The National Register. — London, England, 1813-01-31 00:00:00

,I%N. 31 a happy omen that good taste is.reviving, and that the melo d!amatic nonseme we have hot I owed from the Ft each, and s ophisms of tl:e Germanic school, together with the hippo erarnAic- exhibiti , ns of our own innovators, will now give way to the regular and legitimate offsprings of THALIA and IkIELPomEst.:. COVENT GARDEN THEATRE. The new Comedy improves on acquaintance, and has been performed to crowded houses with universal applause. To detail the story, as it is told in representation, would be almost an endless task. A brief outline of the leading business will probably be mote acceptable to our readers. The play is ag bu-tae and trick. It is made up of the adventures and intrigues of the Students of the University of Salamanca. (Inc of these, a,sentimental Gentleman , secret ly marries the daughter of a Spanish Grandee. His friend, a man of gallantry, is found in an equivocal situation with the married Lady,while in pursuit of a single one. This fills the husband with jealousy and suspicion, which a variety of incidents tend to confirm and enclease. Ile, as is usual, and indeed necessary on such occasions, refuses all explana tion till the end of the fifth act, when es ery painful recollec tion is banished by three words. The Lady's father, from being furiously hostile to the match, becomes vastly pleased with his son-in-law, and the man of gallantry is happily united to a coquette. The sentimental spark, from being poor and melancholy, becomes rich and merry, and all parties, with the exceptior of an antiquated coxcomb, who is hunted through the play like the clown in a pantomime, are made completely happy, The mad frolics and extravagances of Don Christoval, a Ranger the second, or rather a Ranged the hundredth, con stitutes the most important, and the most entertaining part of this play. A true knight errant of the order of folly, be seems to think it beneath him to consider to what his vaga ries may lead, and feels, like the chivalrous heroes of old, it is incumbent upon him to engage in any adventure that may oiler, without calculating what may be its result. This disposition involves him in a variety of embarrassments, some of which produce scenes irresistibly laughable. A same ness of incident retails, as we mentioned in our last, but this from vai ied circumstances is not much felt at the time of representation, though it strongly occurs to memory after- wards. From incident and situation, all that can give this play w!al is deriVed, and not from strength of character. — The Dramatis Persona., if ever any distinguishing traits were bestowed upon them, have been despoiled of all to facilitate the progress of the play. Of this, however, we must not loudly complain. It is too late in the day to look for much originality. We must not expect to be enabled to say of a poet of the nineteenth century, that he Exhausted worlds, and then imagin'd new. and if one were to rise who merited such an eulogium, he would perhaps not be treated much better than the present race of dramatic writers, as tried by a reference to established ideas of nature, be would, in all probability, be condemned for representing the thing which was not. We were several times led to expect the business of the play would terminate too early, and that mere dialogue must fill up a whole act. In this, however, we were vely. agreeably disappointed , It is carried on till the very last scene with great spirit. If in that scene events occur to give the necessary finish to the play, which probability cannot sanction, it is in some degree to be excused, as it is better that the events at the close of a play should be crowded and improbable, tFan that a considerable portion of it . should be made dull by explanation and preparation, to guard against such a censure. Upon the whole, " The Sttdttnts of sanction, ii. is lii 51J1liihi vai. 51 5. , .. .... ....... ........, ...,.., ._ ___ - - that the events at the close of a p!ay should be crowded and foreigoeis must conclude that folly is very scarce• among u ,- • improbable, tFan that a considerable portion of it . should be when hundreds run, time after time, to see sod) an f.CtOr• . made dull by explanation and preparalon, to guard agailist They must think an id iot a g reat rarity in this ha; by nation. • such a censure. Upon the whole , " The Shdtnts of ;••••:ala- • as the natives desi:e to st e no gleam. curiowity than a fool, . . ~ - • ,'•' _ ,• • . . . , I ~., TflE NAT : I9NAT, REGISTER.. maY tulnca" is a pleasing whimsical olio, by no meens des• it u to of claims to public approbation. Tire dialogue is in many idits very good, the business is not always well eviducted, but the situations are generally etiective. The moral we lurve for got. lithe play, however, does not instruct, it c t.tcr ain% and those who go to see it ought not to repine, if it des not make them wise, so long as it makes them laugh. HAYMARKET THEATRE. The Yahoo called Co AT Es, whose exhibitions in " The Fair Penitent," we noticed in a recent number, received a new tribute of scorn, on Thursday. in the same play. The business of this evening was so little I aried from th" former performance (if such an express:tote may here be used,) that the account of the one maybe received as a description of ;he other. We wonder the gentry who pick up a living by 'bows of this kind, do not introduce some other animal in the part of the gallant gay Lothario. A baboon, dressed up for die character, would perhaps not be a novelty sufficiently sttiking, immediately after Mr. COAT Es ; but we should think a bear, a Newfoundland dog, or a full-sized tom cat. might prove very attractive, and well deserve the title r f the celebrated amateur of fashion." No objection could be raised on the score of the play being Hut ed by such a representative being found for Lot hario, for if it is supposed Calista could be captivated by a modern amaleur, we see nothing to preclude any one of the anima's we have men tioned from becoming the object of her choice. Some may think a bear, or a dog, or a cat, would not easily get the part by rote. Those, however, who have seen in street spectacles what education will do for a bear, or who remember the run the dancing dogs had at . 4 .4-adley's Wells some years ago, will perhaps be of a diffee trot opinion. A cat may be thought a more untractahle animal than either, but we have reason to believe that, with proper assistance, a torn cat might cut a respectable fi..raire in Lot hnr:o. An Italian, some years ago, gave a grand concert, in which cats were the only perfor niers. They were ranged according to their age, their size, and their voices, on steps placed one above another, in the form of an amphitheatre. Each cat had a frill and ruffles made of white paper. They had desks before them to which their paws were ratadied, and on each desk was a leaf of music, and two wax tapers. The scene pro duced was extravagant enough. The faces of the animals h were much more eapressive than the countenance of the - Err.- market Amateur) presented a singular picture. The music and the instruments which furnished the accompaniments were equally preposterous, and the tail of each animal being se cured in an instrument procured for the put pose, the leader of the band had only to press this, and pinch their tails, when their vocal exertions were required, and the melody wanted was procured. After reading this historical fact we think every one must be satisfied that our Haymarket puppet-spew men could, if they pleased, give us a greater variety of first rate perform ers. Their acting, it is true, might not be quite so midi culous as that of Mr. COATES, the anim:ll3 themselves might appear entitled to some respect, and the teat in consequence not quite so complete as some would wish. We however must contend, that the variety' thus preductd would be more entertaining than an often repeated exhibition of of wretched Yahoo. Candour, however, obliges tis• to say, that those who bring forward Mr. Co ATM, may he actuated by very patriotic motives. They may be of oi illicit', that ot.r national character can in no way be so effectually r..ited, foreignets must conclude that fully is very seance among of', when hundreds run, time after time,, to sec such an f.ctor. They must think an idiot a great rarity in this ha; py nation. as the natives desire to st e no gt eater curiousity than a fool, ± s