Plays," adds the Canon, "ought to be, according to Cicero, mirrors of human life, patterns of good manners, and the very representatives of truth; instead of which those now acted are mirrors of absurdities, patterns of follies, and images of immorality." He then instances the wanton abuse of the unities.-As Mr. Cherry introduced this debate, let him not be forgatten at the end of it. In the following notice of a great absurdity, the Canon seems in a manner to honour Mr. Cherry's Tra vellers with particular attention. "I have seen a play, in which the first act began in Europe, the second in Asia, and the third ended in Africa. Probably, if there had been another act,* they would have carried it into America; and thus it would have been acted in the four parts of the world." After all, the critic concludes, and we most per; fectly agree with him, "that the fault lies not in the audience's desiring absurdities, but in those who know not how to give them uny thing else." HAYMARKET. 1807. June 23. Heir at Law.-The Review. 24. Hamlet.-Fortune's Frolic. 25. Sighs, or the Daughter.-Mrs. Wiggins.-Tom Thumb.* June *From the play to the second piece was a happy transition from sighs to laughter, which Mr. Mathews' personation of Old Wiggins never fails to produce in a profuse degree. This honey-bearing bee carries a sting in its tail however, which always manifests itself by a hiss at the conclusion. The circumstance is to be lamented, as a little more pains in the structure of this jeu d'esprit, and a slight polish of the dialogue, would remove every thing objectionable. "Tom Thumb the small" is, at the little theatre, in his own house, and may here truly exclaim "O happy Tommy, super-happy Thumb." He appears, at the other theatres, to far less advantage. The acting and singing of Mrs. Liston, in Queen Dollalolla, and the performance of Lord Grizzle, by Mr. Liston, are the very height of burlesque-the ludicrous can go no further. Her Now tremble all is delightful. Mrs. Taylor being indisposed this evening, Mrs. Mathews took the part of Huncamunca. As every thing is absurd and preposterous in this burictta, we think if there were two phoenixes, that is, if "all the gods in council' * Spanish plays have only three jornadas or acts. June 26. Hunter of the Alps.-Five Miles off.-We fly by Night. 27. Mountaineers.*-Irish Widow. June Council" had made a second Miss Leserve,* or had nature indulged in any other freak in human composition, that should have been the person to play Huncamunca. Being of opinion, then, that this character should have nothing of prettiness in it, the change from Mrs. Taylor to Mrs. Mathews, is from bad to worse; for under those circumstances, the little hero's desire to “sun himself in Huncamunca's eyes” is no longer either extraordinary or ridiculous. Mr. Grove's Doodle is well supported; and Mr. Taylor, in Noodle, is admirable; but here, perhaps, after all Mr. Taylor's excellence, the public are not well used: they have a right to expect the best the house affords, and where is there a Noodle, in this theatre, to compare with Mr. Winston! * The Loco of Cervantes, so ingeniously dramatized by Mr. Colman in the character of Octavian, was, this night, undertaken by Mr. Young, whose successful entré on the London boards has already acquired him so much fame. The acting of such a part cannot well be witnessed without a retrospect, and comparisons, however odious, and carefully guarded against, will intrude themselves on the judgment of the critic. Of the great original in this character, Mr. Kemble, wè must confess that he stands alone. In his happiest moments, Octavian, so suited to the best operation of all his faculties and accomplishments, is a chef d'œuvre of art and excellence, not, on the whole, to be surpassed. This justice done, we are prompt to allow that every other competitor fades and is lost by the side of Mr. Young, whose performe ance of the part was always masterly, and, in certain touches, wherein tenderness of expression was to be exhibited, he was inimitable. The mention of other competitors naturally brings Mr. Elliston before us, and here our task becomes irksome. To judge honestly, as we think, between these two stars, Mr. Elliston and Mr. Young, we should say that the rising of the latter is the setting of the former. In comedy Mr. Elliston may still please, but in tragedy Mr. Young has put his little talents to 66 by by," to sleep for ever. If, as we angar from the justice due to the public amusement, to the good sense of the managers, and to the extraordinary merits of Mr. Young, he should be engaged at Drury-Lane theatre, those who seek for Mr. Elliston's buskins will find them on the shelf in the budget "for oblivion." The satisfaction afforded by Mr. Young's Octavian was manifested by the most flattering emotions of pleasure in the audience, visible • Glumdalca. June 29. John Bull.