The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1849-05-19

tohostans. Htsksns, Inelsdep. and sibsss. |
/ lissd 70 20 into the pii d pfury-lane that
might see and hear better, and J SOME
times sa, near the private box OF Mrs
Gsnick, aho, with her age and ia 9ssoeis
tious, used 10 riyet my attention tetween
the acts. Occasionally ! went behind The |
scenes, but il was TO the complete destruc-
lion Of tie illusion before the stage. NWhen
the o. p. low ut Covent garden took place,
went with a friend. He had a SINAI y
pocket bugle. We were both full of'lifs-l
and indignant at the n. p. like all other
persons. The immense area OF Covent
garden was crowded in every part to suilo
cation. When the actors came on. the pit
stood up, and sometimes the boxes, and
beat time with the feet, turning the tack 10
the stage. Il was at first supposed that
raising the ,R6le1l.Se5 GliGHaEsd in kyr'1
ble's engsgedI1Is< tadsme Cdtalini, and
that high terms were the cause; bot
that lady relinquished her engagements.-I
The rows continued from September 10
December. A compromise then took place
To standing up the audience al last added
the sound OF catcalls, whistles. and small
bugles. There were Bow street officers
present to take those into custody who made
themselves conspicuous. My friend was
one. could not restrain him. | went to
be passive spectator; he was an active
one. He was soon marked for capture,
but lha officer was so impeded by the PeO
pie that the culPrit had plenty OF time TO get
out of the box, and, mounting to the next
Tier, 10 repeat the same offence there. The
noise was dealening-it can hardly be con
ceived. Clouds Of dust assembled to the
roof Of the new and noble house. dimming
the lights, and making the moving figures on
the boaTds look like les ombres Chlnoises.
Ears were superfiuous. The dense masses
Of people, undulsted in the pit like waves.
the heat, and vociferation, induced intense
thirst. | always caught an intolerable
headache there, and yet went two or three
times. The scene was so novel, so I'M
common. and indeed 50 exciting, that once
going did not satisfy me. pitied Kemble.
The money taken, however, must have been
very considerable.
| we'll remember in these days seeing
Cooke fall on the stage from intoxieation
as the curtain dropped, after going through
Richard Ill with wonderful power. How
he contriyed to remember his part was
puzzling. His ShylOck even now think
see him play-he was inimilsble in his
way. lie had the advantage Of looking
his Characters. His hook nose, and the
expression of the whole man in Richard,
showed well. Kean was only fine in parts;
he never looked King. Cooke was the
exact double Of the man that Shakespeare
drew. These were theatrical times.
have stood on lip-toe on the back seat oil
the highest boxes to get a glance at the
stage when kemble and Young played
Bru,us and Cassius.
The first character in which ever saw
Mrs. Siddons was Queen Catharine. Here,
again, the advantage OF the natural person
told admirably. She sPPeard ideal majesty
itself. When, as Lady Macbeth. she came
forward and rubbed her hands together, in
the night scene. have gone home and
heamtd Of horrors. Nothing could 20
beyond il. | first saw John Kemble in
the Stranger" and, though a fine piece
Of acting, he did not impress me with hi,
power as his sister did with hers. | pre-
|, ierred Young's Hamlet to that Of Kemble
though, as others have observed, the charac
Ter has never yet been played to the salts
faction Of those who have read, it, becaus,
the authors conception cannot be perfectly
understood throughout the entire character
J Comedy was in my humble judgmen
best exhibited, among females, by Mrs
: Jordan, OF all whom | have ever seem
: Of comic male performers cannot speaI
so decidedly. Bsnnister was inimitable il
his way; but the comic walk Of Munden
for example. was totally distinct from Ban
mister. and so with other actors. Each wa
: excellent in his own department. recol
lect my admiration of Holman as Lon
Townly, in the walk Of genteel comedy
, Of which | was. and am still, very fond
; Ii was a line in acting like that OF Newton
, IN painting. The stage has since degene
rated into bufoonery; we have no high con
, edy now. Its fine. delicate touches wouIr
{ not be relished-the "wit as keen an,
; polished as your sword" Lewis was
T delightful actor in the better cOmedy-bu
} must not proceed in this way, or shall
get, | fear, like the shoemaker, beyons
his last.
can only express my regret that tn
aspirations after higher and better thing
; than those Of every day life have been sban
doned for a descending scale in the has
triOnic ant. One Of the later actors whom
too, | saw make his debut believe nearl,
the last Of the old school induction no y on
the boards-was William Fanen. hop,
yet for some time to give the world scin
tlllations OF what the stage once was. d
some characters he has no living compeer
knew Young nearly forty years ago
when he was one OF the stars on the Lon
don boards. He was to my seeming ar
excellent performer in a particular line o
tragic character. He maintained a station
too, below which he never descended; bu
comPorted himself with an equability that
il it did not excite establishment. alway,
commanded respect.
remember that the receipts Of Coyent
garden. in six years, had been upwards o
f566.OO0. Thus IN those days. al tia,
single theatre, the receipts were f6l .OOC
per annum, on the average. What 3
change since! viii the drama ever f,opr;.I
here again! | think not. We sham o,',