THE " NATIONAL" THEATRES.
THE Merry-andrew Manager of the Patent Monopoly has this week achieved a master-stroke of genius. ELLISTON, "the Great Lessee," was fertile in expedients; but Mr. BUNN transcends him in invention. Though no actor, he is a mighty mountebank. The idea of converting the idlers of the Green-room into players —making lords and lobby-loungers pay for the privilege of super- seding supernumeraries and scene-shifters—was felicitous ; but, like most other good things on the stage, it is taken from the French. It was reserved for Mr. BUNN, to draw audiences to a worn-out spectacle by the farce of drawing a lottery ! Ph an adver- tisement that GEORGE ROBINS might envy, a "novel and peculiar attraction " is announced at Covent Garden ; to consist, in the first place—as far as we can understand from the diplomatic vagueness of the phraseology—of the appearance on the stage, in the last scene of Gustavus, of such of the audience as choose to dis- guise themselves in the masquerade dresses ; and in the next, of a lottery, which is to be drawn on the stage ! Think of that !--what is STANFIELD'S scene-painting, compared to the drawing of a lottery? And then the prizes—no fewer than five out of the twelve consist of a free admission for the rest of the season ! At the commencement of the season, the Manager ad- vertised his intention of presenting free admissions to all authors and artists of celebrity ; and he has had in consequence crowded houses. But to give away—for, as Roinsis says when he is selling an article at more than its value, " it is positively giving it away —five free admissions for the remainder of the season, after such a succession of novelties had been produced!—amazing munificence! The other prizes are scarcely less valuable. A set of Shakspeare, Byron, and the British Theatre, all the music of Gustavus, and some score of theatrical prints! Why, if Mr. BUNN had ransacked his library, he could not have offered greater rarities.
There is yet one thing wanting tocuhance the value of these costly prizes : Mr. BONN himself should bestow them in propria persona. We feel how unnecessary it is to heighten the splendour of an act of liberality unparalleled in the annals of the stage, but we know with whom we have to deal. Mr. BUNN would even sacrifice his modesty to grace an act like this : but, to spare his blushes, he might assume the mask and costume of BONA- PARTE, that he is accustomed to wear in the masquerade scene of Gustavus; and ALFRED the Little, disguised as NAPOLEON the Great, could then do the honours of his scheme with composure. The chances of attaining to the high destination of receiving from the hands of a BUNN the gift of a free admission or a set of coloured prints for eighteen-pence, are, we allow, small indeed ; for, of' the thousands that will throng the house on this night, who is there that will not gladly pay the extra price, amounting to only half the admission, for the bare possibility of such an honour ? and there are only twelve that can share it. What will be the disap- pointment of the remainder ! There is only one way to soothe them; and Mr. BUNN alone can do it, by addressing a few words of condolence to the unsuccessful multitude.
Now, seriously, was there ever a more shallow and impudent attempt to humbug the public, planned by any manager at his wit's end? What a comment upon the monopoly system! What a burlesque of the cant about the patent being necessary to uphold the legitimate drama! What an edifying spectacle for a "Na- tional Theatre!" It would disgrace Bartlemy Fair.
Previous page
