1826.] 



Monthly IVicalrical Review. 



635 



With all those stimulants exciting him, and 

 tlie additional consciousness that his opera 

 would be felt as in some degree a national 

 test of musical skill, Bishop at length brought 

 his opera upon the stage. It has been 

 said that, whether a genius or not, this 

 composer has the negligence of genius ; 

 and that he deferred the composition of 

 a considerable part of the opera, until a 

 l)eriod when it was ini])ossible to compose 

 it with care. The third act was delayed 

 till within the last week of the rehearsals ; or 

 at least was not delivered to the i)erformers. 

 The natural result of this must be, the 

 spreading of that negligence which so easily 

 becomes an ei)idemic within the walls 

 of a tlieatre. It must, however, be al- 

 lowed, that in the performance there aji- 

 peared no vestige of carelessness. 



The important night came on, and, though 

 a remarkably inclement one, the theatre 

 was crowded with amateurs. Von Weber 

 had either invited himself or was invited to 

 a private box, in which he was to tremble 

 for bis fame, without exposing his pertur- 

 bation. Bisliop finally ai)peared in the or- 

 chestra — was received with ai)plause, took 

 his seat at tlie i)iano ; and in the rapt si- 

 lence of the two or three thousand critics 

 and cognoscenti who filled the house to the 

 roof, the overture began. 



It was perceived, imluckily, from the first 

 half-dozen bars, tliat the overture was « la 

 Frci/schutz, and thus the glories of the Briton 

 at once, by his own act and acknowledg- 

 ment, vailed themselves to the glories of 

 the German. This overture was a brief 

 and ropid work, not repulsive, but pal- 

 pably an imitation ; and, by the veiy term, 

 palpably a failure. 



The opera proceeded, and captivated 

 everj' eye by the richness and picturesque 

 beauty of its efjuipments. The scenery was 

 of the first order— lake, mountain, forest 

 and precipice, shifted before the eye in the 

 noblest forms. The dresses were admirable 

 for correctness and magnificence. Every 

 thing, in short, was perfect but those, with- 

 out whose excellence all other perfection 

 was only so much cost thrown away— the 

 drama and the music. 



The principal characters were : the Shah, 

 (Sinclair); Mourad, the Magician, (Home); 

 the Prinress, (Miss Johnson) ; and Aladdin, 

 (Miss Stephens). Harley played a Buf- 

 foon ; Brown, a Jew ; and Mrs. Davison, 

 (doubtless mal^rc), Aladdin's mother. 



The drama followed the tale with con- 

 siderable closeness. Mourad, returning to 

 Ispahan from long travel, finds Aladdin. 

 playing among some groupes of young peo- 

 ple. He passes himself off for the boy's 

 uncle, and by the help of a full purse induces 

 him and his mother to acknowledge the re- 

 lationship. The scene then shews a ca- 

 vern, in which Mourad lights a magic fire ; 

 the rock opens, and Aladdin, after much 

 alarm, descends. The next scene was the 

 '■ Enchanted Garden," which was as su- 



perb as the most jirodigal gilding could 

 make it : but the close of the first act was 

 absolutely a clie.f-d'auvre. This wa.s tlic 

 summoning of the " Servants of the Lamp" 

 to go in procession to the Shah's palace 

 with Aladdin, as the bridegroom of the 

 Princess. It was remarkably splendid — 

 slaves carrying huge vases of gems — wiu"- 

 riors in glittering armour — the whole pomp 

 of orientalism developed ; and to make this 

 complete, the " March" was the most no- 

 vel and spirited piece in the entire opera. . 

 The second and third acts were tedious, 

 though full of fine scenery, which, with the 

 usual fate of this theatre, frequently grew 

 restive on the first night, and has started 

 into occasional fits of repugnance ever since. 

 The music in general has not added to Bi- 

 shop's reputation— it is pretty and passa- 

 ble. A song, " Are you angry, Mother," 

 in the first act, seems to have become popu- 

 lar ; but we recollect nothing else that pro- 

 mises to survive. The opera was played 

 for a week or ten days to torpid audiences, 

 and is now brought forward but occasionally. 

 Miss Ste])hens sang with her usual sweet- 

 ness, and acted with unusual spirit ; she 

 makes a better boy than a girl. The debu- 

 tante Miss Johnson, her cousin, is a tall 

 and tranquil looking personage ; yet re- 

 markably alarmed at finding herself alone on 

 the stage, and requiring an extensive prac- 

 tice, in both standing still and walking, be- 

 fore she can be an actress. Asa singer her 

 voice has some resemblance to that of Miss 

 Stephens— something of the tone, but 

 without the skill ; and something of the 

 feeling without the grace. Time may do 

 much for her, and she must give diligence, 

 to enable time to be of service. 



Elliston, the boldest of the adventurous 

 and the most imwearied of the indefati- 

 gable, has lately appeared in Fahtaff. The 

 character has yiever found an adequate re- 

 presentative, and probably never will. The 

 truth is, that the humour of Falstaff is 

 scarcely dramatic. It is admirable in the 

 reading : but the imagination of the reader 

 is much more fitted to enjoy its richness, 

 variety, and oddity, than the stage is to re- 

 present it. Strictly speaking, there is no 

 wit in Falsiaff's dialogue — it is pun, easy 

 pleasantry and joyousness of language, aris- 

 ing from a luxurious, full-fed, joyous tempe- 

 rament. His adroit retorts, sly evasions, 

 and gay absurdities, are inca])able of the 

 effect which we solicit on the stage. Let 

 his points be compared with those of Con- 

 greve or Sheridan, and the difference be- 

 tween pleasantry and brilliancy will be felt 

 at the instant. Yet, what can be more hu- 

 morous than the humour of Falstaff? El- 

 liston played it as well as it is generally 

 played ; but, on a subsequent night of his 

 performance, there were some novelties in 

 the part which caught more than the critical 

 eye of the spectators : FalstafTs example 

 as well as his dialogue had ajiparently been 

 taken to heart by the great Lessee ; the 

 4 M 2 



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