The Sun.
London, England, 1818-12-12 00:00:00

THE'THEATRE.

.
COVENT-GARDEN.---The Tragedy of The Earl
of War ivick, written by Dr. FRANKLIN, the Trans-
lator of the remains of the Grecian Drama, was
revived at this Theatre last night, roMpressed, as
the play,-house bills announced, into three Acts.
‘Vlin the Tinker behind the scenes is who this
takes the liberty of mending the %yaks .of men of
learning and genius, we know not, but we enter
our protest against such improper freedoins. Why
was this tragedy not suffered to remain in the regular
fount of five Acts, as %%Ante!) by the Author '?—
The Tinker, whoever he is, has shown himself
an arrant Bungler, (or the first two Acts, and se-
veral of the scenes, are so injured by the compres-
sion, that they conclude very abruptly, a proof
that the Tinker is ignorant of the proper struc-
ture of dramatic composition. As a proof also
that the public expected little from the proclaimed
compression, there was a scantier audience present
than has been seen at this Theatre from the coni-
mencement of the season, We hope that the public
w.iil set their laces against these daring liberties in
works of established merit, for otherwise we may,
in doe time, see Handel, Othello, 2nd all the best
works of our best Dramatic'Rald compressed into
Farces ,or distorted into Melo- Thames —MACREADY
gave an animated portrait of Warwick, the great
maker and dethroner of Kings in former (lays ; and
ABBOTT was a very respectable representative of
King Edward; Miss SokiF.RvILLe was much too
eelieotent anti stormy even for Margaret of An-.
jou, Ad disabled herself by her own violence, her
strength not being capable of her iutended cxer-
i lions ; otherwise her outline of the character
was n A exceptionable.

MISS KELLY 4 DRURY-LANE 1 HEATRE.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, Dee. 1 I,1t;18.

'StR,—As you have given publicity to Miss IteLLY's Letter
in your widely-extended Paper of this day, reflecting on the
conduct of our Sob-Committee with regard to that Lasly, r
trust you will also allow me the like opportunity of stating
the plain matter of fact, which, as Manager of Drury-Lane
Theatre, I feel myself called upon to lay before the Public.
Pretious to the opening of Drury-Lane Theatre, at the re-
quest of the S:6-Commiltce. ho weic must anxious to retain
all the prominent talent which they posse-sed tast -canon. I

wrote a Letter to Miss KELLY, containing an offer of her
former terms, namely, twenty pounds per week, provided she
would restrict her assistance, whilst it remained open, to
their Theatre. To this Letter I received an answer from
Miss Kelly, declining- any engagement. now this agrees
with Miss Kelly's assertion, that the Soh•Conlntittee did not
chose to retain her services, the Public will judge.
This statement necessity has wrong from me ; and no feel-
ing of hostility towards Miss Kelly, whose talents no one can
more admire than I do, and the loss of whose assistance in
the Theatre no one at the time could have more sincerely
lamented. It is an honest relation of the truth; then surety
neither Miss Kelly, nor any of her most partial friends, can
blame the Suh•Committee, if circumstances of distress (which
I hope not likely) have fallen on herself, or those dependent
on her exec tious ;for if such were likely to he the consequence,
would she have rejected so handsome an establishment ?
I am, Sir, your obedient Servant,

SIEFIIEN KEMBLE.

Having yesterd►►y published the Letter of Miss
KELLY, we conceive it to he our duty to insert
that from Mr. STEPHEN KEMBLE. We know
the manly frankness and firm probity of this
Gentleman, and are, therefore, convinced that it
is impossible for him to write otherwise than as
he thinks and feels ; but we conceive that the
SUB-COMMITTEN ought to have authorized him
to print the Letter in which Miss KELLY declined
the offered engagement, as that is a document ab-
solutely necessaty to enable the Public to judge
of the whole transaction.