1829.] The Theatres. 237 
writing seems to have consisted in a translation from the French, Mr. 
Diamond's proverbial resource ; and the originality of the music in com- 
pilation from half-a-dozen old operas. Of course, a few additions have 
been made, and sufficient changes, to avoid direct plagiarism. The 
denial is at once vulgar and useless, for we prefer the French to any 
thing that we can expect from the regular workers for our stage ; and 
we think, that nine-tenths of our present school of composers, puffing 
personages as they are, are infinitely better employed in copying airs 
from old operas, than attempting new ones of their own. The opera has 
succeeded to a certain extent, for the scenery, the music, and the acting 
were all pretty. There was some pretiy dialogue in the more sentimental 
parts, and though the leading idea, of a man falling into any kind of love 
with a being presumed to be of the male sex, is repulsive in the extreme, 
and should be shrunk from on the stage, as much as it is abhorred in real 
life, yet the dénouement was prettily contrived, and the audience were 
pleased to see that the nymph was a nymph after all. The opera has 
since gradually expired. 
A comedy by Mr. Lunn next appeared. The author is an ingenious 
man, and with no slight theatrical talent, but his comedy was either 
“too broad or too long;” and the “ Widow Bewitched,” was per- 
formed but a few nights. It was treated with considerable negligence 
in the papers, and in some instances with severity—this tone we regret. 
The difficulty of producing a comedy must be very great, from the very 
few instances in which we see the attempt made, and the fewer, if possi- 
ble, in which we see it succeed. There has been but one performancé 
of this kind successful to any extent within the last quarter of a century. 
Of course if the play do not please the audience, the audience will 
extinguish it ; and there is no reasoning with pit, box and gallery, on that 
subject or any other. But criticism should look out for the good as 
well as the evil—and authorship, a thing easily cast down in the better 
order of minds, might be cheered to superior efforts by the feeling, that 
let actors, managers and audiences do what they may, it will be sure 
of justice at the hands of men, whose opinion spreads beyond the 
ephemeral decision of a theatre. We hope to see Mr. Lunn exerting 
himself with additional spirit in the service of the drama. “ Yelva,” a 
translation from the French, perished on the second night. 
In this general mortality of the present generation, it occurred to the 
clever manager, to try what could be done among the dead of the past ; 
and the “ Beaux Stratagem” was dug up. Farquhar’s pleasantry has 
been proverbial, and as his indecency kept pace with his humour, he 
wanted nothing for the richest popularity with our jocund forefathers. 
But with all his merits, and he obviously had very remarkable ones in 
the powers of his dramatic conception, his day is past, in every sense of 
the word. The “ Beaux Stratagem” lingered a few nights and disap- 
peared. The “ Recruiting Officer,” a much more poignant and objec- 
tionable affair, followed in its reproduction, and in its fate. What the 
manager will exhume next we can only conjecture. But he may take 
our advice as to the plays of the last century, and let them alone. 
The manager of Drury Lane has exhibited his usual activity. But 
_ authorship has not prospered among his ranks, and nothing but increased 
- good fortune among those gentlemen can revive the public gratification. 
Caswallon, Mr. Walker’s tragedy, is gone. With some excellent situa- 
tions, and some very good acting, it had not the general power essential 
_to holding a permanent place upon the stage. Shakspeare, the ever- 
