The Sun.
London, England, 1817-10-22 00:00:00

TIIE Var,ATilt.

~..

The Beggar's Opera. a piece which tras'orWnally
written, pal its' hit a po!itical tentleney,..tod partly
to tip ow ridicule ou 117. ALI OPEL A !,
stronL:ly pateonizA in this cólintr;l,.Co the.. injury
elf otir Nat ioual .I)rama, 'v a* rt.' pr eSe!lti(l :61S
.1
nigh! at Drury-Lane Theatre. Tht;:tnaniiers of
the tinieS ale so changed since this play was first
represented, anti the wit, though sarcastic, And
the fiumair, though exuberant, is of so low a de-.
seription, .that tte sine‘lely wish that it were
wholly banished from the Stage, for we
,conceive
that •Chivliy calculated as a school tor. Highwayineir and Onatezans, by tiiaeing them ho h
iu an tor of leViiptiog poptilarity to the lower or
tiers of the people, while tho'Se of the kind
can .o,ly view she passing 'scenes with disgust.
But tit the representation last night, Miss
sane; ivith better taste, and suPported the part of
POy with an interesting. Simplicity. She was
well received and much applauded. Miss IceLLY'S
Lucy was decidedly the best that has been seen
sioce the !Hilt was performed by Mrs. CHARLES
g...-AELE, Who' in the prime of life, with such ta-
lents and accomplishments it's are rarely found in
her,Profesiion, is by folly, caprice; or more un=
worthy motiees, denied the Opportunity of assiit-
ink her fitniily Mid gratifying the public.

POI. the folloWing Critique on the ,representa-
tinn of Macbeth On Monday last, •at Drury-. Lane
Thtitr.e; Mil S-are indebted to an intelligent friend,
front Whom we have often received; and hope of-
ten to receive, many valuable contributions. It
Came too late for insertion yesterday, bat we are
Sure that it will be gratifying to eery Reader of
taste and judgment, thong!) ive have already no-
ticed the perforniance .
- Macbeth was performed Wit night, before a
full; it not an overflowing audience,—Kertia,
course, was the ambitious Thane ; and assuredly
he has not, since the last season, lost one iota of
his skill or energy. The illusion was perfect ;
and, through the whole piece, his sincere attach-
ment to Duncan, his growing belief in the witches,
his kindling ambition, his dread of crime,. his fear
of shame, his acquiescence with his wile, his re-
morse, his despair, his hardening cruelty, were
all pout-frayed in the most faithful and vivid co-
lours. When he appeared in his usurped robes of
manarchy; he exhibited, whether accidentally or
otherwise, the exact image of the modern User-
per, who is now caged as a rarer monster,'
upon his rock of transportation. The saute dark
and perturbed countenance, the same conscious-
ness of past crime, and forethought of crime to
come—all reminded us of film who topped
Macbeth' in guilt, and fell below him in mean-
ness, by consenting to live.
We wish that an eclair) share of panegyric could
he bestowed on the Lady Macbeth of the evening.
Miss CAMPBELL was neither•persnasive nor com-
manding. Her manner did not create an ade-
quate excuse tot influence exercised in so extreme
and fatal an object. She was jocose and sarcas-
tic, where she ought to have been stern and im-
placable. This is.. the least pleasing part of eti-
deism ; yet it is kinder, perhaps, to the young
Lady, to note her errors, which certainly have
less of origioal sin than of bad habit. (inc or
two of these we beg to notice. lo reading time
letter. she_ expressed her astonishment ..hy a pause,
not at the arcomstances of the witches' vanishing,
but at their vanishing into—air ! The process
of evanition were not, very easily managed
into any other tlemeat : and the sudden dis-
appearance of the ghostly visitants were cueing!'
to excite as much surprise as Miss CAMPBELL gave
exntession.to. In this, however, she can plead
example:--but then, she must confess copy.—
But ing the sleep-walking scene, she did not appear
to be asleep :—but we must not censure a fault
which is so extremely difficult to be avoided, and
which can be encountered only , by the most coo-
summate skill. Why, however, we must ask—
why, while Mrs. Brumes, remains on the hoards,
is Lady Macbeth given to -any other actress
" The speaking witches were excellent : Mt/N-
-bEN was most accurately horrible. The singing
ones were any thing hut witches : some of them,
Mrs COOKE and Miss KELLY, for instance, looked
bewitching, but not witchly. The majority of them
were smart -Lassies in tartan scarves and petti-
coats ; to whom time speaking witches afforded a
singular contrast. SMITH, in Hecate, growled
to the very bass note of his bass voice :—hut he
did n• t. look even like a masculine , female
was man all over.
‘ 01 the subordinate characters we have little to
say.—Pore's Dungan_ wanted his usual energy :
he did not appear like the friend and associate of
Macbeth. RAE'S MaCcitig* was excellent in the
last scene stuck up to Macbeth . with' a per-
severance, which, in the pugilistic language,
would take no denial. To speak of Kessi again—
the fight, and his death, were faultlessly admi-
rable :—but without the assistance. of RAE, halt
their effect would have been lost. •
"By the way—we have two enquiries to make.
Why was the abrupt question 'of 'Macduff,
Wherefore did you so ?'—upoo Macbeth's ex-
pression of-his regret for having slain the King's
servants, given to Banquo, as a common en-
quiry ?—Why, but- that indeed is a general error,
was the letter of Macbeth written on halt a sheet
of Whity-brown paper ; as if the peat Thane had
slept into a grocer's shop, and watered up his
communication in the envelope of.half a pound' at
figs ?—ln such- gener-al and Pervading splem:our
and correctness as marked the whole drama, so
petty all error is.the more otteosive.
" We canton stop, without animadverting on
the shamettil noise in time galleries ; which more
thanamee threatened the interruption of, the piece.
Were there no constables in the house ?—or could
none be brought into it ?"

Mr. H. JOHNSToN awl Mr. STEPHEN KEMBLE
are both toeutiomoil i 4; likely to si,etvegl Mr. RAY-
MoND ill the tuanageoleat of Diary-Lane 'rhea-