The National Register.
London, England, 1815-09-17 00:00:00

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DRAMATIC ItEGl`init.

OPENING OF COVENT GARDEN THEATRD.

This magnificent temple of the Muses opened its doors to
the public on Monday last. Here, as at the sister theatre,
the intended advance on the Pit has been relinquished, and
harmony thus restored between the Managers and the town,
• the representatives of the latter were left at full liberty to
give themselves up to that admiration which the iinprove-
relents tee, ntly made are so well calculated to inspire.
The etertions made to adorn the interior of the house, and
the vast change Made in its appearance within the few weeks
ssvhich have elapsed since the late season closed, it is im-
possible to contemplate hut with the most agreeable surprise.
it almost seems as if the slaves of Aladdia's Lamp had been
Set to wak. Accustomed to those delays which arc so pro-
eserblatly common in cases where great buildings are to be
improved, we can hardly recognise the labours of mere work-
Men, in decorations so expeditiously supplied, and so well
ticecuted The Theatre it, again regenerate,l, and for the
third time in the short space of six years, it presents us with
Rh the freshness and I,eauty of a new erection. The national
moments with which the fronts of the boxes were adorned
in 18 s have been burnished anew the pannels new
paieted, and to make the coup dccil complete, a splendid new
eu:esen presen s itself on the stage " designed," as it is
texpsi eed in the bills (and admirably executed), to harmonise
with the whole."
The curtain had a much richereappeareice, than that
tebich supplanted the venerable green one, last year. The'
great beauty of the one which is now introduced, dimi-
nishes considerably the regret which we formerly felt fur
the loss of that to which we had been heCtiStOthed so long,
that tee could hardly recognise it as one of those things
ithich ought to be liable to give place to novelty. It re-
presents a superb crimson curtain bordered with gold, par-
tially drawn up, to reveal the massy columns over which
it is suseended. The boldness of these give great effect to
the representation of distance in the back ground. In the
tentre a temple (of Concord, we presume) commands by
Its beauty the attention of the spectator ; and to the left of
the audience a triumphant pillar guides the eye to the mo-
del of another of those noble structures, which formed the
pride of ancient days. In thus hastily enumerating some
Of the objects which it presents, we only attempt to give an
idea, of the general design which is so felicitously executed,
that while we do not feel satisfied in dismissing it so briefly,
tve fear a trtorc laboured description would do it greater in-
justice, as to comprehend its merits, it is necessary to see
it in its place.
'rho external part of the theatre, by the grand entrencei
the stairs leading to the Shakespeare room, and the Shakes-
peare room itself, are brilliantly illuminated with gas, ele-
gantly disposed in a variety of forms. The circles and
branches of Ileme which ate interspersed with lamps of thin
•hi dinary construction, thoueb sOpplied from the same
Source, shed a rich flood of tremulous light on the avenues
bf the Theatre, which well prepare the visitors for the
splendour Nvllich waits for them within.
O,tTuesday night, Mr. C. Kemble, who had been three
years absent flees) the metropolitan stage, re-appeared in
k higher rank than he occupied at the time of his depar-
ture. To assume the character of llacbcilt was an under•
taking which his success alone has justified. Ile surpassed
the; hopes winch the public had foim el; as they were not