859 
On the Construction of Theatres . 
bounds, to be near tbe stage ; and in all cases, the audience 
must wish, that every part of the pit, galleries, and boxes, 
should be equally commodious for seeing. Now in a 
large theatre this is impossible. To extend the pit and! 
boxes, they must recede from the front of the stage ; they 
cannot be extended in breadth without shutting out the 
view from the side boxes. 
Little inconvenience was felt as to seeing at Drury- 
lane ; but every body, who wished to hear, complained,, 
As to the actors, to make any impression, they were 
obliged to raise their voices above the natural pitch; to 
substitute pantomimic gesticulation, in the place of in- 
flections of voice ; and to use contortions of features in- 
stead of the natural expression of the eyes, and the easy 
movement of the countenance. It is in vain, that critics 
inveigh against the bad taste of those, who prefer show, 
and pantomime, and processions, and dancing, and all 
that the French call spectacle: unless we can hear the 
sentiments and dialogue, it is useless to write good plays ; 
but ail the world loves spectacle . Both these tastes 
should be gratified. Garrick, as I have heard him de- 
clare, was always entertained with a pantomime : he told 
me how many times he had seen Harlequin Fortunatus 
with delight— the number I forget, however I am sure, 
that it far exceeded the number of times any mam could 
hear a good comedy or tragedy. Sorely the literary and 
the visual entertainment of different spectators might be 
gratified. In the first place, the audience- part of the 
theatre should be left smaller, and lower, than it was at 
Drury -lane. Its shape might undoubtedly be improved, 
by constructing it according to the known laws of 
acoustics : but this, if rigorously attended to, would con- 
tract the space so, as to affect too much ihe receipts of the 
house. 
