THEATRICAL REGISTER.
[IT has been suggested to us by a literary friend, who may be said to inhabit the playhouses, (happy fellow !) that in the performance of the graver and more important duties of our editorial capacity, we are but too prone to neglect the details of theatrical intelligence. We therefore avail ourselves of this gentleman's kind offer to furnish us with such information as the proceedings of the week may offer, with occasional remarks, to be inserted in the columns appropriated to News ;—at the same time that we do not pledge ourselves for his opinions, which may sometimes be found to differ from those that we advance in our regular criticisms and essays on dramatic subjects.—En.] DannyLANE.—The season has commenced auspiciously here; the performances have been judiciously selected, well produced, and, what is more important, well attended. In comedy consists the chief strength of the company ; and we are glad to see that a sufficient variety of good stock-pieces in that line have already been prepared, to insure a change of performance as often as necessary. The Hypocrite is strongly cast ; DOWToN, after having been so long obliged to forage up and down the country, has returned to his former station as rich as ever in humour, if not in purse. He was very heartily welcomed as Doctor Cantwell ; and so was LrsT ON as Matincorm. The Belle's Stratagem has introduced Mrs. WAYLETT to a Drury Lane audience, in the character of Letitia Hardy. She is a lively actress, a pretty woman, and a pleasing singer, and will be found an acquisition. The Wonder, as performed here on Thursday, was on the Whole an agreeable performance, though not a triumph. Miss CHESTER is a fine and graceful woman, an impressive -actress, but not possessed of that variety of manner and dega0 air, which is indispensable for the perfect delineation of this difficult part ;—she will do well to select another more adapted to her style.
COVENT GARDEN—Opened on Monday, to a very full audience. BOrneo and Juliet, with Black Eyed Susan, were the entertainments. Of Miss Kemble's Juliet a great deal has been said, and various opinions advanced. The general impression it left upon our recollection was that -of a performance of deep and well-sustained interest, resulting from a careful study of the part, by a mind open to a full conception of its character and the beauty of its sentinients, but occasionally checked in its progress by an unnecessary fear of over-acting, which, by imposing a restraint upon the voice and feelings of the performer, chilled the heart and fervour of the lover. Miss KEMBLE should forget, not only herself, but also the audience and her author altogether; she should imagine the very soul of the loving Juliet embodied in her, and, giving that -soul free and boundless scope, believe herself Juliet, and the audience will believe it also. Mr. ABBOTT has not the slightest notion of making love, and his melancholy inspires no sympathy. He must therefore not be surprised when we say, that his Borneo is not to our taste : it is boisterous, woodenny, and devoid of passion, though full of fury. In the balcony scene, he "whispers sweet nonsense" with most stentorian lungs ;—at Mantua, he introduces himself in a most business-like manner, and when he called for "post-horses," we forgot ourselves, and 'thought we were at the White Horse Cellar, Piccadilly ;—in the last scene, where, if anywhere, he should be dignified and composed, he was noisier than ever, and in dying be flung and tore himself about most unmercifully. dore than once we indulged a stifled laugh at his performance, and the ill-natured part of the audience hissed. A word, now, of CHARLES KEMBLE'S Mercutio ; a most delightful performance, -so full of gaiety and bon-hommie that it puts all the audience on terms of friendship with him, and causes us to feel much more grief at his -death in the third, than we do for that of our hero in the fifth act. He, as well as his daughter, met with a most enthusiastic reception. Mrs. Grans will perhaps think we compliment her in saying she did not idantify herself with the hobbling old Nurse on Monday evening. We Lope to see this lively, good-natured lady, again and again, in parts better suited to her talents.
ADELpni.—This little house of entertainment, has been very smartly decorated with light blue and gold in profusion, and reopened to a genuine Adelphi audience on Monday night, just a week after its closing for the English Opera season. We entered its gay interior with a recollection that its atmosphere had vibrated to the divine melodies of MO:ZART ; and were made sensibly aware of the change, by the catcalls in the gallery. The Gods indeed (amongst whom, judging from the bare arms, Vulcan had many representatives) kept "a dreadful pudder o'er clur heads," and by the time that the curtain rose on the Black Vul-lure, or the Wheel of Death, we were prepared for what we were to expect. The very name of the piece is a burletta ; and when we inform such of our readers as are not acquainted with these facts, that Mr. Oh! SMITH was the Black Vulture and Mr. YATES the slave Octolar, cons .demned to the "wheel of death" for murdering his master, the Miller Kalanakan, we have let them into the secret of the piece. Mr. YivrEs -made a Kean-imitating and most energetic slave ; who not liking the somewhat impossible task of perpetually turning by hand, in a state of -starvation, a huge water-wheel, sells his soul to the Black Vulture,---a gigantic Turkey busstard with wings lined with black silk ; by whom he is changed into his master, who in his place dies under the wheel. Mrs. FITZWIL LIAM played a good spirit, and looked a very substantial housewifely sprite who walks about wish a windowscurtain round her body and a pasteboard chimney-ornament on her head. Scene very mySterious occurrences happen one does not know why or how and these ' serve to exhibit some really beautiful scenery by Tositcu4s3 and soone. capital machinery. The Gods were uproarious in their applause, and laughed vociferously at 'little BLICKSTONE, who was all bustle and off-hand-ishness ; laying his words on to the dialogue like dabs of mortar with a trowel. Will he never forget his Yankee dialect ? A MrDOWN; a good-humoured person, upon very good terms with himself,. made a successful hit as an Irishman, with an Irish song for his shilelah. A cataract of fire was performed at the conclusion, behind the green curtain, (by mistake) ; and the hissing of the moistened powder was theonly hissing we heard. We will go and see IllarliEws when lie appears, in spite of the gallery-folks.
