The Sun.
London, England, 1833-02-18 00:00:00

KING'S THEATRE.

This theatre, under the management of M. LApORTE, coin.
menced its season on Saturday night. The house was fully and
fashionably attended, and having had various additional em.
bellishments, made during the recess, presented a very magni-
ficent and imposing appearance. We hope the season will be
a lucrative one for the Manager, and those interested in it, for
it has been commenced in a spirit of enterprise that deserves
every encouragement. ROssiNes well-known and greatly ad-
mired opera, La Cenerentola, was selected for the opening, and
was extremely well performed. The heroine was represented
by Madame BOCCABADATI, a lady formerly attached to the the-
atre San Carlos, at Naples, but more recently engaged at the
Theatre Royal Italien, at Paris. In person she is petite, but
neat and symmetrically formed. As a. singer she deserves
much praise, and not a little as an actress. Her voice is not
of first-rate quality; it is not unplea.sing, but it is deficient in
fullness and roundness of tone. She, however, thoroughly
understands its capabilities, and undertakes nothing which
she cannot perfectly accomplish. Throughout her perform-
ance she displayed a rare mixture of fine science and delicate
expression. She introduced no unmeaning ornaments, no un.
necessary roulades, which excite surprise, but do not commu-
nicate pleasure. She appeared to enter thoroughly into the
feeling, whether of melancholy or of delight, which she was
called on to give utterance to, and she suited, with great skill
and taste, the means to the end. In the early part of the opera
she was heard rather coldly, but as it proceeded her powers de-
veloped themselves more strongly in every Scene, and finally
she carried the audience completely with her. Her concluding
air, where Cencrcntola forgives the injuries which had been
heaped on her by her father and her sisters,

" 7.e antiche ingiurie
" Mi svenir dally mente,"
was given with delightful pathos, and was loudly encored. Her
portamento is admirable, and her school of the elevated and
solid character to which that quality is so essential. Her style
is elegant and flowing, and displayed itself delightfully in the
celebrated quintett of the first act, the concluding scene, and
the other principal pieces. We think there are parts in which
she will be heard to yet better advantage than in the C'eneren-
tola, but she had every reason to be satisfied with the effect of
her debut. It was decidedly successful. DoNzew was the
Prince. He never sang more charmingly, though he occa-
sionally evinced an unnecessary determination to prove what
every body present knew, that he has the finest voice in the
world. DE BECNIS, as the old MagnOico, was welcomed
heartily upon the boards from which he ought not to have been
so long absent. He gave all the force of his rich humour
to the part, wherever it was susceptible of the least
effect, and performed throughout with more than his usual
spirit. VINCENZO GALLI, as Dandini, was not so success-
ful. Though an excellent singer he fails in this part by
comparison with most of his predecessors ; among other rea-
sons, the music of the part is too low for his voice.
The new ballet of Faust was produced under the disadvan-
tageous circumstances of delays before the rising of the cur-
tain and between the acts, which kept the audience in the
theatre until half.past two o'clock' Added to this was the
failure of the scenery and arrangements of the last scene, and
yet so truly beautiful were many portions of the scenic effect,
and so admirable the dancing, that the performance on the
whole was quite successful. The ballet has for its subject the
principal scenes and incidents of GOETHE'S Faust. The chief
scene, that of the "dwelling of the Prince of Hell," with the
review of the "diabolic army," is from the ballet-opera La
Tentatiun, which, we presume, would not have been tolerated
here in its entire form. This is a scene of the most splendid
description, in which an immense staircase is seen "leading to
the regions of day." It is an extraordinary novelty. It
reaches from the stage to the top of the theatre, and when its
whole space is occupied by two marching bands of demons in
their grotesque forms and dresses, the effect is magnificent in
the extreme. Could we condescend to play the plagiary this
would be an irresistable "frntation ;" for we have before us
the literary portion of M. Desitsves' labours, minutely setting
forth all the mysteries and splendours of this Avernian
descent. But it is not for us to lead our readers that
way ; and we therefore leave them to the safe conduct of
that eminent litterateur, whose production is to be had at the
Theatre. The scenery of the second act is remarkable only
for a beautiful view of a cathedral and city from a high platform
or terrace, which, however, are set down, in the authority
above referred to, as " a sylvan country," &c. In matters
terrestrial all are liable to error ; but, when once under the
ground, we do not mean to cast the least doubt on the authen-
ticity of DESIIATES. The third act shows us the fete at which
Margaret's brother is killed by Faust, her prison, and the
conclusion, in which we have another staircase where Margaret
appears under the protection of the Genius of Virtue, and all
the rest, owing to the mishap we have before alluded to, was
left to be filled up by the imagination of the spectators. In the
future performances we have no doubt the end will be worthy
the truly magnificent progress of the piece. ALBERT 'played
Paust—we mean as to the real acting—admirably. The
Mephistophiles of COULON appeared to us—we speak with de-
.and
lERo:,das was
exquisitely warrnly
ference—not to be quite up to the devil's mark. He seemed to
forget that he was a devil in human shape, who knew what
humanity was, and imitated it not abominably. PERROT
received. His dancing in a pas de deux with MONTESSC, and a
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