Star.
London, England, 1821-07-31 00:00:00

THEATRES.

DRURY-LAWE.—Last night, according to public
announcement, her MAJESTY honoured this Theatre
with her presence at the performance of King Richard
the Third. Notwithstanding the incessant showers
throughout the day, and that the rain was falling
fast when the doors opened, every street and avenue
leading to the Theatre was filled with crowds of
anxious and expectant spectators, all eager to hail her
MAJESTY.% appearance, and gratulate her with a warm
and affectionate reception. The moment her M AJ Ewes
carriage appeared in sight, the assembled multitudes
greeted her with hearty cheers and shouts of appro-
bation and welcome. The pit of the Theatre was
filled to an overflow soon after the doors were opened;
the dress circle of the boxes was filled with a splendid
and fashionable company, including many elegant
and heaatiful females; the first circle was also ex-
ceedingly crowded with a highly respectable com-
pany, long before the usual period of commencing
the performances, and the overflow from the other
parts of the House, filled even the slips. A few
minutes before seven o'clock, her MAJESTY, at-
tended by Lord and Lady Hoop and Mr. AUSTIN,
was ushe:•ed by Mr. ELLisroN and Mr. WINSTON,
with lighted candles in their hands, into the stage-
box ir the first circle on the Prince's side. On the
instant of her Ma.resrfs appearance, the whole
audience rose, and with, we sincerely believe, not
more than half-a-dozen exceptions, greeted her with
repeated peals of applause, with rounds of cheers
and waving of hats and handkerchiefs, and every
other demonstration of enthusiastic attachment; the
curtain at the same time slowly rising discovered
the whole corps of Performers, who proceeded to
sing the Anthem of "Gnu save the King," in the usual
style, the audience, as heretofore, making the usual
substitutions of Quern for King, her for his, and so on,
and following the conclusion of the song with repeated
rounds of cheers and applause. To this gratifying dis-
play of popular feeling, we observed at this period but
two exceptions—one of an individual in the pit, and
another of a person in a box on the first circle.—
These two persons alone, in the intervals of the
cheers and plaudits which followed the conclusion
of the song, exclaimed two or three times " The
King I" but were presently silent. Owing to the
extremely crowded state of the House, even the Gal-
leries having overflowed, it was not until some time
after the commencement of the Tragedy that the
noise subsided sufficiently to enable those at any dis-
tance from the Stage to distinguish what was spokes.
Order, however, having been once established, the
utmost attention was afterwards paid to everything
which passed ; and almost every passage which could
be construed into an allusion to the circumstances or
t•ituation of the dignified andillustrious female within
their view, was received with a marked expression of
the feeling which it excited. Glo'ster, in the soliloquy
at the close of the second Act, musing upon the ar-
rival of the young Prince of Wales, and his expected
Coronation, says—

" the Crown!
Oh, yes! he shall have twenty ; globes and sceptres, too :
New ones made to play withal—but no Coronation!"
which excited loud shouts of laughter, and was fol-
lowed by repeated cheers. The second scene of the
third Act discovers the Lady Anne, then Glo'aer's
wife, in her apartment, where, upon the entrance of
Glo'ster and his utterance of some injurious speeches,
the following dialogue ensues:
Lady 4.—Have I deserved this usage?
Casten—You have: you do not please me as at first.
Ijis!y 4.—What have I done? what horrid crime committed?
Glo'ster.—To me the worst of crimes ; outliv'd my liking.
fly 4.—lf that be criminal, just Hr...av's be kind !

Clo'ster —Now, wert thou not afraid of self-u.
Thou halt a fair excuse for't.
Lady .I.—Oh! name it.
Glisten-11y husband's hate: nor do I bate thee only
From the dull'd edge of sated appetite,
But front the eager love I bear another!
the points of which were marked with long and rei,
terated plainlits. In the first scene of the tourth act,
Elizabeth, the Queen of EDWARD IV. with her two
sons, the Prince of Wales and Duke of York, the Lady
June, and the Duchess of Glo'ster, are seen together
in the Tower, when Catesby enters to summon Lady
Anne to be crowned with her husband, the latter
takes her leave of Elizabeth, who is much affected
by the message, in the following words :
" Farewell to all! and thou, poor injur'd Queen,
Forgive the unfriendly duty I must pay !"
which called down repeated rounds of applause.—
During the whole of the performance, her MAJESTY
sat concealed by the curtain of the box from the view
of the greater part of the audience, with her atten-
tion fixed on the business of the scene, and seemed
highly to enjoy the fine acting of Mr. KEAN in the
most striking parts. In the interval between the se-
cond and third acts, and also in that between the
third and fourth, cries of " The Queen ! The Queen!"
accompanied with general cheering and applause, oc-
casioned her MAJESTY to advance to the front of her
box, and acknowledge the acceptance of those re-
peated testimonies of popular good-will, with that
graceful and majestic expression of dignified com-
placency and condescension, which none who have
seen her MAJESTY on such an occasion can ever for-
get. At the conclusion of the Tragedy, in which all
the performers seemed anxious to exert their powers
to the utmost in their several parts, " GOD save the
King" was again performed, with the same annota-
tions by the audience as at the commencement of the
evening; and at its conclusion her MAJESTY again
came to the front of her box, and returning the salu-
tations of the audience, immediately afterwards re-
tired from the Theatre with her party, which had
been joined in the course of the evening by Mr. Al-
derman WOOD. Her MAJESTY appeared to be in ex-
ceeding good health and spirits, and wore a white
muslin dress over a pink satin slip, a black velvet hat,
with a plume of pink feathers, and a purple scarf.
NEW HAYMARKET THEATRE...—This elegant Thea-
tre continues to draw crowded and fashionable au-
diences every night. The Public seem to become
more familiarised and better pleased with the House
and the Performers upon every occasion of its open-
ing. The play-bills present the utmost variety, and
the superior Company engaged give the fullest effect
so every representation.
ENGLISH OPERA HOUSE.—Yesterday evening, a
Musical Drama, with a new title, the subject of which,
however, is familiar to all our Readers, was brought
out for the first time at this Theatre. It is entitled
244 Witch Derialetteio and is founded on Sir WAL•

