The Lyceum Theatre was only partially filled on Monday evening, the 24th ult., when the Italian Opera Company gave, for the first time in Shanghai, Flotow's opera of "Martha." This opera became popular in England on account of the number of pleasing melodies that it contains, and more so when Adelina Patte assumed the role of Henrietta soon after her debut at Covent Garden in 1861, and by the charm of her singing and acting made the representation one that all fashionable London rushed to see. We were surprised that there was not a better attendance at the Lyceum on Monday, and Signor Cagli may well despair for the success of his second series of operatic representations, when an absolute novelty in Shanghai,' like Monday's performance, fails to draw even a moderately well filled house.
The plot of the opera i as follows Lady Henrietta, a maid of honour to Queen Anne, gets wearied of Court life and fashionable gaiety, and being attracted by the songs of the peasants on their way to the statute fair at Richmond, disguises herself as one of them, and proceeds to the fair under the name of Martha, in. the hope that the novelty of the situation will afford her some amusement. She is joined in this escapade by her cousin and admirer, Sir Tristan de Michelford and her maid Nancy. Arrived at the fair, two young farmers, Plunket and Lionel, offer to hire Henrietta and Nancy as servants, and as the young girls accept the earnest feo, they are legally bound to their masters for twelve months. Tristan attempts to turn the affair into a joke, but is indignantly driven from the fair, and then Henrietta realises that she has carried her whim too far, The young men carry off their newly-engaged servants to their farm-]
ding them ignorant of menial dui obliged to instruct them, and it is not long before Lionel falls in love with Henrietta and avows his passion, which the lady only ridicules. Tristan succeeds in trad the two women to the farm-house, an during the night, when the farmers have retired to rest, enters the house and carries off Henvietta'and Nancy, who only just escape feom the pursuit' of Lionel and Plunket, who are aroused by the noise of Tristan's carriage. Lionel's affection for Henrietta preys upon his mind, and a few days afterwards, when she is out with the Queen's hun party in Richmond forest, he meets her and pleads his passion with more warmth than before. Henrietta will not listen to him and orders him to leave her, but he claims the fulfilment of her contract of service with him. To save herself Henrietta, tells the hunters who arrive on the scone that, Lionel is demented, an artifice that nearly drives him mad in earnest. His only consolation is in the friendship of Pw from.whom he learns that his (Lionet's) father, when dying,. bequeathed his son to Plunket's care, ing him at the time a ring, which he charged Plunket to send to the Queen if Lionel should ever become involved in trouble or distress. This ring Plunket causes now to be delivered to the Queen through Henvietta, when it is discovered that Lionel is the only son of the late banished Earl Derby. Lionel is restored to his rank, but his mind is ill distracted by his lost love and his reason cannot be restored, though Henrietta now confesses her love for him and is willing to bestow her hand upon him. She at last resorts to a stratagem, and gets up an impromptu fair, modelled after that at which Lionel first saw her, in her own park, where she and Nancy again appear in their menial disguises. By the light of memory Zionel's wandering senses are brought back, and he is made happy by the possession of his beloved Martha. Plunket and Nancy follow the example of their betters, and are also made happy.
The scone is laid at Richmond, as may posed, but the stage manager of Signor Cagli's Company ignored this fact aa far as he was able, and gave the scene with the campanile, which does duty on every possible occasion this season, to represent an English market place. Surely there is scenery enough in the Lyceum at Signor Cagli's disposal to ensure 201 slight. change without overwhelming trouble, and a little more care in setting the pieces represented would act as a further attraction. Where the singing is good, the small' matter of scenery may seem to be of the slightest importance, but considering the mixed nature of a Shanghai audience, and that many of them are not exclusively attracted by the music, it would be much better if a little more
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.