322 



Monthly Theatrical Report. 



[MARCH, 



were presented with the whole of the jests, 

 and three-fourths of the dialogue in a popu- 

 lar work, and there was thenceforth nothing 

 to do but to confess the whole plunder. This 

 was done at last, with the usual grace of 

 gentlemen detected ; and by an ingenious 

 partition, the affair was divided between 

 Kelly, who was dead, and Diamond, who 

 is yet among, the living. A third partner 

 should have been taken into the firm, and 

 we hope that our American friend, the 

 manager, will feel it his duty on similar 

 occasions, to anticipate public discovery : 

 and if he does produce rechauffes, at least 

 not call us to adore them as fresh provision. 

 The matter might have been done without 

 any injury to the piece or the proprietor- 

 ship. Cobb was at least as pleasant a dra- 

 matist as Diamond ; " Love in the East," 

 as lively a title as " Englishmen in India," 

 and the thing besides would not have 

 required such an expenditure of rival para- 

 graph, tardy acknowledgment, and clumsy 

 apology. The truth is, that the public does 

 not like the look of deception; and we 

 hope that the parties will be awake to the 

 advantage of fact in future. 



Far be it from us to say that the lesson 

 has worked its effect beyond the walls of 

 Drury Lane. But it is at least gratifying to 

 know at last, that the " new comedy" so 

 long announced as coming from the pen of 

 Mr. Poole, a writerxfrom whose pleasantry 

 the public has received so much amusement, 

 and has a right to expect so much more, is 

 at length announced as a revival from Shir- 

 ley. We shall thus avoid the disappointment 

 of dulness from the pen of our best farce 

 writer for Shirley will of course, return 

 speedily to the shelf whence he came the 

 ingenious reviver's popularity will be still in 

 bloom ; and we shall not be compelled to 

 puzzle our own sagacity in the detection, 

 nor extort newspaper apologies from a man 

 of merriment, who is so much better em- 

 ployed in fabricating Paul Prys from the 

 rude material of mankind. 



The " Revenge" has been played at Co- 

 vent Garden, with success. Young's Zanga 

 is capital. It is no high compliment to the 

 features of a handsome man to say, that he 

 looks the perfect villain. But Young's fine 

 countenance is singularly capable of that 

 mixture of scorn, subtlety, and boldness, 

 which makes him the unrivalled repre- 

 sentative of the logos and the whole 

 class of stage dissemblers. We limit this 

 character of his visage, however, to the 

 drama, acd leave the actor to pass among 

 the other well-looking population of the west- 

 end, for the very respectable and gentleman- 

 like personage that he unquestionably is. 



The Oratorios are about to begin at both 

 theatres, and at both to be under the conduct 

 of Bishop ; a Herculean task, which if the 

 director can tolerably accomplish, will do no 

 slight credit to his intelligence and activity. 

 One Oratorio, the usual avant courier 

 of the season, has been already perform- 



ed, some weeks since. It was a clever 

 and popular selection, well performed, 

 and what makes an important feature in 

 those affairs, well attended. A fragment 

 of an Oratoriq,, or Sacred Cantata, from 

 Milton's Battle of the Angels, produced a 

 strong impression of Bishop's future success, 

 should he turn to the composition of a full 

 oratorio. It was brief, but highly animated, 

 picturesque, and bold. Some of its bursts 

 of harmony reminded us even of Handel ; a 

 high praise for any composer, past, present 

 or to come; and which if Bishop can realize 

 on a larger scale, will place his name in a 

 rank, to which no charm of canzonet or 

 cavatina, neither stage chorus nor overture, 

 will raise him nor any man. A great 

 oratorio is, like a great tragedy, the consum- 

 mation of the respective triumphs of music 

 and poetry ; and we may well congratulate 

 the age when it shall find a genius compe- 

 tent to either. 



The King's Theatre goes on spiritedly. 

 " La Gazza Ladra" which contends for the 

 mastery with " II Barbiere di Sevilla," and 

 contains, perhaps, as much characteristic 

 and delicious music as Rossini ever crowded 

 into one Opera, has been played with much 

 success. Mademoiselle Ayton, a new singer, 

 imported from the foreign stage, andjcertai.nly 

 highly tasteful and accomplished artiste, 

 is the prima donna of the opera, and sus- 

 tains the part with a skill calculated to add 

 to the popularity of the singer and the esta- 

 blishment. " La Schiava" has been played 

 occasionally, in which Madame Caradori, 

 as the heroine, exhibits the same delicacy 

 and feminine grace which first made her a 

 favourite; and is rapidly adding to those 

 merits, an improvement in the volume, 

 style, and facility of her singing. She must 

 still throw additional animation into her 

 acting; for languor is tolerable only in fine 

 ladies who have nothing to do, and fine 

 gentlemen who can do nothing. The cha- 

 racter of the sleeping beauty, however 

 romantic in description, or in the boudoirs 

 of high life, the flattest of all lives, is the 

 least attractive on the stage ; and if it be 

 possible, this very interesting young actress 

 should add the charm of movement to the 

 charm of melody. The public feel an in- 

 creased interest in Madame Caradori, from 

 the respectability of a conduct, which 

 throws so many of even the clever persons 

 of the drama, to such an unmeasureable 

 distance. We wish to see her acquire the 

 only merit she wants, and to assume the 

 rank upon the stage to which she is entitled 

 by her natural gifts, and her personal pro- 

 priety. A new ballet is promised, which 

 we believe has been the rage in Paris. A 

 new opera is in rehearsal, and all is activity, 

 the true secret of success. Madame Sontag, 

 the terror of all fathers whose estates are 

 entailed, and the admiration of German and 

 French mankind, is eominrj over; and on 

 the whole, we are threatened with a most 

 brilliant season. 



