The National Register. — London, England, 1811-10-06 00:00:00

THE NATIO DRAMATIC REGISTER. COVENT-GARDEN. The only novelty of importance which the last week has pro duced at this house, is a new female vocal performer. lam in formed that she has appeared at Tottenham Theatre under the name of Mrs. WARING. Her figure is good, and her whole ap pearance not unprepossessing. Her voice boasts uncommon strength and variety; and, though her taste is far behind her powers, she is likely to prove a useful acquisition to the Theatre• Her reception was extremely flattering. The Pantomime of Raymond and "foes was revived on Mon day. It is got up with much splendour ; and has been performed all the week with great applause. HAYMARKET THEATRE. The arts and sciences are said to improve with each succeeding generation; and it has been added, that every age grows wiser and wiser. With respect, however, to poetry and literature in general, this is very far from being the case. if a foreigner, for instance, were to endeavour to form an estimate of the literary talent of the English, from a review of the works of authors of the present day, what a miserable figure should we make, as compared with that we exhibited two centuries ago. Far from improving, or advancing towards perfection, we seem to have adopted a retrograde motion ; and having degenerated long, we are at length sunk so low, that it it appears impossible for us to continue to sink much longer, though with the present stock of writers it is equally impossible to hope to rise. Of all the absurd trumpery that has disgraced the st tge for the last twenty years, a piece more eminenly contemptible, more strikingly stupid, and more deplorably wretched, has not • been produced, than that, which was performed at this theatre on Monday last, under the title of The Benighted Travellers; or, Forest of Rosenwald. To do justice to its extraordinary worthlessnesss, it would be necessary to transcribe the whole. This, however, it is impos sible to do, and I must therefore content myself with a few brief observations on its general demerits, before I consign it to a disgraceful oblivion. This new piece, we are told in the bills, is founded on the story of Raymond and Agnes; and this assertion, coming from the Managers, extraordinary as it may seem, is true. It is founded on the story of Raymond and Agnes, for it is, in fact, but a burlesque on the Pantomime now performing at Covent- Garden. The difference between them is, that here, bad music is substituted for good, and that it is made more tedious by a miserable dialogue, which one might easily fancy must have come from the pen of a scoolboy or an ideot. From the begin ning to the end, neither in the parts intended to be serious, nor in those designed to be comic, is there to be found one spark of genius, wit, or humour. Common sense and common Eng lish are alike disregarded. It does nct contain one idea worthy of notice, nor one period that boasts felicity of expression. Its reception was such as its merits entitled it to. It was as com pletely damned, as any damnable piece could be. Yet, notwith standing its sentence of condemnation was most unequivocally pronounced, the Managers, mark their deference to their " dear patrons," had the modesty in their next day's bills " most respect fully" to inform the public, tha. it was received with unbounded applause throughout, and would be repeated every evening. I will not comment on this outrage, not only of truth, but of decency ; but it is worth while to take some notice of those who treat that public by which they live, with so much contempt. By whom is this piece brought forward ? By those, forsooth, who thought proper to ridicule their Covent-Garden neigh bours, for their love of pageantry. By those, who resented the insult offered to the town, when four-footed performers were introduced on the stage, as tending to explode incr.: classical REGISTER. 635 entertainments. By those, who brought forward The Quadru peds of Quedlingburgh. By those who told us at the commence ment of their season : To splendour, this poor house has no pretence, Our aim is laugh, love, nature, common sense. Yes, these are the Gentlemen, who having entertained the town throughout the whole of their season, by their ridiculous squabbles with each other, now presurr e to vie with Covent- Garden in spectacle. They attempt to rival the splendour of a palace, with the magnificence of a pig stye, and expose their inability to merited derision, by producing an entertainment fit only to be played at the fairs where its author used to exhibit. I know not to which of the mighty men concerned in thit establishment, the public stand indebted for this splendid melo drama. Perhaps it is the fruit of their united wisdom, as, after what we have seen in them, nothing but rationality ought to surprise. Their blindness, in continuing to force it on the public, will, I trust, carry its punishment with it. The public, while laughing at the Ilaymaket pantomime, will make the best comments on the truth of the professions of the Manager., and they will doubtless bear in mind that they are the same men, who, while labouring to bring the German school into contempt, invited the town to enjoy a part of the writings of KOTZ Env z : who strove to make us weep with a German play, and then came to wipe our eyes, with an Anglo-Germanico-Inppoitonob dish-clout. LYCEUM. The Inconstant was performed on Friday, for the purpose of again bringing forward Mr, Poi NAM, whom the whole of our Readers must recollect was some years ago one of the walking Gentlemen of Drury-Lane. A Daily Paper talks much of the disadvantages of a first appearance, &c. and it must be confes sed that all this would be very fine, if in its proper place; but it has a ludicrous effect when applied to Mr. Pumnit, who, though new to the writer of that article, is not new to the Lon.. don Stage. Mr. ETRE has left the Lyceum ; and, as a thing of this kind would be quite as well said of him when he again ap pears, if 1 were the author of the article in question 1' would write one to be ready at his return. Mr. PUTNAM, in my opi• nion, succeeded very indifferently. His conception of the part was bad, and his affectation madeltis performance contempti ble. He may be found useful in a Theatre, but he will not suc ceed in the roung Mirabel line, in a Company of which Wactics and MELVIN are Members. G. SINGULAR CRICKAT-MATell. On Wednesday last a singular Cricket-match commenced at Bias-pond, Newington. The players on each side were twenty two women eleven Hampshire against eleven Surrey. The match was made between two amateur Noblemen of t e re? spective counties, for five hundred guineas aside. The per formers in this singular contest were of all ages and sizes, from 14 years old to upwards of 40 ; and the different parties were distingui , hed by coloured ribbons: royal purple for the Hamp shire ; orange and blue, Surrey. The weather being favourable on Wednesday, some very excellent play, and much skill was displayed; but the palm of that day Wa'i borne off by a Hamp shire lass, who made 41 innings before she was thrown out. At the conclusion of theday,tbe first innings for Hampshire were 81, while those of the Surrey were only seven. Five to one ou the Hampshire lasses; any odds offered, but no takers. Thurs day the Surrey damsels kept the field with their second innings almost the whole of the day ; but it rained so incessantly there was very little play. The game, it is expected, will he con cluded to-nearrow ; but the gene-ral opinion is, that. Hampshire will gain the victory. Notwithstanduig the unfavourable state cf the weather, a great concourse of euple attended to witness this Angular contention; and although each party seem. d to exert their utmost skill and activity against thi.ir adversaries, the utmost harmony and good humour prevailed amongst them.