صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

moderate Farce by Colman Jun.-it was well acted -Alldross and Neddy Bray separately put an advertisement into the newspaper, under the signature of X. Y. Z,-one for an actress-the other for a wife -each of them gets the answer designed for the other this produces equivoque, but nothing sterling -see Beggar on Horseback, Hay. June 16 1785after the 2d night this Farce was laid aside in consequence of an order from the Court of Chancery.

13. Kemble acted Shylock.

[ocr errors]

18. Macbeth, with Miss Lucy, or the Virgin Unmasked. Coupee Liston Blister Blanchard: Quaver Taylor: Miss Lucy Miss S. Booth :-this = Farce was originally called the Old Man taught Wisdom, or the Virgin Unmasked-it had been played for many years under the second title-why Kemble chose to call it Miss Lucy, was best known to himself—the title of the sequel was Miss Lucy in Town.

28. Every one has his Fault-the characters as formerly advertised-at this time the name of the play was just mentioned, and the rest of the bill dedicated to the service of a new Pantomime-it appears from the bottom of the bill for the 27th that Egerton acted Capt. Irwin, and Miss S. Booth, Edward-Miss Wooburn was omitted-the rest of the cast was as in the last season.

29. New Way to Pay old Debts. Sir Giles Overreach Kemble: Wellborn = C. Kemble: Marrall = Munden: Justice Greedy Liston: Lord Lovell Barrymore: Lady Allworth Mrs, Weston: Margaret Miss S. Booth.

=

[ocr errors]

Jan. 5. Twelfth Night. Malvolio Liston: Sir Andrew Aguecheek Blanchard: Sir Toby Belch =

[ocr errors]

=

=

Emery: Orsino Barrymore: Sebastian Brunton : Clown Fawcett: Viola - Mrs. S. Booth: Olivia= Mrs. C. Kemble: Maria Mrs. Gibbs :-acted 7 times-Liston was truly comic in the scene when he read the letter, and in that when he entered crossgartered, but on the whole Malvolio was a part out of his line-Kemble has introduced into the bill several names which Shakspeare never dreamt of.

=

8. Jealous Wife. Major Oakly Barrymore: Capt. O'Cutter Hamerton: Harriet Miss Bolton: -rest as before.

=

=

16. Merry Wives. Falstaff = Fawcett : Ford = Young: Hugh Evans (Sir Hugh) = Blanchard: Dr. Caius Farley Shallow Simmons: Slender = Liston: Host Emery: Mrs. Ford Mrs. C. Kemble : Mrs. Page Mrs. Gibbs: Anne Page Anne Page Miss S. Booth: Mrs. Quickly Mrs. Davenport.

[ocr errors]

=

18. Inconstant. Young Mirabel = C. Kemble : Duretete Liston: Old Mirabel Munden: Bisarre

=

=

Mrs. C. Kemble: Oriana Miss S. Booth.

=

[ocr errors]

=

=

=

22. Confederacy. Corinna Miss S. Booth. 26. Cato. Cato = Kemble: Syphax Egerton : Juba C. Kemble: Sempronius = Barrymore: Portius Young: Marcus = Brunton: Marcia Mrs. H. Johnston: Lucia Miss S. Booth :-acted 16 times-Cato was very properly revived with change of scenes, in order to obviate the absurdities, in which Addison had involved himself by making the whole play pass in Cato's great hall-see Dennis' remarks in Dr. Johnson's Life of Addison.

