THEATRE ROYAL, COVENT GARDEN. The following is a list of those admirers of the drama who have so generously come forward to relieve the theatre from its present difficulties. Capt. George Harris.. 10 0 Mr. Cuttriss Mr. Farley ........ 10 0 - Wetton, Esq. share holder W. Macready, Esq. Mr. B. P. Bellamy. Mr. Sotheby ........ Ewing, Esq. H. Robertson, Esq. Mr. Olivier. 22550 500 00 10 00 Rev.W.Fallofield,share Mr. Solomon Vaughan Mr. Bianchi Taylor Mr. T. W. Jones Mr. J. Hodgson Mr. H. C. White Reporter of Morning Mr. Ward Journal' Mr. Vie Mr. John Hare R. B. Mr. Cooper of 'The Standard' Mr. H. Chilton 2112 10 200 10 10 0 Mr. Burroughs 5 0 0 Mr. Winkfield Mr. Notter J. H. Skelton, Esq. 10 0 Sundry Friends of ditto ... ON THE PRESENT STATE OF THE DRAMA. OWING to the distressing state of Covent Garden Theatre, several letters have appeared in the public journals, declaring that the appetite of the public for theatrical entertainments is completely wearing away in this kingdom. This idea is worthy of refutation; for, perhaps, at no period of stage history was the drama more followed by the mass of the public, than at the present moment; especially if we take into consideration the nature of the entertainments provided for them. Indeed, what greater arguments can be offered as a proof of this, when we may defy any person to show a period when dramatic professors received such enormous salaries, or when so many theatres were crowded to the ceiling at this season of the year? We have now upwards of twenty actors or actresses lolling in their carriages; and six summer theatres, proving rich sources of speculation to the proprietors. But though the patronizers of the drama are not diminished in quantity in this country, they are miserably so in quality. To endeavour to account for this, we should open so wide a field for discussion, that we could soon fill our limited pages. Among many probable causes, we may notice the mismanagement so glaringly displayed on the part of the conductors of our principal theatres, who are frequently so unqualified for the undertaking, that they inflict upon the public all the trash that is offered them. Another cause is, the great patronage afforded by the higher classes to the Italian Opera, when they prefer hearing nonsense sung in a language they do not understand, to having it spoken in their own. Many have founded their arguments on the decline of the drama by the present rage for pantomime and shows; but all who are acquainted with the theatrical history of this kingdom, must be aware that the triumph of noise, nonsense, mummery, and show, over sense and intelligence, has afforded food for the satirists from the drama's first institution in this country. Ben Jonson bitterly complained of it at the very dawn of our dramatic day, and in Garrick's time, that time which has been proudly styled the golden age of the drama, the doors of the theatres, on the first night of a new pantomime, were obliged to be opened at three o'clock; and when the public demanded the institution of a half-price, Garrick made this proviso, "except on the run of a pantomime spectacle." A long article has appeared in the Edinburgh Review, on the drama, which states, that it is on the decline, though, however, no ostensible reasons are given to justify the assertion. There are two statements which we cannot help noticing. Why do all men of merit almost unanimously refuse to visit the theatres, and why will no man of real talent write for them? The first requires no answer, as it remains to be proved, that no man of merit will visit the theatre; the other may be thus accounted for. Among the numerous persons who have written for the stage, few have done so from choice, it has been through necessity; and it is a curious fact, that the first poet who received wages for his labours, was a dramatic poet. At the time when Otway and Lee flourished in this country, our periodical literature, which, at present, occupies so many otherwise idle hands, was very limited; so that those persons, who had nought but their talents to "feed and clothe themselves with," fortunately for posterity, were obliged to turn their attention to the stage; but now that our periodical literature has arrived to such an extent, and the writers paid so liberally, it is not to be wondered at that men prefer receiving a certain stipend for their labours, rather than run all the crosses and disappointments which attend dramatic productions. MISCELLANIES. :— INCONVENIENCES OF THE STAGE IN GARRICK'S TIME. THEATRES, then, were not large enough, on the benefit of a favourite performer, in the audience part, to contain the company : therefore the following advertisement appeared at the bottom of each play-bill, on any benefit of consequence :-" Part of the pit will be railed into boxes; and for the better accommodation of the ladies, the stage will be formed into an amphitheatre, where servants will be allowed to keep places." When a great house was not sufficiently ascertained, (as the performer judged) from the places taken and the tickets sold, at the bottom of the bill was, "N.B. Not any building on the stage." The inconveniences arising from this mode of building on the stage must have been very great. Suppose an audience behind the curtain, up to the clouds, with persons of a menial cast on the ground, beaus and no beaus, crowding the only entrance. What a play it must have been when Romeo was breaking open the supposed tomb, which was no more than a screen