THE THEATRES.
THE changeful and disastrous season of Covent Garden terminated by the premature closing of the theatre, with a bankrupt treasury, at the end of last week. This result, deplorable as it is to the company, is not surprising; it was an inevitable consequence of the utter failure of the plans and resources of the manager. The closing of the house during Easter-week—an occurrence almost without precedent, and the failure of Norma with STAUDIGL and Madame RONZI DF. BEGNIS, took the game out of Mr. BURN'S hands, and deprived him of the oppor- tunity of playing his great card, DUPREZ. On the last night—Friday, April 28th—when Norma with the new cast was repeated, we are told, there was not enough money taken at the doors to pay the night's sa- lary of the brass band and the principal performer, and the rent.
Such is the result of an attempt to revive the old "star system." Great names will no longer attract people to the theatre ; and for a long time past the playbills of Covent Garden held out only the promise of names. Humbug will not now flourish even in its former stronghold, the playhouse. It is a striking and instructive fact, that the short inter- regnum between the secession of Mr. C. KENTILE from the manage- ment and the accession of Mr. BUNN, during which the company kept the theatre open at their own risk, was the only profit:Ole portion of the season : the little commonwealth not only received their salaries in full, paying a nightly rent of 351., but at the end of their five weeks' experiment divided among themselves something near 350/. On the performers, we fear, their recent losses will fall heavily. The proprie- tors, too, will be losers: but they richly deserve to suffer for their illiberal treatment of the two preceding managers : first of Mr. Mac- READY, who raised the theatre from a degraded and ruined condition to respectability and popularity ; next of Madame Varrats, who main- tained it in this position for two or three seasons, and, in addition to pay- ing a rent of 5,000/. a year, expended large sums on the properties and wardrobe of the house. The noble theatre is now not only without a manager, hut without present inducement to the most sanguine speculator to incur the responsibility of opening it for dramatic performances; and the Anti-Corn-law League, now excluded from Drury Lane, have
been interdicted from holding their attractive meetings within the walls of Covent Garden.
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