The reopening of the Lyceum Theatre for the winter season attracted a very largo and appreciative audience on Tuesday evening (31st), in spite of the heavy rain which set in during the afternoon. The house looked bright and cheerful, though it was generally remarked that it would be a good thing when the Committee had sufficient funds in hand to begin the work of decoration, and that in the meantime some improvement might be made in the way of dusting the curtains etc., and putting a little colour-wash upon the walls, With praiseworthy punctuality HI. Vela appeared in the orchestra, and after a lively overture, composed' by the conductor and played with much spirit by the band, the curtain rose on John Oxenford's comedietta of A Family Failing. It is a whimsical little piece, extravagant and far-fetched enough in parts, but decidedly. original and entertaining. Mr. P. P. Congo created immense amusement by his clever rendering of Sir Sampson Silliman, a choleric and particularly foolish old person who imagines that everybody is in love Clorinda. make-up was excellent 5 with ely port daughter, Miss
rather suggestive of a Jack-in-the-Box, perhaps, but the slight element of burlesque which this introduced into his acting, and his somewhat highly-coloured ropresentation of the character generally, did not strike us as by any means out of place. At any rate Mr, Congo kept everybody laughing as long as he was on the stage, and in some scones showed comic talent
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.