The National Register. — London, England, 1813-10-10 00:00:00

OCT. 10. THE NATION DRAMA7'IG REGISTER. COVENT GARDEN. The theatsical has lately been a• prolific as the political world.-..- Whilst, in the latter, new champions of war have advanced amidst scents of blood 'and devastation, and joined in the mighty contest which enties the fears and hopes of mankind ; in the forineroew mock heroes and heroines have sought, in a inure harmless manner, the same bubble—fame, and Ailed to th.! peaceful enjoytuent dst the com-' Dwny. A:nought these, pre-eminent in form, as in talents, stands Mr. COX W AY, fron► Dublin, who appeared fur the first time at this Theatre last Monday as Alexander, arid for the second on Thursday as Vihtllo. To nature this Gentleman h indebted for every thing necessary to make a great actor. She ha, 1 tee a lofty stature. full 9f elegant correctness in its proportions, and of grace in its motions. She htr endowed him with 0.. e of those yr tinteriances whose marked features combine expr %ion with mauls beauty, and re Beet, as a perfect mir ror. the workings of the mind ssithist, and the successive sivides of the passions To maj...ry of look and of deportment, she has added a eon! voice, whose sleep and nit flow tones now sp. ak the language of the snfter feehngs with melodious accents, and whose kind energy now reveals the bursts of tne violent passions ith faithful imitation To bring all these qualifications into exercise, site s-ems to have im parted to ham a wind of con•idel3!e force and •ettsibi Hy. Sue)) have been the gifts of itature to Nir C.a.t‘vssr, let us now examine what art and study have do e for him. Directed t.y judgment. studs' has improved it. He floes not pos sess the were t;iculty of disceriiiiig the meaning of his author, and faithfully telienrsiog his words. lie knows l,ow to give them the force cif express on, without which ilicy a•e nothing but the• outlines of a line picture divested of the rwigic of c lours. Byre ) then, art conies to his assistance, and regulating the due exercise .of hi% sutural powers, enables him to give a striking poitriiiiurc of t he affections of the and of the varied einuiges and energetic ettCcis of the pas sions. With such qualifications, it is almost needless ta add, that in Alex ander the Great. Ali. CuN %% AY was FiLlieVIC w itivint stiffness tender without affectation, passionate without halting, and sts'olitue in madness without roaring or distortion. Ills uttitusies, throw/64n. were natural, graceful, and strikingly expressive, and. m the last scene. surpassed, in those three qualities, any thine , we have williesst.d. They would have given a tongue to silence itself. and his jurigmeot was never inure conspicuous than in the ravings of anguish mid madness which eiose his part. Vit'e regret that the ovei flow of political matter sl'ould pre vent uur entering into greater details, which, we litipe, circumstances Hill allow to another time. Ills recepti ii will, most enthusiastic. and pcal. and Autos' of applause attended hint through the whole of jiffy perfornuince. In Oteeno he displayed equal ahililies, and, as the part 'requires a greater visritty and depth of feeling Ili. , 6: ere and his action, when he ••eir.srates the coralneents in Ili. nightly breil;"were truly mrignificent. The progress of jealousy contending with his c•nidiri nature, and at lass overcoming Isis spisit wain:tit dettr sing its magnuilimity, was most sc cur,stely and forceffilly depicted, and the war of feelings which rends his boson s in the last %cene, eon-imam with the seusibility, did nut de. grad: the grandeur of Othello's character. His reception in this part was as universally favourable as in the former. Mr, CoNw ay's chief defect is one which may probably be attri buted to I calities. He seer's unaccustome d to the size of our Theatres, and then+ re as tet unacquainted with the exact management of voice, which eitaties it to rise atid sink without ever growing too loud to be heard with pit...sloe, or too I.ise to be heard at all. He wants • me dium, which habit alone can make lulu filid, and which, without pre. vetoing his variations and totitresfol teues, will secure their he ing always audinle. The v. ice stifled by emotion or anguish it to a whisper, is frequently expressive i the 'hieliest degree ; but it' it tots too lea, it is only caught by the boxus ne.rtst the. stage, and the effect is 'oat 'ay die rest of the !rouse. I ike•Mr. KE)IBLE, Mr. CON WAY also passes too slightly over some scenes, In which he might even he chat ged 'with 'nineties% This,• it is true, is redeemed by great beau lira, as his collected powers burst subsequently with grander effect : but it lenders:the perfirmance u chequered one, when he is evidently eble to give it 'a more uniform and elevated character. Upon the w.hl,le, he is a highly valuable acquisition to the metropolitan stage. Let him, however; not think himself perfect. or