THEATRICALS.
THE two Great Theatres have commenced their first season under one Manager. Drury Lane opened on Saturday, and Covent Garden on Monday; and they have continued open during this week on alternate. nights. The sample of the week's performances shows more variety than either novelty or excellence. The opening of one house with the vulgar version of the Tempest, in which SHAKSPEARE'S poetry is hashed up with the scraps of DAVENANT, DRYDEN, and various dra- matic cooks—and of the other with the gone-by melodramatic play cif' Pizarro—was not auspicious. Great stress was laid in the opening address .(which was thriftily made to serve for both theatres) upon the production of SHAKSPEARE'S Tempest. On its being announced for re. petition, with the same misplaced emphasis upon the name of Samb. SPEARS, it was very properly hissed. It seems pretty evident, that opera, melodrama, and spectacle, are to be the real attractions of the, Great Theatres. The union of the two companies has not done any thing to improve the cast of characters in tragedy. MACREADY as the only actor in the two companies who can personate tragic charac- ters of a high class. His Macbeth is not one of his best parts ; but we never saw him act with more spirit and energy than in the last scenes- of it on Tuesday night.
The new Rolla, Mr. KING, is a young man, and a clever melodrama. tic actor. His figure is tall, gaunt, and not well developed. His action is free and energetic. His walk-and bearing are a studied imi- tation of MACREADY'S. We should say that he is too fond of attitu- dinizing, if he were capable of any thing better than mere physical power- He declaims with propriety, and his enunciation is distinct, but his voice is neither very powerful nor melodious. His features are hard, and not particularly handsome ; nor is his face susceptible of varied and delicate expression. His performance evinces feeling and discre- tion, but neither genius nor intellectuality. He will be useful in melo- dramatic parts, or the second-rate characters of tragedy; but we cannot conceive him competent to personate Romeo, for which he is announced on Monday. Of the American Elvira, MISS PLACIDE, as she is a stranger, and we understand does not remain in London, we may be spared the pain of speaking.
The only novelty at either theatre—and it, too, but a translation from the French—is a one act farce, called My Neighbour's Wife. It has neither wit, humour, character, nor probability; and depends for its effect wholly on stage situation ; yet it has some amusing quali- ties, and keeps an audience in good humour. A Mrs. SLOMAN, from Bath, is announced to appear in Belvidera, with MACREADY as Jaffier, and COOPER as Pierre. Why not let Mr. KING try the part of Pierre ? His figure is at any rate better fitted for the part than COOPER'S. But the counterfeit MACREADY would then be exposed ; and the real one, we suspect, would decline appearing with' him. ELLEN TREE iS to come outas Letitia Hardy, with COOPER as Doricourt This gives a hint of the poverty of talent for genteel comedy in the company. The usual list of performers has not been published ; and we do not know of any actor to play the lovers or the fine gentle- men of comedy: GREEN, who is to.play the fops, and HARLEY and MEADOWS, are indifferent substitues for JONES, KEELEY, and LISTON. DowroN and BLANCHARD are excellent representatives of old men ; but they must have some young men to play up to them. Among the re- vivals, are the operatized Twelfth Night, the Forty Thieves, Black-eyed -Susan, the Wood Damon, Giovanni in London, with Mrs. Fzrzwuxust • asGiovanni ; and the Mayor of Garrett, with S. RUSSELL in his famous part of Jerry Sneak. As to Twelfth Night, we have seen every prin- cipal character of the comedy better performed in the provinces. The only alteration before the curtain has been the change of the light blue ground of the interior of Drury for a pink, on which the silver ornaments are rolieved. It is an improvement : the effect is warm, and chaste withal. On the stage, we see no change what- ever. The soldiers in Macbeth and Pizarro are still the same set of unwashed superannuated scene-shifters, looking more like unburied corpses than soldiers, only not so clean. The dresses and decorations are dingy, and the scenery and accessories remain in statu quo. It is only upon worthless shows that money is lavished for scenery and dresses. Both houses filled on their opening nights as a matter of course; but since then they have been but thinly attended—notwith- standing the Manager has, according to the Morning Post, "tendered free admissions to the principal artists, poets, and members of learned societies, as a compliment due to them." We hope they are duly sen- sible of the favour. If the Manager has no better means of filling his theatres, it would be as well to shut up one of them. JAMES RUSSELL has brought out, at the Strand Theatre, a pleasant new piece by REDE, called His First Champagne, the characters in which are particularly well suited to the cdmpany. REDE plays the hero, a bashful book-worm, who can scarcely muster courage enough to face his intended at dinner at her father's. After dinner, however, getting primed with "his first champagne," he commits all sorts of vagaries, to the horror and astonishment of the ladies. His drunken scene was capital. WRENCH, as Dicky Watt, a scamp and adventurer, was very amusing, and quite in his element. A new burletta, called Mind your Letters, of which KEELEY is the prop, has been brought out at the Olympic. Its success has made up for the failure of that of last week.
SEALE has been playing Hamlet and Shylock at the Victoria. We have seen many worse Hamlets at Covent Garden and Drury Lane. KNOWLES is to appear in the Hunchback on Tuesday next. A Mr. WOOD, whom we noticed as a promising actor at this house, now takes principal parts at the Great Theatres. He played in the Intrigue at Drury Lane on Tuesday; which we saw quite as well acted at the Victoria the night before.
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