Star.
London, England, 1829-10-24 00:00:00

THE NEW MELO-DRAMAS

Robbing the minor Theatres of their lawful matter, the
barbarians of Covent-garden and Drury-lane, in opposi-
tion to each other, are once more phvsicking the pablic
with two new litclo-Dramas, both as hodge-podge,

rbodomontade and silly, as ignorance or the nursery might
desire. Unsatisfied with the success of SII A /OPE.% It L.
when supported by even the talent of one good heroine.
the inronscionable avidity of the Covent-garden mono :c-
Users has tempted them once more to roaew those de-
testable attacks upon taste which have already succeeded
in precipitating the English stage into so much disrepute.
Without reflecting that the mass are as much influ-
enced and directed by judges of understanding. as a led-
talion by its officers, the mis-ssanagers set taste and cri-
ticism at defiance to conciliate the vulgar ; who, in
return, sicken at the fulsome puerilities with which
they are glutted to the insult of intellect, till despising
the unsubstantial fare, unfit for men, they slight the
stage to turn the theatre into a place of impure amuse-
ment, and riotous lounge. KENI lII.E, PRICE, and others,
directing the metropolitan stage, have long had enough
to surfeit them of the theatre ; insomuch that every
other interest in its matters have ceded to the absorbin.r
one of emolument . Their recreation is sought beyond its
walls ; and if an audience only can he congregated,
they care not of what description, or with what
offal they are allured. But we, and others, who
have not been satiated—with whom the theatre is a ne-
cessary recreation—zealous for the literary honour of our
age and country—and connected with the press, whose
duty it is to watch over the interests of society,—we
cannot afford thus to be defrauded of our recreation ;
nor must we permit mere speculators, abusing an en-
croached privilege, to cheat posterity of ti sir rights to
our labours in this important braneh of literature.

The people who love nonsense and melo-drama can be
amply provided to their hearts' content in the minor
theatres, unjustly confined to such corrupt representa-
tions. But we, who are not attracted to Covent-Garden
and Drury-Lane by the disorders of their abominable
saloons—nor to be tickled by those tyros of mongrel music
from Bisnoe down to the apprentice LEu—who are not
to l) :eared and ranted into terror by fustian tyrants, or
pros oked to laughter by the prostration of comic art in a
punning buffoon—personating the eternal " Niois," are,
on the contrary, proud to be the warm and exclusive
admirers of legitimate Tragedy and Comedy. In a
theatre, we seek food for the mind; but even the large
houses grudge to aliment our appetite with the most
scanty crumbs. Dedicated to spurious purposes, the
Proprietors will neither cultivate the gennine themselves,
or permit others to infringe upon what has been so igno-
rantly and so injuriously constituted their exclusive
right. —Now, the mischief inflicted on taste and letters
by this selfish conduct is intimately understood by ma-
nagers ; who, nevertheless, prefer sacrificing to their
own mistaken cupidity, rather than improve the art, by
deferring to judicious opinion. CII Altr. Es mnT. e.
would scorn to exhibit in a mclo-drama ; and, would,
perhaps. rather forego every pecuniary advantage than
permit his daughter to degrade her talents in any of
these pieces of counterfeit tragies. And yet the draff
is still poured into the trough, because its detestable
impurity draws the swinish herd.
When we see respectable actors constrained, for the
amusement of the shallow vulgar, to figure in those nen-
semis absurdities, we neither can withhold our commi-
seration for them, or restmin our resentment against
those monopolizing managers, more arbitrary and uncon-
scionable than the tyrants of their own melo-dramas.
These trifling people would impose on us the humiliating
belief that public judgment is on the retrograde, and can
now only be satisfied with a dramatic garbage, which our
fathers of the . last age would have rejected with
loarhing and contempt. But the contrary is truth ; the
people have improved in judgment; while our theatre,
where it has not receded, hes remained disgracefully eta-
tionary. Good authors have ceased to write for it ; and
such as stoop to pick up its fallen hays do it with
an apparent notion that theatrical audiences are
composed of fools, alike indifferent to poetry and sense.
At least, such offerings as are set before us, under favour
of Messrs. Mouros and Reesoens are uniformly de-
void of beth—a circumstance which, added to the per-
usal of their own mediocrity, persuades us to believe that
any nonsense—so that it be mawkish—has cleini to all
the sympathy of these most respectable, and most infal-
lible connoisseurs and guardians of British taste—Good
Loan deliver us! It is very high time, however, that
these critical old stagers should take to their prayers,
and leave the pabiic to think for themselves. What a
degradation of the art is it not, that the young candidates
for dramatic honours should be constrained to abide
the private decisions of these laurelled princes of the
namby-pamly ? Anal what presumption in these
capable superannuated gentlemen to play judge for
the whole British Empire—present and to come ?
The truth is, until the fate of dramatic writers he rescued
front the tyrenny of these theatrical juntas, the stage
must continue to decline. Mr. Puler, the Transatlantic,
is a very lively gentleman; Mr. Kivu Biz is an agree-
able performer ; and, what is better, they have both the
merit of possessing L,.oney to pay :or patents. Moirros
and Re veoens have, in their time, set up for wits;
and the:re four persons, we dare say, make very pleasant
ginner (-:!!ipa:iy. But tleat they should be the arbiters
of dramatic destinies, anal decide what names are to live
anal what ago not—tbey—witose memories are doomed to
perish the instant that themselves have ceased " to fret
and fume tleie hoar upon the stage"—is a presumptuous
pretension, as absurd as it is disgraceful to letters, and
unjust to posterity. For the encouragement and
protection of the art, a Society of Litterati should tie
formed, composed of, at least, twelve competent persene,
who should invite stage-writers to submit their mane-
scripts to the judgment of themselves in periodical com-
mittee,—which, were it judged worthy of the public,
should be collectively recommended to nuungers, who
could scarcely venture to refuse a production where
merits were thus indubitably attested. Till something
of this kind is effected, we must still be insulted with
that wretched stuff, so disgusting to a sensible audience,
with which they persevere to abuse us at Covent-Garden
and Drury-Lane.

The Dry'', has his Sabbath—and so has the Fleet-
street Miguelite. To-morrow, if not cooled at the bad
news of Milrtas running taper with his banker, he will
be at his dirty work spin. Bytimes to. morrow we shall
be ready with our whip and spectacles.

Madame de St. Elme, who has acquired some celebrity
under the name of La Contemporaine, has changed the
plan of her travels in Egypt. Having been unsuccossful
in obtaining access into the principal harems of that coun-
try, solely because it was known that it was her intention
to divulge the mysteries of those Mahometan sanctuaries,
she was on the point of quitting the country altogether,
when the arrival of letters from Europe determined her to
set out on a journey to Upper Egypt.