Morning herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1837-1840, 1840-08-07
MIR. Nunn's New Book.
(Not yet repubEshed in this Counfr!

i
lisa defence Of Mr.. Bunn's corcer as a manager
and lessee. This apology for Managers Life, to
use the phrase of Cibber involves of necessity his
tory of the engagements, performances, expendi
ure and receipts, during the period it embraces; ii
also properly admits # characteristic anecdotes OF
the many strange personages with whom theatre
cal petentate is brought into connoxion, as well as
running disquistions the public taste and the
| state Of the drama.
| The main bects of Mr.. Bunn's apology are two
fold he wishes to defend himself from the charge
| OF neglecting Shakespeare and the regular drama /;
and to prove that the character of the times, as
| sisted by unforeseen misfortunes, was the cause Of
his want Of success, and not any fault of his own
For the first purpose, he afirms and with some de-
gree of truth that there are not actors to properly
represent Shakespeare. He also enters into hume
rous statistical details, to show that the legitimate
drama was constantly performed at his house, but
at it never drew in proportion to other pieces
The whole of these documents would occupy very
considerable space; but as the results curious
in theatrical sense, We viii quote the summaries
SHAKsPEARE UNDER BUM.
Number Of lights in each of the folio owing six sea-
sons, when the plays of Shakspere performed
at the Theatres Royal Drury Lane and Covent q r
den, under the Management of Mr.. Bu n, collated
for the satisfaction OF those who have asserted that
No of Sbakspeares Plays:-In the season 1892 SO
were given 81; in the season 1853 81 given So;
in the season lo3i35 were given 80; in the season
SO were gwen 20; in the 1856 81 ere
given AZ; in the 1897 3S were given total
represent Z on OF Shakespeare 262.
The analy sis OF this summary is curious, show
ing the accurate judgment of the public If deficient
in Of the loier elements Of poetry, OteilO, in
its variety, comprehension, strength and domes tic
interest, take the first place in dramatic tera
ture; aud OeNo was found to be the most Attractive
piece, by Manager who avowedy acknowledges
that person in his position only consider hat
will draw Macbeth takes the next place in attrac-
tion and then Hamlet; being probably in the order
the critic would rank themfor Leu is, from various
circumstances, in peculiar category.
Times:-l, he Tempest was performed 4; 2,
| Macbeth Al; 3, Hamlet So; 4, Cymbeline I; 5, An
thony and Cleopatra 3; 6, Midsummers Nights
Dream 2; Z Henry ". (First ParD 10; S Henry Nv.
| (Second Part) 8; 9, Richard ii q TO- Richard III.
"a; ii, Merry Wives of Widsor 8; II, Othello AZ
49, CarioIanus 5; II, Julius Cesar 81 Is, King John
4; is Henry VIII Z; IL, Romeo and juliet 5; is,
Henry v. l; 10, Merchant of Venice IL; 20 Twelfth
Nighi3 81 As you Like il 5; y, Winters Tale 3;
70, King Lear li;-Grsad total of times 262.
| SHAxsPEAgE AND NAcREADy usrsus BUM, BALFE,
| AND MAIIBRAS.
Sixteen successive Ms hts Of Tie MQiR of
| Ariois and her Representative" Madam
| Maiibrap, despite every possible draw
| back, produced nightly average of 1855 0 0
Twenty-iour nights o. Shakespeare and his
| representative, I" Mr.. Macready," with
| every possib. advantage to back him,
| produced nightly average OF lS9 o
| Difference rcr night ElC6 o
Mr. Bum attributes his failure TO various circum
stances-te starriug ystem; the exactions and ir-
Irregularities Of actors the death IT Ma'ib whc
| vteated his combinations for the following year
His own want of capital, "a very potent Cause, we
should inagine the nulserous theatres the "hber-
| al" Chamberlain has licensed; but more than all
the apathy Of the public And he lays il down an
axiom derived from his own experience, that the
4 T., 49,
one pc rson to hold both, and fix maximum Of sala-
ry; though he does not undertake to say that the
| enterprise would even then succeed. The caution
is right, seeing that when he held both the houses
| there was loss Of 81 $50 on the season The idea
| Of m ximum is well IN theory, but what was his
| own practice7 lie gave Maibran fi25 night IL
| il answers the purpose OF a manager To give high
| salaries he Of course must give them actors will
naturally argue the money is well in their peck
as his. If he does IL, not because they repay
their outlay, but on desperate hope that they will,
deprive a rival establishment other services
he is fool tor his pains, and the conduct il perss
ted in must end IN ruin. This, in fact suspect
will be tn. result; and when the great managers ars
one after another driven out Of the field, the players
will be at the mercy of the house that keeps open
or have 10 go without u salary at all. What the,
are now receiving IL beyond doubt most exorbitant
and vet we 6ud them very often appealing to tn,
public for charity as soon as their physical power
decay, or dying IN a state oil pecuniary enbarrass
ment.
| KEAr's STUDY.
Kcan sat up all night in room opposite the Debt
ors' door ofthe Old Bailey, 10 catch full view n
deaths Of the Cato street and as NJ
was Going the STAGE ia the evening, he sid to me
&" mrsn to die like Thistywood tonight; III imi
tate every muscle of that mans countchance."
iMruprScr or rLLIsroS.
Mr. Elistor mad advertised for his benefit in tina
town, (Worcsster) an extraordinary display OF fire
works csmets with tails. and fixed stars without
them, lions ravenous, aud toa con,trictnrs gorgcd
sauibs crackers " heels and wh,riigiss, were TO bs
seen IN all the glory of the pyro,echnical art VIII
taer he had s,rDusly contemplated the ir intro
Iduction-whether tn, re w-s any difficulty in pro
curing them or whether hs wing assured himself by
their ammo uncs m,nt. Of crowded auditorythis e.
ponen saye,h not, but ccrtes they made their
| appearance on that stage" Mr. Ell ston persuad, d
Ms landlord, mach respected in Worcester, "a
issue his iiat ags,n.t any such exhibition a. calcu.
lated vitiate his insurance, and TO endanger the
| hives of the Kings subjects. The gcod easy man,
falling into the trap, went t. the theatre with rar
", chiefly To- hear the managers explanation; h,
TO his rror and aston sninent, Eilisop placed ,h,
| entire onus on his shoulders, ard cal d ca him b,
name to verify his assertion, from the box he wal
sitting in at the same time lauding lin highly 70
his prompt ujc and precaution. lie wound up BIZ
address in tone Of peculiar Cancellation and bori
bast which no oth tai crulj ADOPT with But
(as if at least, he going to- give them all the
| money back again. I" But, ladies' and genti- mes,
sm happy Co say have .iven directions to rake nj
for any disappointment You may have experienced
Ma A :" DOCKING down aud pointing his finger will