The National Register.
London, England, 1819-10-10 00:00:00

DRURY-LANE THE-ITUE

On Monday evening this theatre opened for the
season under the controul of Mr. lilliston, the lessee.
The time between the conclusion of the aureement
and the commemement of the season was too short to
allow of all the improvements:4r. E. means to make.
The outline of the interior remains the same as before;
but, short of an alteration in the dimensions of the
theatre, every thing has been done that in SO short a
period could be expected.
After " God save the King" bad been admirably
sung, Mr. Russell led forward Miss Kelly, whis.was
to speak the opening address; but. the audience,
after having offered their tribute on the shrine of
loyalty, were determined to have their own particu-
lar Air, and the perfimners (nice more appeared to
sing " Rule 13ritannia." Kelly Avaticed
under peals of applause, and ti.:Hc-rul ti.e t.,l;u%ting

A DUI? Es`!.
" Tho' fiction here assert-, lief ancient reign,
We claim, a moment, her iotting'il domain :
Tntth's high commission to this court 1 bear,
!ler genuine dictates, and her purpose fair,
Whom now she advocates you long bare triad-- --
Eneottrag'd long hit emulative pride;
The pride you love!—and he, exulting, says.
You ne'et deserted whom you deign'tl to raise!
Actor or manager, he still enjoy'd
The boon for which you saw his zeal employ'''.
" Flusled by your sanction. doubtic.,s, now he dares
ToMagnify his labours and his cares ;
At Arlin: chalieng'd strength the glove h.ith hurl'd
Ills load a pimtErous, rho' a mimic solid.
The Magi say. (who Nature's secrets track)
nit planet's pois'd upon a camel's back!
Ask'd what the bearer stays, their wisdom peed ;
That secret orient science r.e'er diselos'd •
More happy he whose woad now court your view ;
Ask'd what sustains his strength, he points to you.
" Where first your well-plac'd laurels Kentble wore;
Where Skidoos, Jordan's brows your chaplets bore;
Where, Pritchard's pathos bade your fathers thrill,
And Garrick's intr,ie them at hi 3 will
Where resting their 's on mire exalted powers,
Hound gltakspeare's sovereign stem they wreaded tboir goiters,
There he the warm devout oblation brings
(H' all that from admiring ardour springs,
MI that the sense of present duty fires,
All that imprinted patronage inspires..
" On pure intent ambition to depend,
To nu by-path his spirit will descend :
The plain, broad road of candour is his course,
Ifhe Drama's hor,our his propelling force.
Would Comic Wit her attic summit climb
Or Frolic Farce ? or Tragedy sublime?
Is oral skill a candidate for fame ?
Doth Vocal Excellence prefer her clitiot
All real Pretension will be welcoted here.
And 'caste and Genius find their free career.
"This. his just plan, expectantly he suet
The confidence his titith will ne'cr abuse.
Courting at large the talent of the age,
No fear he owns for his impartial stage.
A lib'ral system your support ensures:
Merit be hails!--and Merit's cause is

The performances commenced with MN Oatc, in
which Elliston played Rover, Dow ton Sir George
Thunder, Mundell Ephraim Smooth, Knight 5i,,,,
Miss Kelly Jane, and Mrs. W. West Lady Amaranth.
The excellence of all these er:tablithml favourites of
the town is so well known, that we need nut enlarge
upon it ; but we mu,t notice the detail of a Mr.
Thompson us John Dory—he was evidently im-
pressed with kar on his entrance, and even through
the evening did not entirely divest himself of alarm;
yet, through all this, we think we discovered great
promise of future pleasure from his performance, and
it is no mean testimony to his first attempt ut Drury-
lane to say, that he repeatedly reminded us of our
old favourite. who was familiarly culled, "Jack Ban-
nister."