on those nights set up, and Mrs. Cibber prostrating herself on an old couch, covered with a black cloth, as the tomb of the Capulets, with at least (on a great benefit night) two hundred persons behind her, which formed the back ground, as an unfrequented, hallowed place of chapless skulls, which was to convey the idea of where the heads of all his buried ancestors were packed! The stage spectators were not content with piling on raised seats, till their heads touched the theatrical cloudings; which seats were closed in with dirty worn-out scenery, to continue the painted round from the first wing, the main entrance being up stairs from the middle of the back scene; but when that amphitheatre was filled, there would be a group of ill-dressed lads and persons sitting on the stage in front, three or four rows deep; otherwise, those who sat behind could not have seen, and a riot would have ensued. So, in fact, a performer, on a popular night, could not step his foot with safety, lest he should thereby hurt or offend, or be thrown down amongst scores of idle and tipsy apprentices. The first time Holland acted Hamlet, it was for his own benefit, when the stage was in the situation here described. On seeing the Ghost he was much frightened, and felt the sensation and terror usual on the occasion, and his hat flew a-la-mode off his head. An inoffensive woman in a red cloak, (a friend of Holland's) hearing Hamlet complain the air bit shrewdly, and was very cold, with infinite composure crossed the stage, took up his hat, and with the greatest care placed it fast on Hamlet's head, who on the occasion was as much alarmed in reality, as he had just then been feigning.. But the audience burst out into such incessant peals of laughter, that the Ghost moved off without any ceremony; and Hamlet, scorning to be outdone in courtesy, immediately followed, with roars of applause. The poor woman stood astonished, which increased the roar, &c. It was some time before the laughter subsided; and they could not resist a repetition (that merry tragedy night) on the reappearance of the Ghost and Hamlet.-Tate's Memoirs. A DANGEROUS EXPERIMENT. SIGNOR SPOZZI, a dancer at the Birmingham theatre, in the rage for novelty, announced for his benefit, in August, 1787, a dance by himself in the character of a Dæmon, surrounded by fire, and imprudently appeared on the stage with five half-pound rockets on his head, and one on each arm. He had not been dancing a minute before he was deprived of his senses, by the report of the gunpowder and smoke, and was first drove against the stage door in a state of stupefaction, from thence thrown into the pit over the spikes, and received eleven wounds in different parts of his body. He was all this while on fire, which communicated to the audience in the front of the pit, and several of them had their clothes, aprons, &c. much burnt by his imprudence. FOOTE'S OPINION OF FARCES. "A DROLL" was a vague expression, which those who spoke with propriety would choose to distinguish by the name of Farce, a sort of hodge-podge, dressed up by a gothic cook, and the mangled limbs of probability, common sense, and decency, served up to gratify voracious cravings and depraved appetites. A GOTHIC GREEN ROOM. WHEN application was made to the dean and chapter of Westminster, to obtain permission for Mrs. Clive, the actress, to be buried in the Abbey, one of the prebends said, he "had made no objection to burying Garrick and Henderson, in Poet's Corner, because each of them had talents, independent of their professions; nor did he see any particular objection to allow the same privilege to Mrs. Clive: but," added he, "if we do not draw some line in this theatrical ambition for mortuary fame, we shall very soon make Westminster Abbey a kind of Gothic Green Room." PRAYING FOR THE DEAD. MRS. CIBBER wrote to Murphy, requesting he would send her word as to the success of his Orphan of China, adding, "I shall offer up my prayers for your success.' Foote read the letter aloud, and returned it, saying, with great gravity, "Mrs. Cibber is a Catholic, and they always pray for the dead." ARTAXERXES. WHEN Dr. Arne first brought the Opera of Artaxerxes to a rehearsal, Tenducci sung the air of "Water parted from the Sea," with such effect, that Miss Brent (afterwards Mrs. Pinto,) for whom the part of Mandane was composed, flew to Dr. Arne with some violence, and told him, "he might get whom he pleased to take Mandane, because he had given the best air in the piece to Tenducci."-In vain the poor Doctor strove to soothe her-she was ungovernable. He retired from the theatre-sat down, and having first written the words of "Let not rage thy bosom firing," posed an air to them in the same character that marks "Water parted," though it is inferior in other respects:-this he presented to Miss Brent, who being struck with the application of the first line to her own violence of temper, told the Doctor, "that she was appeased, and would sing to the utmost of her ability to serve him." PERSONATIONS OF MACBETH. TO THE EDITOR OF THE DRAMATIC MAGAZINE. com SIR,-The following poetical fragment, I think, is worthy of insertion, as it gives a fair idea of the styles of the different Macbeths, from Quin to Macklin. Your admirer, J. P. C. Old Quin, ere fate suppress'd his lab'ring breath, AN ACCOUNT OF THE FIRST TRAGEDY IN OUR LANGUAGE. THE first regular tragedy which England produced, was written at the commencement of Elizabeth's reign. This was the Gorboducke, |