TOTTENHAM STREE T.—We were attracted here on Tuesday evening, by the announcement of a new musical entertainment, called First Impressions, with an original overture and other new music by BOcHSA.. We were very agreeably surprised, both with the materiel itself, and the manner in winch it was produced. The overture, which is a spirited production and full of pleasing variety, though in one or two passages, bearing a too evident resemblance to the Masaniello music, was extremely well played by the new band, and was unanimously encored.The vocal music, especially that allotted to MELROSE, and Mrs. CHAPMAN, gave great satisfaction, and was also encored very liberallv. The piece itself is amusing enough ; it is a new adaption of " Les Premiers Amours," and was formeidy played here with the name of False and Constant. There is a very amusing performer in SLOMAN and KEELEY'S line at this theatre ; his name is Co Oran, and his acting is of a promising quality.
AN OLD CRITIC'S OPINION OF MISS KEMBLE.—It is with unaffected pain that we feel ourselves compelled to differ with the measure of admi• ration which has been dealt out to Miss Kemble, especially after the circumstances under which she was introduced to the public, and the good which she has done the theatre. But as those circumstances were the cause of what appears to us to be an exaggerated opinion of her talents, they must be our excuse. We had a fear lest we should be obliged to think as we do, from the inferior opinion entertained of her in the country, where the causes of her town popularity were not likely to have so much influence : and yet when we saw her first scene last night, we began to feel re-assured, and to hope that the original opinion of her was the right one. The reason why we felt so was, that she appeared. to us the reverse of an artificial person ; her manner and tones were natural, her smile equally so ; we thought she was going to trust entirely to her own feelings ; and as we looked at the general expression of her face. could not help quoting to ourselves the words of the old poet, ' " — simple goodness stirred in her eyes."
All this, in her own person, off the stage, we should guess her to bestill ; and we heartily wish for everybody's sake, the critics included, that'she had had such a natural call to the stage, as to draw upon herself and her own character for some genuine theatrical result. But the inomerit she gave us the first burst of feeling, our expectations fell many degrees, and they never rose again. The niXmier was different in an instant, not as showing more feeling, but as showing less : the regular theatrical start and vehemence were substituted for the natural emotion of the artless girl we had been contemplating : the Nurse was told to go and inquire after the stranger, in a -tone, not of pleasant, but of indignant vehemence ; and then commenced the regular conventional tragic style, both in voice and manner, which was maintained with little variation the whole evening, and which has certainly left an impression on our minds, that this young lady is entirely an artificial performer, very apt in catching all that may be learnt in tragic acting, but not essentially superior to many that have had but a brief day of repute. She wanted real passion. throughout, and a variety of feeling. She was not only not the Juliet of the Smith, but not more the heroine of a love-story than of any other tragedy. Her emotion was lord, her gravity dignified and queen-like, her flow of utterance breathed with a regular vehemence of solemnity, something between the tones of her great kinswoman Mrs. Sidtlons and the mellow monotony of the late Mrs. Powell. Once and away there was a brief passage, a sentence, in that sort of natural manner, which coining after a great deal of the artificial, appears to be as much got up as any, or more so. But the general character of the performance was certainly no higher than that of an older stager of the better conventional sort ; and this was not only our opinion, but from what we heard from some persons about us, appeared to exist where it did not before. The passages the most applauded were those which are far from doing a performer the most honour, though they appear to produce the greatest effect,—namely, the violent ones, and those which were accompanied by some vehement gesture or sudden rush ; as in the scene where she fancies a visi,m of her husband suffering, and slides, in a manner, all across the stage, before-7 taking the poison.** *Miss Kemble is not handsome ; but there is a good-ness in her face, when left to itself, that is very pleasing, and looks like an ingenuous nature. As an actress, we cannot think at present, that she has any genitti properly so called, or will ever establish a reputation for one ; though she may make a very useful, and what is called a highly respectable performer. The applause, we presume, last night was not so great as it used to be ; there was a waving of hats in the pit, and a vehement welcome, when she appeared : and now and then she received great approbation in the course of the play : but there was no prevailing enthusiasm : nor was she called for after the play. What is more, we doubt whether a tear was shed in the house; certainly not in our neighbourhood.—Taller, Tuesday.
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