The House was full to an absolute overflow in
every part, and we heartily hope that M►. Ellis.
ton's enterprising spirit, chastened by prudential
caution, may be rewarded by a liberal share of pub.
lic patronage. En passant we may be allowed to
express our regret that he has adopted the play bill.
puffing custom of those Undertakers of the best inte-
rests of Old Drury, the Sub-Committee. They
found, and so may he, that a piece once damned
could never be made serviceable to the treasury by
the putt-direct, and he may rest assured the public.
has discernment to fill a theatre where thermay
expect amusement without the inducement •of the
Managers' praise of his own arrangements. Novelty
is what the town must have, and Mr.. Ellistun ap-
pears resolved to minister to this taste in every walk
of the theatre in a superior aryl.. On Tuesday his
operatic force was mustered, and, we need not add,
to the delight of the town, when Brabant, that
unique son of the Goddess of Music, is a its head.
The Opera was The Ikvits Bridge, and while we
lameuttal thc absence of Mrs. Dielou.s' strength of

s:l3

voice and abstruseness of science in Rosa!vino, we
%veto t harmed wit h the swe.f..tness of her successor in
the character, Miss Carew. Of Mr. Bukhara's Be.
lino the highest praise language can bestow is to say,
it was as heretotime. Mr. Harley, Mrs. Bland, and
Miss Kelly, are so well known, and so fully ut home, -
in their respective characters, that observation on
them is needless.

Wild Oafs, has been repated in deference to tbe
wish of the audience, and Thursday night and last
night Goy lqunnering was performed ; in the ant
of the leading characters, .there wan no great de-
viation from the original one at Covent-Garden.
Braham. being the Henry Bertram, and Nlrs. Eger-
ton, the inimitable Meg Merrilies. Mr. Butler,
was the representative of that chef d'alnwe of Enter:. ,
Dandie Dintnont, and considering whom he had to
follow, did well; of Mr. Oxberry, in the Dominic,
we say nothing, he had to contend with the fres._
remembrance of Liston:
M. Vandenhotl, who, according to some of t►,e
Papers, was engaged to play Mr. Kaan's character
at " Drury revived," Is stated in the Liverpool P-.-
pers to have abandoned his enr-agement with Mr
Elliston, since the declaration of that Gentlenunn,
that he has arranged the return of Kean.

COTEVTAARDEN TIIEATRE.—On Monday evening Ki-e
!Ivory Ike Eyth was revived, we presume, .or the purism.: of
giving Mr. Were:Ay an opportunity of showing the extent anti
versatility of his talents: if this were the view, it succeeded tr.
MeV, for no one unacquainted with him. and admiring him u
11,,b Roj, would for a moment suppose it possible for hii..
have assumed in so elegant and polished a style, the character
of the King of England. who was once the mad.aap Piii4t of
%Vales." Of Mr John Kemble, as lid has left the suet'. we
may say, that with ail his ch.s..ical correctness. his rnahner was
too sententious and heavy for the character. Comparisons, with
performers yet before the public, might be censurable, but
we may, without offence, declare our opinion, that Mr.
M'Creadv's high fame will receive additional lustre from
his admirable performance of H ?try the Fifth. Miss Foote,
Illanctiard, and J. Russel. did full justice to (*Oho jar, Flio.lien.
and is%and. If this play be repeated, and it unquestionably me-
rits repetition, we think the proprietors would consult tt e dig-
nity of their estaldishn ert, t r evpungidg those oNeene painaps
which a performer cannot deliver without hesitation, and which
cannot be heard without pain to an audience.
On Wednesday evening, a new dramatic Legend under the
title of the Gnome Kiwg„ a as producAl—names have great inde-
ence, and anxious as we feel for the success of this favourite
Theatre, we are sorry they did not introduce their new piece
under the more classical and better understood title of t• the
Rape of l'roserpine," to which story it has close and coincident
affinity. Of the composition of the piece itself we s..y nothitig,
because we have not had time sufNciently to attend to it. but of
of the seentry and machinery, we hesitate not to declare, that
the most perfect c.tnenwt hitherto made in those lines, falls tar
shuts of the. unequalled specimens exhibited in the CIIIVIne K