A nearer view of the principles on which the unities of time and place stand, will perhaps diminish their value, and draw from them the veneration,

which, from the time of Corneille, they have generally received, by discovering that they have given more trouble to the poet than pleasure to the auditor -the necessity of observing the unities of time and place arises from the supposed necessity of making the drama credible-but without these the drama is credited with all the credit due to a drama-the delight of tragedy proceeds from our consciousness of fiction-if we thought murders and treasons real, they would please no more-the truth is, the spectators are always in their senses, and know from the first act to the last, that the stage is only a stage, and that the players are only players-they come to hear a certain number of lines recited with just gesture and elegant modulation-the lines relate to some action, and an action must be in some placebut the different actions that complete a story may be in places very remote from each other-and where is the absurdity of allowing that space to represent first Athens and then Sicily, which was always known to be neither Sicily, nor Athens, but a modern theatre ?—the time required by the fable elapses for the most part between the acts--and time is, of all modes of existence, most obsequious to the imagination—a lapse of years is as easily conceived as a passage of hours-the unities of time and place are not essential to a just drama, and tho' they may sometimes conduce to pleasure, they are always to be sacrificed to the nobler beauties of variety and instruction-he that, without diminution of any other excellence, shall preserve all the unities unbroken, deserves the like applause with the architect, who shall display all the orders of architecture in a citadel, without

any deduction from its strength-but the principal beauty of a citadel is to exclude the enemy-and the greatest graces of a play are to copy nature and instruct life. (Dr. Johnson.)

[ocr errors]

= Liston:

Egerton :

Feb. 5. Never acted, Knight of Snowdoun. Sir Roderick Dhu = Young: Knight of Snowdoun C. Kemble Macloon (in love with Ellen) Earl Douglas = Barrymore: Earl Mar Murdock Emery: Norman (in love with Alice) = Blanchard: John of Brent Bellamy : Ellen (daughter to Douglas) = Miss S. Booth: Alice (her maid— in love with Norman) = Mrs. Dickons : Isabel = Mrs. Liston :-acted 23 times this musical Drama, in 3 acts, was written by Morton-it is a wretched attempt to dramatize Scott's Lady of the Lake-the King of Scotland, as the Knight of Snowdoun, loses his way in the Highlands-Ellen conducts him to the bower-Roderick Dhu and the Knight of Snowdoun meet as in the poem-Douglas falls into the hands of Mar-he is to be put to death, unless 5000 marks should be paid for his ransom Roderick Dhu is unable to raise such a sum-but he saves the life of Douglas by surrendering himself to MarMar having promised a large reward for Roderick Dhu-Ellen goes to Stirling-Roderick is brought in as a prisoner-the Knight of Snowdoun puts on his robes, and seats himself on his throne- Ellen presents to the King the ring which he had given her with a promise to grant any request that she should make-she requests the freedom of Roderick Dhu -the King pardons Roderick Dhu-the King and Douglas are reconciled-Ellen and Roderick Dhu are united

---

Morton has taken unwarrantable

liberties with the story-he has completely spoilt the character of Roderick Dhu-he seems to have written the silly part of Macloon, merely because he was determined to have Liston act in his play-in the 1st scene of the 2d act, Norman shakes his sword at Macloon-Morton is so absurd as to make Macloon call this" one of the keen cuts of northern cri"ticism"-see Bath March 21 1812. 18. Blue Beard, revived. Abomelique more: Shacabac

=

[ocr errors]

=

Barry

Fawcett: Ibrahim Simmons:

=

=

Selim Taylor: Irene Mrs. C. Kemble: Fatima = Miss Bolton: Beda Mrs. Liston:-acted 44 times. It was formerly the custom to exhibit a scrap of Latin over the curtain-thus at D. L. 1699 (see Love and a Bottle) there was "Vivitur ingenio❞— it appears from the Spectator, No. 370, May 5 1712, that the Motto then was "Totus Mundus agit His"trionem"-Foote put up "De te fabula narratur,” which Colman changed to "Stet fortuna domûs”. these Mottos were very appropriate-and if Harris would have stuck up-from Juvenal—

"Lucri bonus est odor ex re

[blocks in formation]

-it would have pointed out in some few words his notions of theatrical management.

The Dramatic Censor observes-" a novel and "marked event occurred at this theatre on this even

ing, which should be considered as a black epocha "for ever, by the loyal adherents to Wit and the "Muses-as the Musselmen date their computation "of years from the flight of Mahomet, so should the "hordes of folly commence their triumphant register,

« السابقةمتابعة »