By the third night, the "London Figaro" could report: "I must say that not a single hitch in the performance is now to be perceived, and that the applause and evident delight of the audience from beginning to end, the piece occupying a space of time within two hours." On 6 January 1872, the "Penny Illustrated Paper" commented that "Mr. Gilbert's Gaiety extravaganza grows in public favour and deservedly so". On 9 January, the "Daily Telegraph" reported a visit by His Royal Highness, the Duke of Edinburgh. By 27 January, the "Illustrated Times" noted that "a chance playgoer will certainly not find a seat at the Gaiety... "Thespis" can, after all, boast the success which was predicted". "Land and Water" reported on 3 February that "Thespis is now in capital working order."