THE THEATRES.
THE managers of the two patent houses seem to be following the course that lowered their predecessuis to the condition of rival show- meet at a fair, .ind ended by milling the theatres and themselves, namely, the system of playing against one another, as if the object of each were to annoy and injure his opponent. That Bee N should adopt this practice was to be expected; but that MACILEADY SbOUld stoup to follow his example would indeed surprise us. We have given him credit for eteleavouriog to deserve public support ; but to some less laudable motive will be ascribed his taking the subject of Baere's forthcoming opera Joan of Arc, and anticipating its appearance by bringing out a show-piece with the saute title. Again, no sooner is Ga-iulanwi amionoced at Drury Lune, than it is underlined in the Covent Garden bills. If this is the policy that he intends to pursue, Almetemay may as well at once resort to the old puffing system, and fill the bills with tietiuue and the house with orders. In:playing this pine, however, BeNe will have the advautuge : lie bats no pride or delicacy, to put a cheek on his proeeediegs ; and accordinely he takes delight in " girding" at his brother manager. Every puff in the Drury Lane bills gives a hit at Covent Garden—coarse, but well put in. One paragraph speaks of " the impudent assumption" of the title of Baere's opera, another alludes to the disturbance at Covent Garden on the night of the Queen's visit, and both are ingeniously contrived to serve the purpose of puffing most effectively. Meanwhile, Drury Lane is filled nightly—people don't inquire by what means, thought
those accustomed to note the charaeteristics of an audience know that all is not gold that glitters; while at Covent Garden the pit is the only part that is fined completely. On Tuesday, when the ballet spectacle 77te Daughter qf the Danube was brought out at Drury Lane, the house was tilled to the slips-the gallery excepted, where the folks pay ; and at every scene the audience were stunned with the indefatigable exertions of the clacqueurs, who worked away like cherry-clappers, till we felt for their The excitement, thus stimulated, being borne up by beautiful scenery, glitter-
ing dresses, some pretty dances, and effective inusic, and, best of all, " by the grotesque pantomime of WIELAND. Was contagious' and the trombones were now and then almost staled by the roar of applause .,:••saeaer.viset. from voices, hands, and feet. The ballet itself is devoid of interest !
the story, such as it is, is feniliar to the public in the Adelphic ver. .'•, stoat of hist year, call••d Spa, it r f the Rhine ; and the dancing of
and Miss BALLA N was more vieurous than graceful : but together it is an effective ufterpiece-cf jest that degree of merit to Al; tal';
depend on the mood of the audience whether it should be quite sue- cessful, or only tolerated : the "orders" and the " clacqueurs" tuned enamoured of discomfiture; and not less to the relief of the manager, who, though lie " sent orders out into the highways and hedges," could not "compel them to come in" to sit out Caractacus. At Covent Garden, SHAKSPEARE'S plays, with Werner and the Bridal, are the grand attraction still. Il('I.t.aII's opera The Barbers of Has. sorah makes a very pleasant ofterpieee ; and The Original, spite of its nothingness, creates a great deal of hoighter.
The spectacle Joan if Arc is advertised for Tuesday; and the new opera announced at the beginning of the season is again in the bills. No new tragedy, or old one restored, is yet forthcoming. Why does not Maratearry call in SHERIDAN KNOWLES to his aid ? We are glad to see KNOWLES is closing his career as an actor, and intends to devote himself exclusively to authorship. The popularity of the Love Chase continues undiminished, maugre the bad acting of some of the male characters. Mrs. NISBETT'S per. sonation of the high-spirited, warm-hearted hoyden, and Mrs. 6,1.os-ea's of the intriguing widow, are, however, enough to insure the success of a less charming play. We would just hint to Mrs. NISBETT, that the exuberance of impulse and animal spirits ntay he overcharged the ideal character is her own : it is as if it had been drawn from the life ; she has no need therefore to exaggerate.
The stupid farrago of' sea. slang called Wapping Old Stairs, that dis- graced the Haymarket for a night or two, has been withdrawn.
The juke of the new burletta at the Olympic, Why did you die? consists in the constant reiteration of the question by all the charac- ters to the one who pretended to be dead, and his not answering it after all. As the audience are sufficiently amused by the scenes that give rise to the frequent repetition of the question, and not so much in. terested in the answer as to be annoyed by the tantalizing disappoint- ment of their curiosity, the piece goes off pleasantly enough,_notwith- standing its inert ificial construction. FARREN as the pretended dead husband, who comes to life, and finds his widowed wife courted by an ardent young lover, is amusingly uncomfortable; and CHARLES MATHEWS, as the young spark, is as easy and as conscious of his dress as usual. Mis. KEELEY, as the lady's maid, who worms the secret of the dead•alive from her mistress,
and imparts it to all the house, gives most zest to the fun. She seems as if to learn a secret was the soul of her enjoyment, and to tell it
again an essential condition of her existence : she is a conductor of confidential communications; and gives an electric shock each time of transmission. As a fitting climax to FARREN'S final postponement of the answer to the question, " Why did you die?" Mrs. KEELEY ought to faint away in the arms of her fellow-servant, with vexation. the scale. ea et, I! n. '5'. Caractacus has run his career ; hat, as the gilt is not worn off the
gi ge nrbreivi, ("orietaarts is to drag the cumbrous rubbish on the ita tee ce: I
again : and Mr. 131:11,ta struts and heilows through the part-lart ikr. E. t4. C.1 . I L. ' that's a secondary matter. 13uNN wag never yet prevented from playing at, N. E.o.thop • I.
a stroke of the pen--DENV It. and TERNAN, JO wit. Apropos of tot- Him:no, E. 1. gedians-that p• rsevering perpetrator of Hamlet who profanes the ilaroeny • J. J. I., ,; : pr:t name of 0 rwAV, was suffered to parade his incompetency on Alenulay ".• T. at Drury; very much to his own satisfaction, we dare say, for he seems ; ;:g '"'"• `•• ay by the want of hero: he can make in first tragedian With Ih"""'"" tt:,t
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