THE STAGE: BOTH BEFORE AND BEHIND THE CURTAIN, FROM "OBSERVATIONS TAKEN ON THE SPOT." BY ALFRED BUNN, LATE LESSEE OF THE THEATRES ROYAL DRURY LANE AND COVENT GARDEN. 'I am (NOT) forbid To tell the secrets of my prison-house." HAMLET, ACT 1. SC. V. IN THREE VOLUMES. VOL. III. RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET, 1840. Guardsman-Landseer and the lions-Men making beasts of them- ins and penalties give way to rhyme and reason-A probable sus- pension of both-Prospect of an epic poem overclouded-Spenser, Leigh Hunt, and Southey-A change desirable, not ending in a de- sirable change-Public meeting-Mr. Robins and Mr. Durrant- Lots of fun, and a little mischief--A loud report, but a false one- A slight mistake or two-How to draw up an advertisement— Defence of Mr. Bunn by a proprietor-Opinions of the whole body forward correspondence—Sale at the auction mart, and a sail at sea THE STAGE: BOTH BEFORE AND BEHIND THE CURTAIN. CHAPTER I. Mr. C. Kean's appearance in London—A lecture on bad habits—Garrick's villa-Mems of a Manager-A change of AIR-Ferdinand Ries-Italian Opera at Paris-Severini-Mrs. Bland and Mrs. Jordan—what is in Bishop, and how to extract it-Stanfield and Macready-Murphy praised, whether or no-John Reeve and the Lord Mayor-Dimond his life and death-His many trialsLENT, not paid for-The Lord Chamberlain again !—Mrs. Glover's fall from the stage-C. Kean's Hamlet and Richard-Three hundred guinea's worth of lectures-A Shaks erian prophecy-Seguin and Talleyrand-Unpublished letter from Lord Byron-Barclay and Jackson-Magic Flute-a Roman Nose-Persiani-Boisragon— Morton-C. Kean and his father contrasted-Dinner and dessert. I REMEMBER few instances of greater excitement than that which preceded, and attended, the return of Mr. Charles Kean to the metropolitan boards. The hiatus occasioned by the death of his father, the VOL. III. B |