The National Register.
London, England, 1820-01-24 00:00:00

THEATRICALS.

......5....
COVENT GAhLsiN THEATRE.
The young La.ly, Miss Wensell, who made a
very favouroble impression by her interesting per-
fOrmanee of Rosalind, in .4 You Like 11. on Thurs-
day night appeared as Beatrice in the Comedy of
Much Ado about Nothing.. The countenance here-
warm extended to this young Lady, has had the
good efket of apparently giving her more complete
command of herself; as we did not on this occasion
perceive any overwhelming timidity. We have
before spoken of the advantages of countenance and
person possessed by her ; we might say, to adopt
language from the play—" Were she other than
what she is, she were unhandsome." Her action,
particularly her active walk, &e. in the earlier
scenes, however, where she is pursuing. Benedict.,
to teaze and taunt him. did not appear toadvantage
It was too broad an attempt ut an independent me.
The subsequent scenes, in this respect, were tnuen
better. There is soinetking so preposessing in her
appearance and manner generally, so lady-like and
supesior, that she could not but impart an interest
to the character of Beatrice ; and on the whole
MISS Wensell played it with good sense and an
effect, considering how unused she is to the boards,
that entitled her to. the flattering applause with
which she was greeted.
Mr. C. Kentish: sustained the character of
" Benediek, the Married Man," in admirable style, •
We have seldom seen him to greater advantage
The aesunted heroism of the gallant that flouted at
matrimony, was well contrasted by the interest be •
evinced when he learned that Bentriceloval him, but
would not let him know it. Here he became mere
mortal earth ; and although the countenance was
overshadowed with an air of melancholy, the rich
and gay attire showed that the vulnerable part of
BenCdiek was wounded, lie had not escaped heart-
whole; and the transitions were marked with great
skill. We cannot but notice the bad taste with
which Don Pedro, Leounlo, and Claudio (Egerton,
Conner, and Abbott), relate in the garden, knowing
that they are overheard by itemed,ck, hew much he
is beloved by Beatrice ; fir each as ha spoke turned
his head round toward Benedick, when they ought to
have spoken as if they were confidentially speaking
to one another. In real iife their plan of proceeding
would have defeated their scheme ; it tended to
make the plotting tees apparent. The same was the
ease too when the ladies practiced a similar trick to
entrap Beatrice, by stating that Benalick loved her
most earnestly. As nothing was more likely to
counteract their own views—to imitate an erroneous
example was b.ul. •
" .Sigh no more Ladies" was prettily sung by
Mr,. Sterling, &e. and it was encored. •
That heaviest of all heavy Tragedies, " The Fatal
Marriage," was on Saturday night brought krwurd
again, for the purpose of introducing a Miss Jersey
de Beaumont in the character. of Isabella, Mrs.
Siddons was the only woman whose appearance as
Isabella could tolerate its representation, and we
think it en unpropitionsselection for a debut. Never-
theless, from the judgment a very short presence in
the theatre enabled us to form, -we think Miss (We
wish the lady had been announced as Mrs., for she
is certainly nearer fifty than krty) Jersey de Be.. u-
mont may prove an acquisition to the stage at this
moment, when there is, from a recent retirement, so
great a dearth of taerit in the line she has chosen.
—We had closed our observations here had not the
extremely fine acting of Mr. M'Cready, as Biron,
' extorted from us an additional line in praise of a
degree of excellence we have rarely witnessed in
that. character.
DRUM LANE THEATRE. _ _

O.' Thurstlaytriglit Mr. Ellistim gate Our prof.!l of
the night's periOrmattee to be appropriated to the objects •
Of the zealous and meritorious committee presiding over
the fund for the relief of permit's destitute of, nightly
shelter.—The comedy of the I)ratnatist W 45 perforated
on the laudable weasion, with the new panto 11l i ttt e.— •
The audience were genteel and numerous, the galleires •
and pit in particular were crowded , nowt ithstatitling the
very 'rola% ourable weather; and every indisithial present
seemed happy in taus contributing to au institution
which, the course of a tew days, has done us mush
;mod, and has traced many Littman beings from ptrishisst
with cold, or fautishing for want of suit entioce.—Tlis
Lord Nia)ior was present. An appropi l ie whin's., writ-
! ten by James Thompson, Esti. was reoitail situ' oaten
furling by Mrs. West.

SINGULAR PIIIV4iOMEN.)!•7.—From Site aucbee
Gazelle of New. 18 —During the night of Tuesday
last, there.fell, in the toven,ltp of Broughten, on
the south shore, so great a kitl:Olity of It hhork
der, as completely to cover the ,:ow tvlticit tau
then on the ground. A small quantity of !lie
powder hats been. brought to town. mid Nlii is
analysed.
A roller pump, on an improved principle, for
which. a patent has been obtained, has for some
time p.,st been erected at %Vorcester, for the pur-
-I.ose of raisin; water from the river Severn into ti.e
lirge basin of the Worecster canal, tvhcre it thrt,ws..
up 900 gall n iu a minute.