THE THEATRES.
THE announcement of " last nights" at the Opera, and the closing of the Haymarket and Princess's, are not less certain signs of a waning season than the evacuation of Covent Garden by the League, the breaking-up of Parliament, and the centrifugal movement of the world of fashion.
The final arrangements of the Italian Opera include a novelty in the musical department : Itteefs Corrado d' Altamura is to be performed tonight, for the first time in this country. For her benefit on Thursday, PERSIANI selects MOZART'S ever-new Don Giovanni : her Zerlina is wellknown ; Mollie's' is to be the Ottavio. Each repetition of a favourite performance becomes more charming from the probability of its being the last for six long months. The leading vocalists surprise us every now and then by their apparent freshness ; so far from jaded by the fatigues of the campaign, they seem invigorated by the exercise of their art. This week, however, the grand attraction has been FANNY ELSSLER'S pantomime in the picturesque and effective ballet of Esmeralda. She represents the heroine under a new aspect : instead of the artless naivete of an unsophisticated peasant, that CARLOTTA GRIM gave to the part, ELSSLER assumes the playful coquetry and alluring wiles of the Bohemian dancing-girl ; though without sacrificing the nobler traits of the character. When she comes bounding in, rattling her tambourine and darting glances of conscious triumph round the admiring throng, she looks the gipsy queen and the idol of her tribe : there is a dash of wantonness in her gayety and of wilfulness in her generosity, and her smile reveals "the lurking devil in her eye." This version of Esmeraleles was not so generally liked at first as Camoisrs Glues; but in the latter scenes the tragical intensity which ELMER'S pantomimic powers gave to the expression of anguish and horror, produced an extraordinary effect, and carried all suffrages. Her dancing in this ballet is not remarkable for that dazzling execution which is her forte; for she had to follow in the less rapid and brilliant steps of her predecessor, the part having been originally contrived by PERROT to suit the style of CatsLOTTA GRISI: who ever knew ELSSLER require the aid of a male dancer to "give her a lift" before! But the finish and fire of all her movements, and the vivid significance of her pantomime—the sparkling play of expression in her face, and the variations of air and manner,-gave to her whole performance the utmost beauty and meaning of which the mute eloquence of gesticulation is susceptible. PERROT, as the poor Poet, is, as usual, inimitable: his serio-comic pantomime is quite his
Own.
Tonight Ccurro appears in Le Lac des Fees.
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