The National Register.
London, England, 1814-11-13 00:00:00

TTTE NATIONAL• lIEGISTEIt.

748

DRAMATIC REGISTER.

DRURY-LAN E.
A revolution has taken place in the style of performance
of our Operas. Formerly, and even but a few years ago. all
was sacrificed to sound. Most of the pieces themselves fa-
voured this plan, and, when they contLiucd arty interest and
sense, these were entirely lost through 1110 indifference.of the
singes, to qualities, which were then deemed so unnecessary.
Cold and inattentive in the dialogue, they thoiight it beneath
them to suit the action to the word—the word to the ac-
tion" Their countenances presented a dull truvarying blank,
and feeling never added charms to their execution. At
present, a complete change has taken place. They feel,
.)eak,and act like other men. They do not rest satisfied with
t:tt eta faulty of being applauded in biilliant songs—they
exe,, themselves to deserve applause in the dialogug. They
s:u;y action and court expression ; they seek to understand,
nutt to s•cent, the characters which they represent. Feeling
is no longer warbled away in notes, nor spirit displayed only
in quavets.
The author of this great and beneficial revolution, which
invests our Operas, both serious and comic, with so many
addiCoual charms, is undoUbtedly Mr. Phillips. His exam-
ple was too successful net to be followed, and we rejoicesto
End that the New School has at last obtained the most
vowerfd accession it could ever hope for, in Mr. Brabant,
who appeared for the first time this season last Wednesday
Dight, at this theatre, in the pat! of Coll nt fl /ino in the Devit.,
ilfidge. Ms sensibilities might indeed he wcll awakened.
Ile was welcomed with four peals of applause, which an-
nounced the satisfaction with which a crowded audience be
held him, and the rapturous encores with which all his snngs,
after the first, were honoured, sufficiently proved that ab-
sence had neither impaired his abilities, nor the estimation in
which they are holden.
On Friday, Mr. Braham appeared as Alphonso, in the
Castle of Andalusia, and continued to prove bin-Ist:lf entitled
to the praises which have on his Count &lino.
On '[',t7..Cl. rrl'l:;atir.v • and Saturday, Mr. lica r,,pti-
rw‘d h ~•:iiitations of the Scotch tyrant, before ;to-
mense crowds. Notwithstanding his efforts in this charac-
ter, and their occasional excellence, it is not one in which
he iises to superior omit, or can stand a comparison with
his great predecessor, liemble, or his competitor,. Young.
It niay be classed with his Hamlet ; it is a generally good
performance, but does not display his usual spirit, and wants
those enlivening touches which storm the heart and capti-
vate the soul.

COVENT GARDEN. •
The French stage has long been the mine from which our
modern Dramatic Author's have drawn. Hitherto, however,
they did not think themselves bound to acknowledge their
plagiary. The Continent was closed ; no travellers& were al-
lowed to visit its shotes and still less the Parisian theatres,
and no discoveries were therefore to be dreaded. Peace has
removed the shield, without enereasing the originality of our
writers. They conti:me to, plunder France, but they do it
openly ; and what was lately carefully concealed, is now
made a title to public favour. Thus it is sufficient to an-
nounce the success with *hid) a piece has been reore-enter}
at Paris, to ensure it a welcome reception on our s si,e, and
a Gallic origin become one of the most necessary ingre-
dient:i in the cotnposition of a play.
We gave in our last, a detailed account of the plot of the
new dramatic translation from the French, entitled Jean dt
Paris, which had appeared a$ Drury Lane. This trifle ha.

NOV. 15.

since been brought forward by the Covent Carden managers,
and last night was received with the most flattering applause
at that aeatre, in its operatic garb. The plan bas.not been
materially changed. The chief alterations will be found in
the .diatogue, 'which is not more pointed than the origiitala
and in the omission of the episode of Mow., the run-away
girl. disguised as a page.
The music in this piece is intended to replace the exceta
lent acting of Elliston, but still leaves us much. to regret.
Sinclair is so far behind Mr. Brehm or Phillips•in his dia.
Logue that all the pleasing harmony of Ms voice cannot make
us forget the superiority of Elliston in the same part. Miss
Stephens sang with her usual taste and skill, and Mr. Duruset
displayed so much rich melody and feeling in his singing
that he received a :warty enema in his only solo. The same
honour was conferred on Mr. Taylor who played the part of
the Chamb,,rlain with great spirit. Liston in the Host was
irresistibly laughable.
Thy, music is pleasing, but does not boast much origina-
lity. The song of the Ireubadour does not seem to have
been improved by the mixture of English taste with the ori-
ginal melody. Eight months ago we heard it .song at an
hotel at Calais, by a kind of wandering female Troubadour,
young, handsome in feature, possessed of a beautiful voice,
and attended by her brother, who accompanied her on the
violin. The melody then struck us as extremely Ir-teasing
and expressive, and we cannot but regret that it has been
thought necessary to deprive it of some of its S‘veetes: charac-
teristics.

'Phis Opera was announced for a second representation
; amidst general applau•e.

Monthly Report nf the state of the King's health exhi-
bited on Sunday, at St. James's :

" Wityisvr Cacti°, Nov. 3.
" His Aiaje%ty hag contkned for tlot la,t month in an uniform suite
trAngnillity, hnt ‘‘t ithout iri.y diminution ut his (lisorgicr."
Garnerin has opened his Theatre of Grant' Philoso-
phical Recreations, at the it;te,it Boom, Sin in:; Gardens. In
Our next we shall give an account of his experiments, which
4,, the merit Olnovel v join that of being performed with un-
COlf. ion neatness and skill, and with instruments the mag-
nitude :..nd beauty of which add greatly to their effect.
One of nnr daily papers has been charged with receiving
Ten Thousand Pounds for advocating the interests of a ceitant
Power. If eis any truth in the assertion, it is not the
Retreat, but the Advance of the Ten Thousand. •
The English Messengers have of late performed their jour-
nies so rapidly, that Mural and Bernadotte have taken a Bri-
tish Courier into their pay.

An unsuspecting Sawneri, who had come all the way from
Auld Reeky to pay his respects to Miss Southcott, meeting
the learned Taut., said, .‘ Wed has Maistress Joanna got a
Bairn?" " A barn, man," exclaimed the indignant discipline,
" why she rents a house at ten guineas a week !"

A foreigner, just art ived, was lately enquiring very F e
ously, in the neighbourhood bf St. Paul's, for a friend who
he said, had lodgings next dour to Mr. Bai!t?,,, sera.—lt %vas
at last discovered that he meant next door to the 01(1 Bailey
PAWNBROKERS.-At the Council House, Bristol, on Wed.
esday se'nnight, Rowland Thomas, Pawnbroker, of Digh-
ton street, was, upon information, fined 101. under the act
for not selling Pledges above the value of Ios. at the end of
a year, from the time of the same being pawned, having
refused to receive the principal and intere4t for such year only,
w hid) bad been tendered to him.