THE THEATRES.
THERE has been no novely at either of the Great Theatres since our last notice of them. At Covent Garden, Ion has been the sole at- traction ; having been performed every night but one this week, to make the most of the now expired term of MACREADY'S short engage- ment. Miss HELEN FAUCTT took the character of Clemanthe, instead of ELLEN TREE, who is at the Haymarket; so that character has been reduced to the level of the rest, and MACREADY stood alone: of course -the tragedy could not be acted without him.
SHERIDAN KNOWLES has been playing here on benefit nights: we ,do not hear of his being regularly engaged.
At Drury Lane, MA LIBRAN and the Maid of Artois have filled the theatre on three nights of the week ; and on some of the others BONN Ms hired the stage to a Mr. PAUMIER, who pays so much per night for the privilege of exhibiting his incompetency to the public,—just as PETER Boma-twice, now by the grace of Toryism M. P. for Evesbam and one of" the great dined," did at the Sorry. As if this degra- tion of'a "National Theatre " to the condition of a penny playhouse was not evident enough, BONN actually closes the Theatre to-night, because the customer or his frieads are getting tired of their hatpin ; no pay, no play," being the manager's motto in these cases. It wily remains for BONN to advertise the prices of" characters" on the Drury Lane stage : he may find other fools besides Mr. PaustrEa. This would be worthy of the manager who drove the first tragedian of the day from his theatre by insults.
The Lyceum company have produced "a melodramatic sketch" called Matta' Falcone; to which PERKINS plays an old brigand, and Mrs. KF.E1.F.Y his son, with powerful effect ; and "an operetta" by Mr. GEORGE LINLEY, a composer of some pretty ballads, entitled The Queen and the Cardinal, the story being that of The Queen's Jewel ; in which Miss ATKINSON sung. They have also revived The 'Skeleton Lover. Other novelties are announced next week here ; and at the New Strand,—where the travestie of Othello sets the house in a roar nightly.
The Ransom, a translation from the French, the joint production of Mr. and Mrs. PLANCHE, was brought out at the Haymarket on Thurs- day, with great success. ELLEN TREE is the beroine,—a girl who is falsely accused of robbing her benefictor of a sum of money to purchase her father's ransom, but which turns out to have been secretly sent by Montesquieu. (An anecdote to this effect is related in the Life of MONTESQUIEU.) ELLEN TREE'S fine acting produced a thrilling SellitatiOn.
M. DAVID, a clever comedian, though not of remarkable talent, has been this week added to the French company at the St. James's Theatre; he is a respectable and useful actor, and an acquisition certainly. We must protest against the mutilation of dramas here : it is bad enough in opera, but in acting plays it is intolerable. On Monday, the second act of Figaro was presented, and on Friday the third arid fourth of Tartuffe. This is too bad. Al. DAVID'S personation of Tartiffe is not above mediocrity. It wants the subtile wiles and smooth insinuating address and manner of the consummate hypocrite. The actor would have succeeded better in the coarse English version of the character,—though DAVID has nor the unction of DOWTON : in fact, he has not finesse enough for the in- tellectual seducer of MOLIERE. The Oryon of M. COBSARD, and the Ebuire of Madame CORREGE, were in keeping with the performance of the principal character: and the effect resembled that of a comedy as represented at the Haymarket—only that it was mutilated. M. MoNROSF. appeared in Les Originaux ; in which he personates a fencing-master ; a dancing-master, who gives vent to his grief for the' loss of his wife in the intervals of the lessons; an Italian master,. whose whole talk is of maccaroni and parmesan ; and a tutor, who pro- fesses to be licquainted with all the books in the world, without know- ing even the common literature of his own country. His complete changes of yoke. appearance, and mariner, and his adroitness and viva- city, were highly amusing. LAPoRTE has got up French plays at the Queen's Theatre, in rivalry of JENNY VERTPRE. Himself and a Mademoiselle Lista are the only performers of note ; though M. CLOUP, who had the French Plays last season, is there. M. CARMOUCHE should have secured LAPORTE : it would have made better for both.
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