The National Register.
London, England, 1818-12-28 00:00:00

711 E DRAMA.

DRUM' LANE THE4TRE.

The usual Clsristmas entertainments of GeorgeTarn-
tral,ana a new Pantomine, were produced at this theatre
on Satturlay last. The uontomime was entitled " Har-
lequin Mid Ihr Dandy Club or S 18, ' and the title was
at least attractive ; but the author of the piece seemed
ignorantly to have conceived that this was every
thing, and that the ludicrous name and ;ingenue
dress of a dandy were a sufficient passport to two
hours of insipid hustling and'point)ess trick. !'hat
strange nondescript, lately detected in our streets,
and hunted down (we are ha, Vy to say) by pub-
lic ridicule and popular odium. was presented, not
like a vivacious animal in a menagerie, the ludicrous
or malignant qualities of whose nature might he stirred
up for the amusement and scorn of the spectators, but
like a stuffed carcass tumbled nbnut by mechanical
mans, and afforliate entertainme it only from its aL.
surd external appearance, or fantastical costume. It
would he superluous to attempt the analysis of a story
that seemed to have neither spirit nor object, and which
was not redeemed by any whimsicality of invention or
sitlentlour of scenery to compensate for such radical
defects. It commences with the view Of n dandy dress.
ing apartment, wherein a dandy taylor, a dangly shoe.
maker, and a dandy staymaker (if' we remember
teehtly) arc dresAng up dandy characters, according to
the supposed rules of the art, singing a chorus to the
tar of The Dandy 0! The Genius of Pan totnime de-
seends not in radiance, or from clouds as usual, but
front a panel in the wall scene. The transformations
take place, the usual St. Vitus' dance among the
regular characters of the piece is exhildtel, and they
a'& set nut on t.iur respective empl vments. Not
one of the tricks that subsequently takes place could
draw a smile from a holiday school boy. except in the
itittle assistance of a dandy butehw, who puts a piece
o neeton in his neckcloth for a sti;iner. We sheuld 1 e
s.e.ry to express this opinion of a kind of entertainment
which is nsually got tp at a considerable expenee to the
estahlislintent ; but in this case we ore relieved by n
eonsileratktn that no great loss has been iecorred, and
that the scenery was as meogre as the tricks were gross
mei spiritless. We mean by this to cenvev no censure
of the red r nem who perdelned the :tat i i things tiny
had to do as well as could have been expected. Miss
Tree (as Coln ydnne,) played a soh) on the flageolet with
g eat twee mei execution, in which e*:e eacore.A
not neither her exertions, nor that of her coadjutors,
could ward off tlie public disapprotation of the pae•e as
a whele. The disapprehation began early to manifest
Itself, and the crisis tea. hastened he a person in one of
the dtezia tee.s, wlee, wleeiler uatctl Pilaf pill or

THE NA r

not—n hether he meant to protect the audience against
the stage, or the stage against the audiencr —succeeded
in Towering, bar the clamours to which he gave
the effikrts of tthe powfotimeprto sustait any,
Ibi4l4S.pOlic interest.. By tae 0110414 curtain was
rolSialutl was tumult and "wild uproar," kind neither
the etlbrts of the Clown (Mr. Bradbury), whp came
forward to announce the piece fin a subsequent night,
nor his ridiculous appeal to two children, whom he
bare in his mins, could prevail upon the audience to
allow him a hearing. By-the-bye, we may mention
that this Clown, before he is again allowed to exhibit
his antics, should be required to male an apology to
the public for his persevering resistance to their will,
and the impertinent manner in which he testified his
dissatisfaction at their decision.

covEvr G IRGIN. •
At this theatre, also, the plat oPGrarge Barnwell was.
performed, and succeeded by a new Pantomime. The
new pesluction is entitled " Harlequin Munehausen ; or
the Fountain of Love," and is fotinded, as the title will
readily intimate, on a well known work, the by word
for every thing that is extravagant and incredible.—
The first see.te Opens with a view of mountains of snow
near Mount /Etna. the bnrnitee lava of which grade-
ally meets the snow, and di..eovers a village which had
befiwe lain concealed. Baron Munehunsen is seen
stretched asleep on the ground, and his horse hang-
ing on the steeple of the village church, to which he
had been tied by his master, and where the subsiding
snows had left him. The villagers who pass that
way express their surprise at so singular an object, but
are more astonished when the Baron, by cleaving the
bridle with a pistol shot, brings his horse down in
safety, and rides away. Lord iluna.u, Dandy is intro-
duced in the following scene to the house of Sir Eder° •
Frostieo* us the lover cf the Knight's daughter, who
rejects his addresses wih scant, and bestows her affec-
tions on the Baron. They fly to a cavern in Mount
/Etna, where Vulcan. amidst a throng of Cyclops, is
area at work, surreunoed by thunderbolts and armour.
He grants them an admission to the boudoir of Venus,
w'm, attended by the Loves and Graces, receives them
with condescending kindness, and promises them her
protection. As they are pursued to this voluptuot.7!
retreat by Sir Hilaro and may Lord, the goddess fulfils
her promise by converting the lovers into Harlequin
and Columbine, the father into Pantaloon, and Lord
Humpy Dandy into the Clown. A series of hair breadth
c carts: and a Lang chapter of accidents, ensue : but
Venus, mindful of all whom she has once favoured,
makes the lovers happy at last by celebrating their
nuptials in a magnificent chamber described as " the
Fountain of Love."
A selection of the adventures of the renowned Mau-
ellatmen as the subject of a Christmas pantomime,
seems hardly to merit commendation for its prouriety ;
for the wouder is that it should have been so tardily
made. The happy choice of a subject is not, however,
always attended with an equal felicity in its manage-
ment, a truth of which the compoaition we are treating
of is in some respects an example, We certainly do
not object to the texture of the fabric, or the general
progression of the action. There is no want of interest
iu the former, or variety in the latter. But what is
teehically called the business of the stage sometimes
languishes; we missed sonic of that dexterity in the
delineation of grotesque appearances and ludicrous
situations, to which ee have been accustomed on si-
milar occasions. The unity of the characters was
distinctly preserved, the heroes being as precipitate in
their measures, as rapid in their motions, and as patient
under their disasters, as any of their predecessors : but
tlier. was too little of illustration, and an absence of
all novelty. Whether these strictures apply most to the
comp )s. the len•Firmers, we have no! the means of
determining Nothing certainly could surpass the effect
of Grineildi s o, eniug scene; but we have been so ac
customel o see him loxeriate in his vocation to dit;nlay
su h sty fl •ity of good humour amidst its hardships
exp ,t . lee we &ar eve arc lianilv
u :gee: Isis List La form lice Of tie.. Hot gran we
can say -othing ; o 1 tier Glum& ue, that at least it was
g,aceted and easy. With regard to the decorations and
mechanism, the utmost praise is fairly clue : the latter
was surprisingly perfect for a first night's peblic expe-
riment. One or two of the transfirtuations were also
ingeniensly conceived, as well as cleverly executed.
The scenery reflects high credit upon the :wart, and
will probably, in conjunction with the other qualities
which we have pointed oat, secure a considerable share
of favour to the piece, altheugh very unequal to some
receuz productions of the same neture.

