dolman ; Trapanti
Mr. John Drew ; Hypolita Mrs. John Drew ;
Flora Miss Olive Logan ; Rosara Miss Ber-
nard ; Violetta Miss Kinlock. The new farce
of "John Dobbs" followed.

August 30th Beaumont and Fletcher's ca-
pital comedy of "Rule a Wife and Have a
Wife"--Leon Mr. Dolman ; Estifania Mrs.
John Drew--a part she played wiyh much
excellence. It was archly pointed and vivid-
ly agreeable.

August 31st "Paul Pry"--Paul Pry Mr.
John Drew ; Phoebe Mrs. John Drew ; with
the nautical drama of "Black Eyed Susan"--
William Mr. John Drew a part which was
the very ideal of sailor pathos.

September 1st died Lucretia Wheatley
wife of Mr. Willim Wheatley comedian
after a painful illness in the 33d year of her
age. Much regret was expressed at the
event. The play of "The Hypocrite" was
announced. It was postponed in consequence.

September 2d "Satan in Paris."

September 4th the comedy of "The Will"
--Howard Mr. Shewell ; Veritas Mr. Dol-
man ; Albina Mandeville Mrs. John Drew.
Mr. John Drew now played Larry O'Hoola-
gan in "More Blunders than One" and all
the Irish parts in the new Hibernian dramas
during this season with great applause.

Saturday September 9th "Hamlet"--
Hamlet Mr. W. Wheatley. We have seen
worse Hamlet's than that of Mr. Wheatley's
from actors whose aspirations are of the
"star" standard. Mr. Thayer looked and
acted Polonius with the old statesman's digni-
fied manners and with his appropriate wis-
dom. This character is too often played as a
buffoon. But William Maginn says and very
truly "that the text does not affect the ad-
juncts of buffoonery ; and in order to sup-
ply their place antic gesture and grimace are
resorted to by the puzzled performer." Po-
lonious is a ceremonious polished courtier in
the position of a Lord of the Bed-chamber--
a royal guard far above the character of a
fool. His able and very sensible advice to his
departing son in relation to self-government
and also to his daughter Ophelia are demon-
strative and exhibit in obvious sketching
the sense and courtier-bearing of Polonius.
In "Presumptive Evidence" Mr. John
Drew as Pryce Kinsheler elicited the
{?}roughly homely passions of the low Hiber-