436 Theatrical Review. 



type, it may be readily conceived that the part is not suited to her. 

 Blasis has a very sweet voice, the upper notes becoming sweeter in- 

 stead of harsher as is usually the case, the higher she ascends in the 

 scale, her execution and intonation are very perfect, and she has a 

 considerable fund of comic humour. These qualifications at once 

 point out the line of characters for which nature has adapted her 

 powers, and to these she should cleave, for in the proud declamation 

 and unwomanlike severity of Norma, she excites laughter rather than 

 horror contempt rather than pity. In short, it is a practical exem- 

 plification of Napoleon's favourite apophthegm, From the sublime 

 to the ridiculous there is but one step. We trust we shall soon see 

 her in a part more suited to her, and in which she will deserve that 

 meed of praise we are always desirous of bestowing on the exertions 

 of those who toil for the public entertainment. Catone played the 

 Proconsul, Pollio, and had very little to do, the principal part of his 

 music being in concert with Adalgisa, and of course omitted. He is 

 not yet accustomed to the house, and strained his voice far more than 

 was necessary, which gave a harshness to it, especially in falsetto, 

 which detracted much from the pleasure we should otherwise have 

 derived from hearing him. Bellini got through Aroviso very cre- 

 ditably much more so than any of the others : but Lablache played 

 the stern Druid last year to Grisi's Norma, and, as he always does, 

 made his part the first in the opera, and however ungracious it may 

 be, the comparison is forced so strongly on the imagination, that an 

 allusion to the superiority of a great artist over a singer and actor of 

 moderate pretensions, cannot be avoided. We must defer any de- 

 cided opinion on the comparative merits of the Lyceum Italian Com- 

 pany, as heard on that stage and in the great theatre in the Haymar- 

 ket, until they have appeared to greater advantage, and especially 

 till Giannoni, the gem of them all, recovers from her real or pre- 

 tended sickness. 



The new Ballet differs slightly in plot from the opera in the con- 

 cluding scene, the robbers carrying off the village maiden to their 

 strong hold, as well as the property of the travelling nobleman, 

 whence they are both rescued by the military, and the leader of the 

 band shot, as he endeavours to escape over the mountains, in passing 

 a narrow bridge over a waterfall, down which he tumbles, to the 

 great edification of the spectators. Duvernay played the girl of the 

 inn very well, and danced as well as she played; particularly in the 

 bed-room scene, where she coquettes before the looking-glass. We 

 ought not to neglect paying a just tribute to the invariable good taste 

 she displays in her dresses, which are always elegant and never fine, 

 gay but not gaudy, neat but not precise ; and if report speak truth, 

 she has the additional merit of being her own milliner. Two first 

 appearances were ' very successful, Herminie Elsler and M. Ma- 

 bille the former a cousin of the Elslers, the latter we believe a 

 young Spaniard. Both are quite new to our stage. Mademoiselle 

 Elsler is a very fine young woman, a very fine dancer, very grace- 

 ful, very active, and very luxurious. M. Mabille is youthful and 

 good-looking, possessing in an eminent degree the same qualifica- 

 tions as Perrot, and we think, as far as we can judge from a single 



