Tt cannot often happen that a new piece at a lending West-and theatre has been produced and withdrawn before the weekly papers have many of theurhadan opportunity of reviewing it. Such however has been the fate of "Love's Carnival," a military drama produced last week at the St. James's theatre by Mr. George Alexander, and withdrawn after a run of four nights and a matinee. 1 am told that the piece was rehearsed for several months and cost an unusual amount to produce on account of the number of very expensive uniforms required, but the unanimous verdict on its first perfor was that it was altogether impossible, las Old Heidelberg" was still doing well at the time of its withdrawal, Mr. Alexander wisely decided to bow to the verdict of the pubic and return to his old love. [saw "Love's. Carnival" on its second performance and only wondered that such an experienced actor-manager as Mr, Alexander should ever have seen possibilities in it, and more especially that he should put it on immediately after so charming w piece as Old Heidelberg, with which it must inevitably court ce parison as both were made in Germany It isa somewhat dull story of life in German barracks dealing with a love episode in the lifo of a young Lieutenant Haus Rudorff who loves " not wisely but too well," and in the end commits suicide in company with his humble sweetheart rather than desert the colours, In England one felt so strongly t, under the cirenmstances,—the girl charmingly sent in his papers and married hor, that I suppose we could not "ite understand the necessity for so much tragedy, and anyway a piece which contains only one female character needs to be very strong in other particulars in order to ensure success.
"Love's Carnival" was to my mind weak all round and Iwas not surprised that it died in its infancy. I understand that Mr. Aloxander's next venture will be comedy called " Saturday to Monday by Mossts. Frederick Foun and Richard Price,.and with this we hope he may be so successful as to recoup himself for the serious loss ho must have sustained.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.