The Sun.
London, England, 1833-10-12 00:00:00

COVENT-GARDEN THEATRE

SHARSPEARE'S comedy of Twelfth Night was well
played here last night, but, we regret to say it, not to
such a hots-e as such a drama, so cast, should have at-
tracted. What with DOWTON as Maly°lio, rich and hit-
mourous, but not extravagantly so; BLANCHARD as Sir
Andrew Ague-cheek, quaint, !oolish, and conceited, in
exact accordance with the spirit of the test; BARTLEY,
bluff, jolly, and impetuous, as Sir a oby Belch ; RUSSELL
as the beau ideal of a fool, so much so as to make it dif-
ficult to suppose that he could ever he anything else;
Miss INVERARITI• as Olivia, and Miss SITIRREFF as Viola
—what with each and all of these attractions, we never
saw a play so well and equally sustained throughout. The
two ladies alone should h tve attracted a full house, for their
singing was excellent of its kind, and the music of a superior
character, particularly " Bid me discourse," which is one of
the most beautiful—certainly the meat popular—of Bisiror's
airs, and lost nothing of its effect in the bands of Miss San it-
REEF. As regards humour, Sir Andrew Ague-cheek's
duel scene—which gave SHERIDAN the first hint of a
similar scene in the Rivals—was as rich a display as we
ever witnessed. Nothing could exceed the earnestness
of his apprehensions, or the convulsive start that seemed
to shake him from head to foot, when Sir Toby Belch
gently whispered in his ear that it was time for him to
draw his sword. The character of this quaint, amusing,
crack-brained coward, has always been a favourite subject
for imitation with our elder dramatists, thus justifying
the shrewd remark of GOETHE, that " SHAKSPEARE is
dangerous reading for budding talent, for it compels it to
reproduce him, when it fancies it is producing itself."
In CONGREVZ'S earliest play, written when he was
scarcely twenty•one, we have Sir Andrew Ague cheek
metamorphosed into a justice of the peace, and reproduced
under the name of Sir Joseph Wittol, While on the
subject of theatricals, we may just mention, that the
Literary Gazette of this day has put forth a fierce
attack on Mr. BONN, for the system of humbug and mono-
poly he is now pursuing towards the public. Surely this
is unfair ! We know of no humbug he is practising.
All is plain sailing and above board. He engages all the
theatrical excellence, town or provincial, that is now
afloat, and to be procured ; he puts them into situations
best fitted for their capacities ; and promises that by
their means he will do his hest to bring back
a love of Shakspeare and the legitimate drama!
What more, then, can he do, or the public expect from
him? As for monopoly, the cry is sheer cant. There is
nothing of the sort in the case. The two theatres were '
all along open to the highest bidder ; there was nothing
exclus.ve in the arrangement ; and if Mr. BONN has at
length conic forward, it is only because he is possessed of
more enterprise than any other theatrical speculator. And
this enterprise is to be termed monopoly, and to be urged
against him as a fit subject for condemnation ! On every
principle of justice and common sense, Mr. BUNN is en-
ti,led to pubic gratitude; for it is notorious that had
he not stepped boldly and promptly forward, when
every one else shrunk back from sheer despair, we
should have had no drama at all, or worse than none, a
series of melodramatic monstrosities such as Lekinda, or
the Sleepless Woman, perpetrated nightly at our minor
theatres, while tee really sterling actors and actresses, such
as AIACREADY, DOWTON, Miss PHILLIPPS, RUSSELL, &C.,
would have teen by this time starring it to " a beggarly
account of empty boxes " in the provinces. All Mr.
BUNN demands—and thus much, at least, he is entitled to
demand—is fair play. Let not prejudice or interested
motives dog his every footstep, and strive to run him down.
Gave him a fair sta rt. The speculation he has entered upon
is unpiralelled in its boldness and magnitude, and, as such,
deserves the respectful attention of the public. It is a
last attempt to revive the leOtitnate drama. If it fail-
then adieu to Shakspeare, and welcome the new sera o
minor melodrame-mongers.