The National Register.
London, England, 1812-07-05 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

character not hest suited to her powers; and afterwards she
made a mole unfortunate attempt in comedy, in Mrs. Cow.
LEY'S Runaray ; soon after which her admirers had the
mortificativn to see her descend at the close of the season, to
personate the walking Venus in the revived pageant of the
Jubilee. She removed to the Bath Theatre in 1776, and as
is well known, returned a few years afterwards to relurnine
me London 'theatre, with a splendour of talents which con.
tinned with undiminished lustre to the present hour.

LYCLU M THEATRE.
THE HIGHGATE TUNNEL.

Whilst Covent Garden, tich in means and localities, d 4.
plays its wealth in costly and magnificent spe(stacle, the
humble Lyceum. finding imitation impossible, with a con.
fined stage and limited resources, turns from the grapes as
though they were sour, and attempts to make us laugh st
the extravagance of its towering neighbour. From this
it might be inferred, by a stranger to the follies and vices of
this town, that the social world is grown too wise and too
virtuous, to of id any tbod for di ainatic ridicule or cen.
sure. " The stage., instituted as a court of taste and mo-
rality, to correct and punish those deviations from right aid
sense which tie law cannot reach, is now" he might sas,
" at war with itself alone. It has, probably, changed its
destination, only because it bad accotnplished the object sf
its institution ; and after completely refoi ming the age, has
at last, turned its severity against itself; just as the strength
of an army, when no longer employed against the commons
enemy, is frequently wasted by hll% idual quarrels." A
glance at men and manners, however, will soon dispel the
pleasing delusion, and their impeccability will not long be
inferred from their impunity.
It is not our wish to shelter the melo-dramatic Muse front
the attacks of criticism, v to prevent the Managers of a
certain Theatre from being pulled down from their hobbies
The former is a courtesan, decked in the gayest attire, who
fills the stage with her illegitimate progeny : the latter are
keen speculators, wbo hratify the eyes, careless of the
minds, to empty the pockets of crowded audiences. But
the charms and offspring of the Muse, as pet ishable as the
purchased bloom on the cheeks of our fashionable Belles
only dazzle for a short hour, and create disgust the next.
They are not, therefore, so dangerous as to require the ar-
tillery of the Stage itself for their expulsion. The most
effectual mode of annihilating their sway, is abstinence, not
attack. Let the conductors of the Lyceum, if they arc so
inveterate against melo-dramas, never admit them on the!t
own hoards, and they will do more to purify the public taste
and reform the stage than by producing burlesque satite,
however excellent they may be, on the conduct of the mass
agers of other theatres
The Highgate Tunnel, or the Secret Arch, a burlesque
operatic tragedy, represented for the first time last Thursday
at this Theatre, is a pretty close transcript of the Scent 31iniile
,
a grand horse drama, performed at Covent Garden. 1
country, rank and dress of the characters tire changed: the
scenery also is altered, but the main features of the plot are
the same. Instead of Indian and Persian warriors, we me
English publicans, miners and bricklayers : instead of
the
barren rocks of the desert, II ighgate hill; basket horses inn,
of the elegant, spirited and well instructed Arabian conicru;
blownthat
bl addeburs,riies nl ibeoutho f
t iii)ieenceasnodf
honesar ti ll
d,uanndgataevablaattice:
of
instead of the magnificent scene which the close of the
of their
Mine presents. Alarmed at the progress of the TiS1::::'
which threatens, when completed, to deprive them
custom, the Highgate publicans assemble under the Co