Monthly Theatrical Review. 



306 



several pieces, taken fiom the works of se- 

 veral celebrated authors, will be introduced 

 in it ; first, to supply to thy shortness of its 

 score, and secondly, to replace some of its 

 weakest parts. The jircijarations for the 

 mythological ballet, " La Nnhsance de 

 Venus," have been interrupted by some 

 local causes, and it cannot be produced till 

 next month. In the mean time, the fecund 

 ingenuity of M. D'Egville has quickly 

 devised two novel divertissements ; the first 

 of which is entitled " Le Temple de la Con- 

 corde," and the second " Le Bal Cham- 

 ■petre." The success of both was com- 

 plete, and the peculiar talent of the choro- 

 grapher in placing all and each of his subjects 

 to their very best advantage, was, even in 

 these bhietles, eminently conspicuous ; they 

 had all a share in the plaudits, and some 

 even had a larger one than they could rea- 

 sonably expect. 



DRL-RY I.ANE. 



When the qui.biuncs among Frencli po- 

 liticians mean to account for some sudden 

 change in public affriirs, the cause of which 

 is a mystery to them and nine-tenths of the 

 world beside, they have a very convenient 

 word for the purpose— they call it a reaction- 

 We suppose it is something like what is 

 denoted by this word, that has occasioned 

 the transition from the elaborate diablerie of 

 tlie German melo-drame and music— tlie 

 Faust ard the Freischntz— to the simple 

 meloflies of a new national ballad opera, 

 called "Maldna." Of this, at least, we 

 are pretty sure, tliat to its national ballads 

 and national scenery the new opera owes 

 mucli of the favour which it seems to ha\e 

 received from the same audience that was 

 so long enraptured witli the very opposite 

 style, both of the drama and of the music. 



The heroes and heroines (for there are 

 many) of Mahina are some of the best 

 kno^vn personages of Ossian. The scene 

 is laid in the time of" Fingal { Kin<i of Scot- 

 land/' and at and near tlie " castle of Tos- 

 car," who we suppose must have been one 

 of the Scotch nobility of tiiose days ; for we 

 know that, some centuries after the songs of 

 Ossian were first sung, castles became the 

 usual residences of the nobles, and \\e do 

 not at all mean to insinuate that a " watch 

 tower, drawbridge, &c." may not have 

 been in vogue among these early genera- 

 tions, although no traces of their architec- 

 ture have ever been found by their posterity. 

 The piece opens with preparations made for 

 the imion of Oscar, son of Fingal, witli 

 Malvina, daughter of Toscar. Tlie festivi- 

 ties are somewhat disturbed by the appear- 

 ance of Cuthidlin, Lord nf Vhtcr, who 

 "hath long beenenamoaed of Malvina's 

 peerless charms." He comes ijito the 

 banquet hall disguised as a harper, and in a 

 lew minutes, aided by Conlath and Morven, 

 two Irish chieftains, his friends or vassals, 

 who had gained entrance before him, is in an 

 attitude of defiance to all the rest of the 

 coHipany. Peace, however, is for a time 



[March, 



restored, by means of a cup presented and 

 a song sung by INIalvina ; but Cuthullin, 

 according to a custom which is said still to 

 prevail in iiis country, is resolved to run 

 away with the lady, and with the assistance 

 of Conlath succeeds in carrying her otT to a 

 neighbouring cavern. Here, while Cuthul- 

 lin is engaged with his jnirsuers, who have 

 discovered his retreat, and while Malvina 

 is in the custody of Conlath (whose con- 

 science makes the office of a gaoler sit very 

 uneasily on him), Morna, Conlath's wife, 

 who had been many years before carried off 

 from Ireland by a son of Toscar's, and had 

 been made a maniac by her misfortunes, 

 suddenly apj)ears, as if flying from the com- 

 bat, and descends by a secret passage to a 

 lower cavern. The sight of his wife and the 

 intreaties of Malvina completely soften 

 Conlath's heart, and he determines to 

 effect the deliverance of his fair prisoner. 

 How this is achieved, and how actively 

 Moma assists in it, we fear it would take 

 np too much paper to relate, and we are 

 not sure that we could relate it clearly ; 

 sufl!ice it to say, that Cuthullin is hurried in 

 a boat over a most appalling cataract, that 

 Malvina is verj' happily restored to the arms 

 of her lover, and that Morna (in a scene 

 which is made really pathetic by ]Miss 

 Kelly's performance) recovers at once her 

 liusband and her senses. 



The less that is said, in the way of criti- 

 cism on this opera, the better — certainly 

 for the piece, and tlie better too, perhaps, 

 for our readers. To the beauty of the na- 

 tional airs introduced into it, to the charms 

 of Miss Stephens' execution of them (sup- 

 ported as she was by such assistants as 

 3Ir. Sinclair and Mr. Horn), and to the 

 acting of Miss Kelly and I\Ir. Wallack, the 

 author is quite as much indebted as to tlie 

 novelty of his subject, or the manner in 

 which he has worked up his materials. We 

 must not omit to observe, that some of the 

 songs are rather prettily written, and that 

 much of the scenery (especially a view of 

 Loch Lomond) is admirably executed. 



Mr. Pclby, an American, appeared for 

 the first time before a London audience in 

 the character of Hamlet. His i)erform- 

 ance, though not equal to what a London 

 audience has often seen, was eminently 

 successful ; and we must say, that if (as is 

 supposed by some) tliis gentleman has omit- 

 ted to make a second appearance to gratify 

 some wishes not liis own, it does little 

 credit to the liberality of those who ride 

 behind the scenes, and shews no small care- 

 lessness of the opinion of the public, warmly 

 and unequivocally expressed. 



There have been no Oratorios at this 

 Theatre. 



COVENT GARDEN. 



The licenser and the manager of Covent 

 Garden have had, it is said, some smart dis- 

 cussions lately. The former, it seems, was 

 inclined to jirohibit the representation of a 

 new play, called " Tfie French Libertine," 