TER SCOTT'S celebrated Romance of Guy Mannering•
but it differs materially from the Play bearing that
title, which has been performed for some years past
at several other Theatres. In the incidents and lan-
guage it adheres more closely to the original work;
I the Scotch manners are more faithfully imitated;
and some of the characters even speak in the dialect
of Scotland. These are features which give a pecu-
liar degree of novelty to a piece, the interest of which,
one might suppose, had been already entirely worn
out, and the experiment has been completely success-
ful. Its hero and its heroine are put forth in more
striking colours than the same characters have hitherto
appeared in—and particularly so with regard to the
performers by whom they arc represented. These
are Dirk 1 latieraick and Meg Merrilies. In the for'.
mer, Mr. T. I'. COOKE not only spoke like a Dutchman
who had learned our language, but displayed all the
undaunted courage and ferocity which one might
suppose to belong to the head of a desperate gang of
smugglers. We do not recollect ever to have seen a
character of this kind so well represented before: his
daring spirit of enterprize, his contempt of danger
and of death, his rapacity, and self-possession, were.
displayed with a degree of energy which language,
cannot easily describe. Admirable as this perform-
ance was, it fell far short of the picture which Miss
KELLY gave of the IF'itch of Dcrncleugh. Whether
her imitation of the Scottish dialect was such as
would satisfy our countrymen on the other side of
the Tweed, we cannot pretend to judge ; but it
sounded as such in the ears of an English audience.
This was, however, but a faint shade, compared with
the prominent, bold, and just colouring which was
given to every other part of this original portrait.
The Meg Merrilies of Miss KELLY appeared to be a
drawing entirely of her own conception, differing
from all those that have been presented to us by other
actresses. She gave power to her supernatural
agency, she commanded, she overawed like a supe-
rior being, and was obeyed. The manner, the tone,
and energy, with which she brought to light the just
claims of Ellen Gotsan's heir, electrified and delighted
the audience. it reminded us of some of those ex-
quisite bursts of impassioned feeling with which Mrs.
SIDDONS was wont to display her unrivalled powers
in the sublime parts of tragedy. It is hardly neces-
sary to observe, that every part of her performance
drew forth loud and continued applause. The other
characters were very respectably performed, parti-
cularly that of Dominic Sampson, by Mr. WILKIN-
SON, which was given with much spirit and justness,
and without any buffoonery. The Piece was an-
nounced for a second representation amidst universal
applause, The House was well attended.
SADLER'S WELLS.-It was expected that last night
a New Melo-drama, founded on the most prominent
and dramatic incidents in the popular Novel of Gni
Manneriug, would be produced at this Theatre, and
that Mrs.EGERTON would have sustained the cha-
racter of Meg Merrilies with her wonted effect. In
consequence, however, of her engagement at Drury-
Lane Theatre, this Piece was obliged to be put off
till next week; but Mr. EGERTON, ever anxious to
gratify the Public, produced two new Pieces in its
stead, viz. Fun in a Village, taken from the well.'
known Farce of The Village Law,er, and a Grand
Spectacle, entitled The Chieftain s Oath • or, The
Rival Clans. The principal object of the fatter Piece
was to introduce the celebrated water-scene, which,
on account of the badness of the season, had not been
done before during the present summer. Notwith-
standing the wetness of the weather, we were happy
to see that the Theatre was well attended, and the
Entertainments much applauded.

LAIV INTELLIGENCE

COURT OF CHANCERY, JULY 30.

The LORD CHANCELLOR came into Lincoln's Inn
Hall this morning for the first time since the accident
that occurred to him at the Coronation. His Lord-
ship is excessively lame, and was obliged to be as-
sisted rom his carriage into his private room, where
he remained, not being sufficiently recovered to sit
in open Court.