he will never pass the point of excellence which 1.0 has attained. Let hl4 study and his ex ertions continue he is' already a great actor, and if he is as yoting as it is reported (only 24), and be alekes a proper uae of his piwer, he L REGISTER. messes the means of becoming one of the first pertormers this ,untry has produced. _ _ Besides the attractions of Mr. Cotsteay, the tragedy of Othello pre. rented, on Thursday last. those of beauty. feeling, and skill, united in Mrs. Faucue, who made her first appearance as Dtsdemona. This Lady has found the London public as sensible of real merit as that of Norwich, which she lately quitted for the metropolis. A handsome countenance, an elegant fignre, a pleasing voice, action at unce just, eney, and graceful, formed her cl..ims on the favour of the audience, and were not disregarded. Sportive and animated at the hour of jay, re. sistlesslv insit.uating and persua , ive in intercession, awl interestingly tender in atilicti. , n and danger, she could not fail to gain the noplause of every hand that obeyed the impulse of the heart. Her success was, therefore, great and merited. On Thesday night n new piece, in turn acts, called the Nian•Descript, was produced at ntis Theatre. As it' died in the penes of its birth, we cannot do better then hive it a Non &script even after its death. The oppusition to it commenced so early, and from so many quarters at once, that it has been reported to have been occasioned by a party of haberdashers, who understood that the piece was inte: • - (Ml to tuna their effiminacy into ridicule. I3e this as it may, the first offence was given by the outre appearance of Liston's dress, and the hissing which beguai at the s,cond act ue, coptitined to rage with repeated cries of off, of, to the end of the second act, which was hastened in compliance with the wishes of the public, and the piece withdrawn. Mr. 'fenny appeared last Friday as Shelock in the Merthane of Venice, and Mrs. AVG, tinny as Parii.t. They were Loth sileces,fid„ particularly the latter, but we have no ruutu at present. fur *Arthur couneut% DRURY LANE. The comic strength of this house, already considerable, has ir.• ceived a powetenl addition in Mr. MUNI/EN, who on 111011ILN 4 141 , 1 was restored to the metropolitan) stage in the part of •Sir tel Handy, in which he displayed the same abilities which originally mole it a favourite with the loathe. Dow sox was also very happy in Far mer Ashfield, though the character is rather out of his usual line, and Mrs. EDWIN, in illiS.4 Winittii.orti,rmited interest with beauty. On Tuesday Mr. Sri PIIEN KEMBLE appeared as Shy/aek, at this Theatre. Notwithstanding the uselessness of his size in this part,. he displayed considerable abilities. It was the triumph of mind • over the body ; for where 11w Litter was merely an incumbtauee, instead of an ally, the former was compelled to exert•itseil with double energy. Mr. S. KV:111111EN voice, however, is powerful, his conutenance expressive, and his judgment seems correct. Though less forcibly than the late Nir. COOKE. yet he efficiently pourtrayed the cunning, revengeful Israelite, exulting in Ins craft, but caught in his own snare, and smitten in his exultation. Miss SMITH shone with her usual splendour in Porlia, and the rest of the play was well pertMled. On Wednesday Mr. MuynEx appeared as Old Rapid, in :‘Tr. Monirotv's Comedy of A Curefor the Heart Ache. His performance was a master piece of nature and !imam., addressing itself air( r natrly and wilh equal surcess to the mirthful disposition and the finer sensihilitic3 of the audience. The two scenes with his " dear Neddy," before the duel and with Jecsy Oa'lund, when he discovers her story. were among the iwsst perfect specimens of tl:e comic-pa thetic. Nothing could irp:fss the manner in which, in the former, though willing to surreirer his life to avert the danger which threatens his son's, he yet thinks himself obliged to encourage hint to fight. and bids him'' remember he is a man," on finding that he has been branded with the ;spin ilation of rascal. Ile was also very happy in the latter, when enraged at his son's perfidy, he is himself seady to call him in his turn " a rascal,". and smideAy changing his angry ebullitions and his tone, exclaims, " but I'll kill him—that's sonic comfort—he ply own son and I've a right to kiU him." EL. LISTON in Young Rapid, and KNIGHT in Frank Outland, as well as Mee. GLOVER in Miss Vortex, played in their best style. We snub rstmul that the play of Godolphin ; or, The Lion of th e North, which is to be produced next week, is from the pen of m r. THOMPSON, the Translator of most Qi the German pieces on our stage. Tuesday the Lord :11ayor having inve.ti. , :ated the reports of the quantities and prices of wheat and flour sold during the preceding week. ordered the price of bread to be continued at is, 31d. the quart= loaf of wlicateo and 11. 1 /lousy/hold. if 'I ■