The Sun.
London, England, 1829-10-03 00:00:00

KING'S THEATRE.

Nothing could more strongly show the deep late•
rest felt in the success of Covent-garden Theatre,
than the overflowing numbers who crowded last
night to the King's Theatre, which was generou •ly
opened by Mr. LAPORTE for the benefit of that
establishment. The, doors of the pit and gallery
were no sooner opened than both were filled, and
crowds rushed to the box entrances, which were
choaked by those who were eager to gain admis-
sion there, having been disappointed elsewhere. Of
course many coat and petticoat catastrophes oc-
curred; and the ladies who succeeded in obtaining
seats, and who had not previously taken places,
were not all in that neatness of costume for which
Englishwomen are celebrated. We are ill at calcu-
lating such matters—" Arithmetic (says Holofernes)
becomes the spirit of a tapster;" but we should
guess that the company of Covent-garden cannot
clear less by last night's performances than 1,0001.
For the sake of " the cause" we could wish that the
benefit were repeated, in order to afford those an
opportunity who were disappointed of enjoying so
fine and so novel a treat.

Two great attractions were held out in the joint
exertions of Madame MALIBRAN and Miss PATON—
the first as Susannah, and the last as the Countess, in
The Marriage of Figaro. We never heard either
in finer voice, and the rivalship of two most accom-
plished singers never produced a happier effect :
" The sweetest and most ravishing contention,
That art or nature ever were at strife in."

It reminded us, in fact, of nothing so much as of
the contest described in FORD'S Lovers' Melancholy
(from which our quotation is taken), between the
nightingale and the lutanist ; only, i►► this instance,
as neither party could claim superiority, neither had
reason to mourn over a defeat. It was Madame
MALtBRAN's first appearance in an English part ; and
this we can say, that we never saw the part of
Susannah,lindependent of the singing, half so well
sustained. She lost no opportunity of making and
giving a point, and her bye-play was quite per-
fect. Of course, we need not praise her execu-
tion of the vocal portion of the character. Many,
who heard her for the first time, were astonished
at her voice, her expression, and her execution,
without being able to decide which had the ad-
vautage. She introduced, " Should he upbraid"
and " The Light Guitar :" the first she sung with
great skill and judgment, pretty nearly as it stands
in the score, allowing of course for graces and orna-
ments : the last she made completely her own,
taking the air as a sort of theme, and introducing
some delightful variations. Until we heard them
we felt vexed that she had chosen so common-place
a song, and we recommend the composer to publish
a new edition of it immediately, as sung and re-sung
by Madame MALIBAN. MISS PATON, who had also
to act in the afterpiece, did not introduce any addi-
tional music, but she sung what belongs to the
Countess just as she always sings : we need not de-
scribe her excellencies, for they are well known, and
as universally acknowledged. The duet Sul aria
which was given in the Italian, between Miss
PATON and Madame MAIABRAN, was, perhaps, the
most perfect and finished thing of the kind we ever
had the good fortune to hear; and so highly was
every body gratified, that had that been all the en-
tertainnser►t of the evening, every body must have
been satisfied—at least they ought to have been so.