The National Register.
London, England, 1817-04-14 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

formed. Farley was I?obinson esor, and Grimaldi
his man Friday.—The Buccaneer part of the drama
(which we do not recollect, though we have often read
the story) involves a mutiny, at the head of which is
Windlass, the boatswain ('['okely), against the Captain
of the vessel, Diego ;Abbot), the son of Rohinson err-
soe, in which he is joined by the rest of the crew, with
the exception of ITh4J, the mate (Emery). They set the
Captain and his, Crnsoe's wife (Mrs. Parker), on Ro-
binson Crusoe's Island. Some very interesting and cu-
rious scenes take place in consequent*, in which Nip-
cheese, the ship's steward (Blanchard 1, bears a prominent
part. The characters were well supported, partiCu-
lady Crusoe, IVipeherse, Friday, and WiwrNass,
and the combats were well managed. 'The piece differs
from former representations of' the same story, as pan-
tomime is avoided, and the characters are generally
speakers. Even Mrs. Parker, we believe for the first
time, uses her voice. The scenery is beautiful, and the
dances are deserving of applause. The Misses Dennett
danced a pas de trois, in tvhich they were encored. The
dialogue of the piece is well written. If there is any
objection, it is to be placed solely to the length. It has
since been repeated, and is likely to survive the holi-
days, for which it seems to have been prepared.

Mr. Booth, the new hero of Covent Garden, appeared
for the first time, on Fridav night, in London at least,
in the character of Sir Edward 3fortiwicr, in The iron
Chest. This play, which borders a little on the Ger-
man School, is so familiar to the public, that criticism
upon it would be superCnous. Placed, as Mr. Booth
now is, as a kind of rival exhibitor to Mr. Kean, and as
a magnet of attraction to Covent Garden theatre; yet
being so new to the town, he is in a situation to require
some liberal and even merciful considerations. Justice
and candour induce us to say, that he is a young man
of very considerable stage talents, and that • he is likely
to become an eminent performer ; but he is not pos-
sessed of equal original genius with Mr. Ktan. Hence,
though his Sir Edward Mortimer was very well re-
ceived by an audience by no means crowded, his per-
formance was greatly inferior to Kean's, in all the nicer
and the stronger touches of the passions, which are ge-
nerally the closest tests of dramatic ability. As it was
his first appearance in the part, improvement may be
looked for. The new actors who are rising as candi-
dates for public favour and fame on the sun-set of the
school of the Kembles, are said to be more natural than
their immediate predecessors, who, with the exception
of Cooke's intervention, held so long the taste of the
lovers of the drama in magic chains. It• may be so:
but yet bustle and activity, and a tolerable share of
natural ability, arc seldom sufficient compensations for
the want of a close and correct study of the authors
whose conceptions they attempt to penamify. There
was certainly often a cold, elaborate, artificial manage-
ment in the Kemblcs' school ; but it tended more to
gratify persons of taste than the warm and smart ebul-
litions of young performers, who have not lent them-
selves sufficiently to their proper studies. Abbott rcr-
formed Wilford extremely well ; and we thought Mrs.
Egerton deserved much praise as Judith. The musical
parts of the piece were well executed.

Saturday night restored Miss O'Neil, after a serious
illness, to her pndessional labours at this Theatre, and
to the expectations of a crowded audience. Her ap-
pearance was greeted with that warmth and cordiality
with which the lovers of the drama, never fail, after
a temporary absence produced by such a cause, to wel-
come the return of a deserving and established favourite.
The kindness which prompted these plauditory
compli-
ment.: made a visible impression on the feelings of Miss
O'Neil, whose indisposition has left evident traces of
its severity, without impairing in the least the merits
of her performance. She resumed the character of Juliet,
and enriched it with new beauties both of conception and
execution. Never before did this victim of passion appear
so natural or so engaging. It would seem as if the mo-
ments of sickness, instead of being surrendered to a cor-
responding indoknce, had been converted into profit-
able leisure, and studiously applied by this distinguished
actress to the cultivation and depelopement of new fa-
culties. Every shade of thought or feeling was touched
by a preceptien of unerring a. curacy ; no latent charac-
teristics were left unrevealed ; and every bur:it of sen-
timent breathed the fire and cneigy of n!Ltui.e. It is im-
possible to detach from a piece of acting so beautiful in
its symmetry, any scenes of pect: I lam!. seearate excellence.
To the native graces of her 1/IVII manner she added, as the
progress of the action required, and in themanagement of
the lighter incidents, all the nrtsof womanly fitscination ;
and as her heroine adva7 evil to the crisis of her fa te assumed
a thrilling tenderi:css of espressh.n, and those accents
of despairing soma., which first-rate artirts Inow how
to employ in exciting the sympathies and actions of
our nature. Anode proof kal been heretofore afford sl
of Miss O'Neil's ,operioritv in the ddineatii n of this
character, by the crowfled houses that her rare at-
tracted to a dram which expe.ri.mce Intl shown not to
be calculated in itself for frcqnent repetition ; but never
was that superiirity so incontestibly asserted as by her
perthnnance of it on Sattinhty night. Mr. Abbott
played .llereutio in place of Mr. Jones, with leas of ex-
travnennt vivacity than his predeccsi.:Jr, but with no
striking inferiority of hum our.

-
;

117

'rue SUMAIIIR THEATREB.----On Easter Monday the
following Minor Theatres commenced their career of
amusements :—Sadler a Wells, the Surry Theatre and
Royal Circus, and Astley's Amphitheatre, Webtminster
Bridge. The amusements at these little The atrea iTo •
not seem is. all to be abated by the pressure of the times.
There is the same brilliancy, the same attention, the
same disposition on the part of the proprietors to please,
and the same desire on that of the public to be pleased
as on former occasions.