THE REGULAR DRAMA.

363

you-my good fellow-before we go any farther, how would you define or describe the regular drama?

North. I see nothing that can be either added or taken away from the truly Aristotelian definition which you have now given of it; and everything dramatic not included within the terms thereof, may be philosophically pronounced to belong to the irregular drama.

Tickler. Having settled that point, which is at once nice and knotty, we may proceed to overhaul the minutes of evidence, and judge of its bearings on the general question of the patents.

North. Would that worthy Mr Winston had had the benefit of hearing your admirable definition, before he was badgered by the Select. "What do you consider is meant by the regular Drama?" asked one of the inquisitors. And the veteran Ex-Manager of the Haymarket replied "The regular Drama I consider to be Tragedy and Comedy, and everything on the stage."- "What! Burletta ?"-"Yes-because Toм THUMB was played in the regular theatres, and is printed and called a Burletta."-"What do you consider a Burletta to be?""Recitative and singing; no speaking whatever; THE GOLDEN PIPPIN is a strong specimen of it—and OLYMPUS IN AN UPROAR."-" IS OLYMPUS IN AN UPROAR the regular Drama."-"Yes-for it is played at the regular theatres, and played under license.". "Do I understand you to include every stage representation ?"—" Yes - the regular Drama includes everything.

Tickler. Very sensible.

North. One of the Select then asks Mr Winston what he "considers to be not the regular drama ?" At that he shakes his head, and says, "I do not know; that it is a very difficult thing to ascertain;" but plucking up courage, he adds, "If they can play everything, then everything is the regular drama."

Tickler. So in a regular drama there is no need for the performers, unless they like it, to utter a single word. North. None in the world.

Tickler. And "Tom Thumb," "the Golden Pippin," and "Olympus in an Uproar," are all strong specimens of the regular drama?

North. Samsons. Mr Winston is then asked if "tumbling be the regular drama?" and his silence speaks consent. So, of course, must be dancing and swinging on the rope.

364 BULWER'S SPEECH ON DRAMATIC PRIVILEGES.

Tickler. Why go into particulars? Did he not say the regular drama included "everything?"

North. But he qualifies that somewhat sweeping assertion; for, on being asked, "Are lions the regular drama?" he answers promptly and firmly, "No, I should consider not; not lions, certainly."

Tickler. Well, well-though there may perhaps be some slight difference between Mr Winston's definition and mine of the regular drama, they seem to agree on the main points; so let's to the general question of the patents.

North. It is well stated by Mr Bulwer to be this-" How far is it expedient for the public, that privileges and enactments of this monopolising description should be continued ?"1 Tickler. What privileges and enactments?

North. Why-to use the words of Mr Bulwer-by a late decision of the Lord Chancellor, it seems that all performances worthy of the attendance of persons pretending to a reasonable degree of education-all performances, except those of the most mountebank and trumpery description, fit only for the players of Bartholomew Fair, are to be considered as infringements of the law, and as subjecting those who assist in them to serious penalties.

Tickler. Pray, what, generally speaking, is the character of the Minor Theatres ?

North. More or less respectable.

Tickler. Clear and explicit.

North. And can there be a doubt that their character would be elevated by lawful liberty to enact the regular drama? Tickler. "To be or not to be-that is the question."

North. There is much difference of opinion among the witnesses as to the comparative adaptation of large and small theatres for general dramatic effect. Charles Kemble (one of the proprietors of Covent Garden Theatre) argues with much ability in favour of very large ones, such as Covent Garden and Drury Lane. The same plays, acted by the same performers on alternate nights, at the Haymarket and the OperaHouse, paid better by £200 or £300 at the larger than at the smaller.

1 On the 31st May, 1832, Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton "moved for a select committee to inquire into the law respecting Dramatic Literature and the performance of the Drama," which motion was agreed to.

MATTHEWS IN JOHN KEMBLE.

Tickler. That proves nothing.

North. Mind the smaller was not half full.

365

Tickler. Ho-ho-then it would seem to prove a great deal. North. Matthews the Admirable, whose amusing and ingenious evidence, however, is far from convincing on the general merits, treated the Select with John Kemble's opinion, delivered as if by John himself; for, quoth Charles, "I never can repeat a conversation, unless I do it in the style of the person who gave it."

Tickler. O rare Charles Matthews! He becomes the original with such intensity, that the original seems to dwindle into an imperfect and ineffectual imitation of his own self. You cannot allow the original original, after you have seen and heard Charles in him, to perform himself; he looks so very tame; he wants that brilliance, which burns round and about his creative doubleganger; and the wisest thing he can do is to become, in the critic's row in the pit, an ecstatic admirer of his own perfections.

