The Express.
London, England, 1847-12-14 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, TUESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 14, 1847.

j/litStt.

THE ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA, COVENT.GARDEN.—
We understand that active preparations are making by the
management of this establishment for the commencement of
the approaching semen. The opening of the theatre is fixed
for the 4th of March. The company is to contain all the
great stars of last season—Grisi, Alboni, Peniani, Mario,
Salvi, Tunburini, and Marini, with several highly-important
additiont, particularly Madame Viardot (Pauline Garcia),
who will be a host in-herself. By the concurring testimony
of the continental critics, this lady rivals, in genius and
power, her sister, the late lamented Malibran. One of her
earliest appearances, it is said, will be in the herotme of
Beethoven's " Fidelio," an opera which has never yet been
produced in an Italian dress. For this purpose it will be neces-
sary to convert the disiogue (which, on the German stage, as
nn our own, is delivered in ordinary speech) into recitative—
• teakwhich will be performed by Costa. Such a thing is not
without precedent. Not long since, the " Freischutz " was
produced at the Academie Royale de Musique; and, to
' comply with the exigencies of that theatre, the original
German dialogue, translated into French, wee successfully
put into recitative by Berlioz. It will be a much easier task
to clothe with Italian recitative the new Italian dialogue of
" Eidetic, ;" because the Italian is the only Linguae in which
speech, when clothed with recitative, preserves its rapidity,
clearness, and natural inflection. Madame Castellan, also,
has joined the Covent-garden company. The orchestra,
admirable as it was last season, is to be still further
strengthened by additions to the stringed instruments. Mr.
Beale' in constepience of the delicate state of his health, has
resigned the active management of the establishment.
VERDI'S NEW OPERA.—An opera, entitled Jeru-
'gem," by Signor Verdi, has been produced at the Thatre
Itelien in Pans. Its appearance wax heralded by many pre-
Ihninary flourishes of trumpets ; but it turns out to be merely
• geld dish hashed up ; being nothing more than a rifaci-
mosee of the "Lombardi,' with a new title, new per-
images, the old story disguised, and the old music with ad-
ditions end alterations. Verdi, in short, has played
one of Rosaini's tricks; but his genies and reputa-
tion are scarcely each, we suspect, as to allow hiss,
like Rossini, to play such tricks with impunity.
" Jerte.alem," altar one performance, and an uproarious
reception by a house packed with stegosaurs, has been laid
aside for the time, in consequence of the indisposition of
i)uprez, and is to be resumed on his recovery; but it
pretty evident that its career will be a brief one.
GRAND OPERA, DRURY-LANE.—It appears that
M. Jullien is by no means inattentive to the claims of our
native composers ; for, besides Belle's new opera, which is to
be produced on Monday next, we hear that operas are forth-
coming from the pens of Bonen., Madanen, and E. Loden.
apt Mranta.
THE WESTMINSTER PLAY.—The first performance
of the annual play by the Queen's Scholara of Westminster
School, previous to the Christmas holiday', took place last
evening. It was rather a dross rehearsal than a complete
performance; the prologue and epilogue, which generally
attract much atten'ion on thuse occasion., not being spoken.
The play of this season is the " Adelphi" of Terence, which,
of 'all the comedies of the great Roman dramatist, is that
which most nearly resembles in its cinstruction the produc-
tions of the modern drama, and is consequently the most
suitable for modern performance. Indeed the "Adelphi "
could be made an excellent acting play for our regular
stage, with less difficulty and smaller alterations than are
amenemary for moat of the plays of Muainger or Beaumont.
It has furnished many hints cad suggestions to modem dra-
sonlide,sparticularly to Mohler, in whose" Ecole des Maris,"
eiso of Ike best of his comedies, the characters of the two old
use who being up their respective wards upon two oppo-
sites systems, the mild and the severe, are exact
espies of Maio and Demea, the brothers, from whom
Terence's play derives its name. The moral of both plays
is the same—that harshness and austerity defeat their ob.
4ect, while rational gentleness and moderate indulgence gain
it. The character of Demea, the severe parent, is the most
prominent in the play ; and his hasty, passionate, overbear-
temper was exceedingly well represented by Mr. V.
Williams. His soliloquy at the beginning of the fifth Lot,
meditating on the consequences of his put treatment of his
eon, and resolving " to turn over a new leaf," was delivered
with great judgment and discrimination. In the part of
dlicio, Mr. &Smart's quiet deportment, and mild, persuasive
elocution were in excellent keeping with the character.
The cleverest piece of acting on the whole was the part of the
crafty, ready-witted slave, Syria, by Mr. H. R. Barker. He
gave it an ease and freedom surprising in a young amateur
and the genuine comedy of aome of his p produced
shouts of laughter. The two young men, :selsinue and
Clesipho, were gracefully personated by Mr. Somerset and
Mr. Burton ; and the only female part, Sostrata (for the
heroine never appears on the stage), received great justice
from Mr. Clasaeott, who, as the respectable matron, in edits-
tion for the sufferings of her child, exhibited much feeling.
All these performers were very warmly applauded ; and the
whole play went off with muck animation and effect. it was
exceedingly well put upon the stage; the costumes being
handsome, and, of coarse, classically correct. The hall was
crowded, and ita appearance was embellished by a brilliant
usernblage of ladies.
LYCEUM.---A one-act drama was produced here
last evening, entitled " The Tragedy Queen." It is a happy
illustration of the manner in which the " high art" of the
stage can be reduced to caricature by the exposure of id
technicalities. The individual working eat the idea of the
piece is the far-famed Mrs. Bracegirdle, who finds a repre-
sentative by no means unworthy of her great name in the
person of Mrs. Stirling. We are first introduced to the dis-
tinguished actives while she is rehearsing a scene in one of
the stiff and frigid tragedies of the period, and we see her
visited by an admirer, a young man of ardent and earnest
temperament, who, knowing her only through the medium
of her characters, conceives for her a passion little short of
idolatry. The manner in which the actress diseipstes the
high notions which he has formed of her sublimity and
more than mortal virtues was as well conceived as it was
artistically rendered. How she reaches at one moment the
highest point of tenderness, and destroys the illusion the
next by an illassorted flippancy, arid almost vulgarity'
of words and demeanour; and how the gentle-
man conceives, at one moment, an aversion and
disgust, which is as soon replaced by a return
of his former feeling—all may be imagined by those
to whom the sacred side of the curtain is no mystery. The
lover as usual has a father, who interferes moat judiciously,
but who, without being exactly one of those who" came to
scoff and remained to pray," allows his puritanical notions
on the subject of " stage players " (a prejudice very plea
sandy caricatured in the part), to be considerably modi-
fied by the smiles of the actress. The end of the story
is that Mrs. Bracegirdle, under pretence of rehearsing a
scene in the tragedy (which, by the way, is discovered to be
the production of the young man), takes advantage of its
subject matter to read him a lecture upon the folly of his
attechment, and, by the cure of his love, is euppooed to give
the trifle a happy termination, With but slight materials,
as it will he seen, the piece was mule to tell exceedingly
well, a result which we may, without any unfairness, ascribe
to the clever and finished acting of Mrs. Stirling. For the
rest little need be said: Mr. Frank Matthews was humorous
as the father, and Mr. PaneUe respectable as the son, while
Miss Marshall acted a waiting. maid with the orthodox
a degree of pertness. The piece is new only to the English
at stage, being well known In its French form. It is, how-
or ever, ezeeediariely well adapted, and well deserves the
to favourable verdict passed upon it by the audience.
fhe
the

