Transcription
Astley’s Amphitheatre.
The Easter novelty at this every popular place of amusement was a spectacle under the title of Bonaparte in Egypt; or, the Battle of Aboukir. A spectacle it may well be called, and a very grand one it is too. The piece is of French origin, and was originally acted for a long succession of nights in Paris. In its adaptation to the stage of Batty’s Theatre, it has undergone no alteration in the original clap-traps complimentary to the then Corsican hero previous to his assumption of the First Consulship of the French Republic. Everything, as a matter of course, is said and done to elevate the character and achievements of the then young general of the French army, and afterwards Emperor all its territories. The poisoning of the wells by the Arabs is strongly depicted, whilst the poisoning in the hospitals by French physicians is studiously avoided. Not one word is said in favour of British valour; all given in to French bravery. This, is essentially French. As a spectacle, it is of first-rate character, and gorgeous in the extreme. The dresses of the French officers are magnificently grand, and the costumiers have fully carried out their excellently invented designs. The par excellence, however, of the spectacle is its splendid groupings and its very effective tableaux vivans, which excel anything of that kind ever yet seen even at this farfamed establishment. The appearance of Napoleon on his milk white charger was the signal for a spontaneous burst of applause from every part of the theatre. The two characters of the jack tar and the Irish marine, engrafted on the spectacle, in the hands of Barry and Smith give a very considerable relief to the dramatic portion of the piece. But the denoument, as it ever should be, produced a perfect furore with the audience, which continued long and prosperous run to The Battle of Aboukir.
The Scenes which followed in the Circle were full of variety as well as animation, and the exhibited in many instances an artistic skill rarely if ever equalled in any arena throughout the United Kingdom. All present seemed to appreciate their peculiar excellence, by responding to them with loud hearty cheers.