North. "It is a common complaint," quoth Charles as John, "to speak about the size of the Theatres; the Public will tell you that they like small Theatres; sir, they lie; they like large theatres. They go to the opera, because it is a large theatre; and when my sister and myself, and Mr Cook, acted in Henry the Eighth, when we acted at the King's Theatre, we played to £600; and when we went over to the Theatre opposite, we never got £200 to the same play."

Tickler. "Sir, they lie!" Christopher North in Charles Matthews in John Kemble in Samuel Johnson.

North. One of the Select says, that he can perfectly well understand that there are certain sorts of representations which can only be represented in large theatres, such as pantomimes, melodramas, and spectacles, and things of that sort; but Charles Kemble rather sharply replies "Excuse me; I think, with respect to melodramas and pantomimes, it is a mistake to suppose they can be better acted at large than at small theatres. Indeed, I think a pantomime may be better acted in a small theatre than in a large one; because those changes which are necessary for the great success of a pantomime, are much more easily effected in a small theatre than in a large one. With respect to melodramas, they do not depend for success entirely on splendour. On the contrary, I should say,

366

SMALL AND LARGE THEATRES.

the most successful melodramas have been those which depended on strong excitement in the story or incidents of the piece; for without these, all the splendour in the world will do nothing either in a large or in a small theatre. Splendour alone does nothing, or next to nothing, to the success of a piece."

Tickler. Well said Charles Kemble. One of the most delightful sights in this world, North, is a fine melodrama. Wiseacres, prigs, sumphs, and your general blockheads, abuse such beautiful spectacles; yet even they are not insensible to their fascination, as may be seen in the glaring stare of their great goggle eyes devouring the stage. That the Public loves the melodrama, is a proof that she is not so prosaic a Public as she seems to be when in the act of reading through the advertisements in a morning newspaper.

North. Worthy soul! she has some poetry in her after all— some imagination-some perception of moving grace or skillan eye and a heart-a soul—for the fairy world of enchanted cloudland and its floating inhabitants. I too, Tim, do dearly love the melodrama.

Tickler. What farther sayeth the deponent?

North. That there are certain plays which require enlarged space-for example, "Coriolanus," and "Julius Cæsar," and "Macbeth."

Tickler. All tragedies that involve magnificence in the grouping of the characters, in the incidence of the events, in the scenic shows.

North. Just so; whereas dramas of a humbler, of a domestic, of a more familiar kind, such as "The Hunchback ". Tickler. A beautiful play.

North. Very-may be as effectively performed, or perhaps more so, in a theatre of very moderate size.

Tickler. Plain as a pikestaff.

North. Mr Macready's opinion coincides with Mr Kemble's. He tells us that he finds it much easier to act in a small theatre than in a large one,-and that for merely domestic scenes and simple dialogue, when there is nothing of pomp and circumstance attending it, he should prefer a small theatre; but as for Shakespeare's plays, that very few of them can be found which can have due effect given them in a small theatre. Even the Haymarket he thinks hardly large enough

KEAN AND DOWTON DIFFER.

367

to allow a fair acting of Shakespeare's Plays. In scenes where only two persons have been on the stage-and one of these Kean-he thought nothing about the size of the house; but when a great number occupied the stage, he felt the want of space and too great proximity of the performers.

Tickler. What say Young and Kean?

North. Mr Young does not appear at all.

Tickler. Extraordinary! The finest actor on the stageUltimus Romanorum. So must all have felt who ever saw him in Brutus.

North. Mr Kean prefers a large stage-Drury Lane. He thinks the intellect becomes confined by the size of the theatre-that in a larger one the illusion is better preservedthat the illusion is heightened by the somewhat diminished appearance of the performers-and that any actor, with a good enunciation, may be heard as well at Drury Lane as any theatre in the world-even in the one-shilling gallery—if the gods will but be silent

Tickler. And not keep perpetually performing "Olympus in an Uproar."

North. That an eye of average power can perfectly well distinguish the play of the countenance at that distance-and that there is this other very material consideration, that the faults of the actor are less observable

Tickler. Pray, how is that? Beauties all distinct, defects all hidden-how is that, pray?

North. Ask Mr Kean.

You know Dowton?

Tickler. Well-a first-rater of the Old School. How deponeth Dowton?

North. "I am astonished," quoth Mister William, "at Mr Kean's opinion; because, when I am told that actors can be as well seen in Drury Lane Theatre as in a smaller one, I can as well believe you can hang a cabinet picture on the top of that tower, and say, 'Do you observe those beautiful touchesdo you observe its lights and shadows? No-I cannot see it at all.' That is my opinion as to the stage. Give me a theatre of moderate size, where you can be natural."

Tickler. That "must give us pause."

North. Mr Dowton is then asked whether Mr Kean's acting is the more effective at Drury Lane or Covent Garden, or in a small theatre in the country? And he says, "much more to