1.! c Cross which the Wcllingion has received fr.an the
K-ng F:ance. surpasses in sitkii Intir eve:y 03C oftau S3lOO !rind
is Europe. It is aii.l to be worth fall 9..i.n0n1. stet:lnk Th.! CA-•
ringe ix his Grace hrake:lowa twin: on it. way front Para-. It is the
same vehicle whie'l he 1110‘1.: Is • of throughontrh.: Spanish war, and
it is now to he laic; up in ordtitary, lifter sue': long tici! eventinljoin-
Liel 'fhe'thilte was mod ropec.fally an 1 erwillany re.relted .nt
t'anibray. and there were not wantin;; persons who exprenseal their
regret .t the army hail hit thorn ; mid dnehrntil that they stnuld
haye sin.n.rely th:.irt.l its longer stay. had not honour end inte-
rest of their eaztotry required its clepititt,re.

DEC.

OFFICE OP ORD.V.INCE. Dee. 41.1818.
THE Principal Officers cif His ,Ila'esty's Ordnance
do hop* give notice. that pro a ~(.4.wri at meir
office.% PeßMall, on or . 1114. 3011. iust.mt,
from inch Pilirsqss as may t Pi
.ke Supplyibe
„ •
fin' service yak Department. out' zeit4Vt. • a Period Va.:
Year. from theist qr./winery next.
Samples of tke C.,ouilcs to be supplied may be V;C7red upon an.
plication at the rropectioc Officers flee Or.bsunce in the Rdi.:l•t
Arsenal a! Woolwich.

Farther Particulars, together with the Terms and Conditions Of
the Contract. snag be Lanwstat the Secretaries (*re, fivAgy &Lk
afirreraid, any day between Me home: of ten and loser ei•ekie47.
where the praposalr neut be delivered :rated +(pared endorsed " Prop
sale for Candles," but no Prop:not can be admitted alter the ea;
30th day of December. at 12 ech.,* at noon °filer same Avg. .'sink.,
will any Tender be naticol 'sakes the Party snaking it. or an Agent
in his belief/shall attend.
By order of the board.
R. 11. CREIV, Secretary.

At an auction in Exeter, on Monday lass, two very
old coffee pots were sal for 2s. one of which proved to
be sold silver, weighing about 22 ounces : the auction-
eer having no license to sell silver, the purchaser re-
mains in fair possession of his prize.
Princess Augusta will remove from Windsor Castle
to Frogmore, where she will take up iser permanent re-
sidence ; and the Duchess of Gloucester will raj&
there, with her royal sister, till the return of the Duke
from the Continent.

BIRTHS.
In Red Lion Square, the lady of J. Bridges, Esg of a eon..—At
Fort Marlborough, op the island of Sumatra. the lady of Maim T. O.
Francis, of a dau.—On Christmas day, Mrs. B. I. T. Nightingale.
of Craven Street, of a atm.
MARRIED. •
At Sunbttry, J. Ross, CIA). to Susanna, eldest dau. of the late J.
Smith, Esq.—At Brighton, J. Lockwood, Esti. df Lanadown,Place,
to Eden. dau. of J. Thackrah, Esg.. of Wood Hall, near Leeds.—
A. Nlalcolui Nightingale, Esq. third son of the late :lir E. Nightin
gale, Bait. of Kneescworth Hall. Cambridge, to Alariaime. only
dati. of the late Captain H. Beaver.
DIED.

The Chevalier Ignatius Palyari,ii;most faithful Nl4osty's Consul
General in Great Britain.—ln Warren Street. Fitzroy Square, Co
lonel J. Robertson, of the late Royal Warminster Vulunteere.—nrs.
F. J. Master, relict of W. I). Masters. Eiq. late of Yokes Mete.
worth, Lent, and the survivu. of the Dalisnn family. of Hampton's,
West Peckham, Kent, aged 87.—Mary, the wife of Mr. W. Nen:,
of Hackney Hoad.—ln the Polygon, Somers Town, Mr. W. Essex,
aged 78.

LONDON M 4.11 K E TS.