CLERICAL

r.—Rev. W. H. Skrine, to Hingthall C.,

NCIIB. —Prescott V.. Lane.; value 1,352 t, with
residence; patrons King's Coll., Comb.; vacant by the death of the
Rev. C. O. T. Drif6eld.-oMnowb R., Norfolk, dlo. Norw., with
Foulden V.; value 5161., with redolence; meant by the death of the
Rev. R. Lams ; Eamon; GonvUle and Calm Culls., Camb.

NAVAL

PORTSMOUTH, Dec. 13.—Cormorant, at: v., Cont. Sey-
mour, was paid off this day .—Terrible, st-fr., is coaling, and 'will be
reedy ler sea on the Pith inst., when she will proceed to Lisbon to
join the moadron.—Cockatrice, brigantine, tender to the AMA, will
sail on Wednesday for Plyrnouth.—Cuckon, et, is reported as a gleam-
tug for Bermuda.—Fanny, Under, 'mead this morning from Dept-
ford, and the Mercury, tender, from &seesaw—Kirk:man, et., went
out of harbour this morning.—Blenheim, gustdehip, was removed
&um her moorings and taken into dock.
DITONPORT, DEC. 12.—Asia, 84, Capt. R. Eiropfard, waa
brought Into harbour this morning, and Is now moored off the dock-
yard ; bet repairs will be proceeded with vigorously in order to expe-
dite Mr depenum.—Netley, tender, arrived last evening from Ports-
mouth, with supernumeraries for the tocoratant.

MILITARY.
Porrewourn, Dec. 13.—The 67th Rept. will be con-
veyed in the Herefordethre and Bombay, freight thigh frown Cork to
the Kediterrsotan.—The greed treopft of the Guards on Mondays
to distontinned for the winter.—The lit dieitton of the 60th Mies
left Gosport, this day, for the north.