Othello the Moor of Venice | Our Mary Anne

THIS theatre was opened on Monday evening;
The play was Othello. Previous to the commencement
of the piece the national anthem was
sung by the whole of the company, at the con-
clusion of which Mr Arabin, of the Sydney
theatre, stepped forward and delivered the fol
lowing opening address:—

Ladies and Gentlemen—This little box
To-night an adventurer unlocks;
Nor opes it vainly—for this light presents
A graceful exhibition of contents.
SOLOMON said, " Urge to our friends my plea"—
" I Urge !" said I-"bless you, they'll laugh at me;
Yet, if you wish it, be my efforts tried,
Your cause my spur—their service all my pride."
The bow of gratitude before you made—
Having this smiling generous range surveyed—
Care has been his this labor to complete,
Which makes magnificence and comfort meet—
Anxious that multitudes may sit at ease,
And scantier numbers in no desert freeze—
That ample space may mark the liberal plan,
But never strain the eyes or ears of man.
Look round and judge. His efforts are all waste
Unless you stamp them as a work of taste.
He pleads for favor, only if his due,
He pleads for justice, and he pleads to you [applause].
So much for visual sense.—What follows next
Is chiefly on the histrionic text—
And our adventurer has toiled to store
His list of favorites with some favorites more.
The universal cry is--- Something new;
And to obey this call we trust to-night
Some pleasing novelties may greet your right [applause].
New is the house—these boards too—this & certain— -
New are the dresses—new the scenes and curtain—
New also are our hopes, in this new cause,
That we may meet and merit your applause—
Rich the repast, and may we trust ensure
The custom of the scenic epicure.
"What our pretence ? What all the world pursues—
To please for praise—for profit to amuse.
I don't despair—your looks imply no danger,
And John Bull ever patronised the stranger [applause].
E'en I, although amongst the last and least,
May pass, perhaps, as garnish to the feast.
We hope to please, &ad as we're dull or clever
You patronise or damn the same as ever!
And tee, who long tost on dramatic seas,
The sport, alas! of many a shifting breeze.
Have still contrived our shattered bark to steer,
Now furl our sails and drop our anchor here,
Happy indeed if, all our labors past,
A friendly harbour we have found at last [applause].

The theatre was well filled in every part—the
dress circle particularly was crowded with the
'beauty and fashion' of Adelaide. Hie house is very
comfortably arranged and elegantly fitted up, the
decorations altogether reflecting great credit on
the abilities and taste of the artist—Mr Opie we
believe.
It would at present be premature to speak of
the general merits or demerits of the company, or
of any particular member of it, this being the
first opportunity we have had of seeing them
perform. Two or three of them only have we
seen before—the remainder are entire strangers.
Mr Lazar's Othello was upon the whole
good. At times his utterance was too rapid, and
consequently rather indistinct; and once or twice
he gave more scope to his voice than was necessary;
but taking the part as a whole, it was very
creditably gone throngh, and drew from the audience
repeated expressions of applause. Mr
Arabin, as logo, decidedly sustained his character
better than any one on the stage; lie indeed
played the plausible and Wily villain to the life.
Mr Allan, who played Roderigo, appeared to be
quite out of his line, and endeavoured to amuse
the audience at the expence of the tragedy. In
the afterpiece he seemed more in bis element
Mrs Cameron was well received by the audience,
and promises to take the lead among the female part
of the company. Mrs Arabin too, we.doubt not
is a very useful actress, and seems almost equally
at home in comedy and tragedy. We must not
omit to mention Miss Lazar's dancing, which no-
one present could help admiring. Of the other
performers we cannot' speak till we" bave fartber
opportunities of seeing them.
Mr Solomon-has certainly shown great public
spirit in erecting such a building as the Queen's
Theatre—a building which equals in every respect,
most of the English provincial and second-
rate London Theatres—and we trust he will not
be a loser by his speculation

This fine building,
finished by Mr E. Solomon at an expense of
nearly £10,000, was opened on Monday last, by
an effective and well-organised company under the
experienced management of Mr Lazar—well
known and much respected as the conductor of
the theatrical amusements of Sydney. the
theatre is neatly fitted up, and admirably arranged
for seeing and hearing. The decoartions are
designed and executed by Mr Opie, and reflect
much credit on his skill as an artist. We did
not reach the theatre until nearly the close of the
tragedy (Othello), and can therefore venture to
express no opinion on the particular merits of the
actors—although we presume it would be in
accordance with that of the audience, which
was most favorable. Miss Lazar's dance was
exceedingly graceful, and met a deserved and
[?] encore. This young lady would be
an acquisition to any theatre, as, in adiditon to her
talent in the ballet, her acting in the after piece,
Mary Anne, a farce of Buckstone's, was excellent.
She was well-supported by Mr Buckingham, and
by the other actors. The house was crowded in
every part.