-Village Lawyer. June in their countenances and expressed by their hands. It appeared to us that several new speeches were introduced by this gentleman, but not always with equal claim to praise. That, when he talks to Roque of stealing at midnight to strew cypress on the monument of Floranthe, is unobjectionable; but that, where, in imitation of Pope, who had written, that you may, from habit, get so attached to an old dead trunk of a tree, as not to like to part with it, Mr. Colman makes Octavian say, that, from use, a man confined may sigh to leave a peg in the wall of his prison, would, we think, with more taste have been omitted. It is, if any thing, ludicrous, and Octavian is in sober sadness. We may here also remark that there seems something absurd in Octavian, when rushing on Bulcazin Muley, he exclaims, "Prove but my weapon true," at the time that he possesses none. The actor may look at his fist and call that a weapon if he pleases, but how will the context bear him out? If a figure can make a fist a weapon, none can well make such a one cut off a man's head, yet the turban'd Turk is told that, prove but this weapon true, his head shall roll, a trunkless ball. To the large sum arising from Mr. Young's acting, which is to be put on the credit side, are to be added, per contra, many little debits against the general performance of this play. Mr. Taylor, whose genius, as an actor and singer combined, is quite rare, played the part of Killmallock, but his brogue is poor in the extreme. The song, however, he sung very well. Zadi received, from Mr. De Camp, but little of that spirit and bustle, which have amused us in others. The chorusses were executed most lamely, and Mrs. Taylor, whose figure is so neat in its proper habiliments, made such an appearance in Floranthe's dress, as rendered it altogether incredible that any one should go mad on her account, unless, indeed, he was married to her. The audience could not conceal their disapprobation of Mr. Carles' Bulcazin Muley. Mrs. Liston, in Agnes, sung her airs delightfully, and Mrs. Mathews represented Zorayda in a very elegant and interesting manner. This lady deservedly increases in public favour. In the farce, Mrs. Litchfield appeared for the second time this season, in the part of the Widow Brady, which she performed admirably, and was loudly applauded. The excellent style of dress and fine mimickry of Mr. Mathews, in Old Keksey, produced bursts of laughter. Though he has as much variety in comedy as any actor on the stage, he seems to have powers calculated to shine, with peculiar splendour, in characters of this description. Mr. Waddy did considerable justice to Sir Pat. O'Neal. This June 30. Seeing is Believing. Dramatist. Paul and Virginia.* July 1. The Wonder.†-Catch him who can. July *This agreeable entertainment introduced Mr. Bennett, in Paul, for the first time, to a London audience. This gentleman appears to be about five-and-twenty; is of short stature, and possesses a good-humoured, pleasant countenance. He has performed several times at Bath, where, at the theatre, as well as at musical meetings, he was much admired. It is something to say that he has had the advantage of Sig. Rauzzini's instruction, His natural powers have, doubtless, been considerably benefited by it, but they, not being of the first order and of the most solid substance, could only bear a slight polish.His tones are clear, but the compass of his voice is not extensive, and the utmost of our praise is, that he is a pleasing and tasteful singer.— On this occasion, probably through fear, he frequently sung out of tune. He reminded us occasionally of Mr. Braham; not however in his voice, for it is not nasal, but in certain parts of his manner, which "it is a vice to know"-viz. the pumping up of tones, and the inelegant shrug of the shoulders. He is a desirable accession to the little theatre. Mrs. Taylor played the part of Alhambra very prettily.-The interest of the piece owed all its support to her judicious performance of this character. + The Wonder, or a Woman keeps a Secret, is the most esteemed of Mrs. Centlivre's dramatic productions. The intricacy and bustle of the plot are admirably contrived, and never fail, even in bad hands, to produce a lively sensation of pleasure. Since the days of Garrick numberless have been the adventurous knights, who have tried to cope. with Don Felix, but few have met with great success. Mr. Young, in our opinion, entirely failed. That the representation had no shining parts, or that, as a whole, it might not have done many actors much credit, whom we have "heard others praise, and that highly," we are by no means prepared to assert, but for such a performer as Mr. Young has proved himself, in Hamlet, it was nothing. In the fourth act, and in several other instances, he was certainly distinguished; but, in general, he wanted ease and flexibility of features to describe the varying passions, as well as that je ne sais quoi of comedy, which is rarely found in tragedians of his promise. If, therefore, we may be allowed to construe Juvenal punningly, we shall here deny his assertion that “Nemo malus Felix." Like other female dramatists (" they best describe it, who have felt it most,") Mrs. Centlivre is a little loose in her love allusions, and often more true to passion than to grammar, but, I-VOL. II.* 1 July 2. Mogul Tale.- Five Miles off.-Tom Thumb. 3. Stranger."-Lock and Key. 4. Mountaineers.-Paul and Virginia. 6. Hamlet. Waterman. July though we have not the play before us, we cannot think that she makes The characters, well supported throughout, were Donna Violante, Flora, and Lissurdo. Mrs. Litchfield's Violante was a good performance. She entered well into the character, and exhibited it with many touches of true taste and judgment. Mrs. Gibbs and Mr. Fawcett, in Flora and Lissardo, exerted their rich, comic powers, with the happiest effect. Seeing that Mr. De Camp possesses various natural qualifications to form an agreeable actor, we are sorry to witness so little improvement in him. He manages his voice badly, and his acting, in Col. Briton, is without effect. It would be unjust to the merits of the other performers, in this piece, to say any thing in their favour. *This is the best of all the adaptations of the German Muse to our stage. The moralists, however, have condemned it wholly on account of its dénouement, considering its potent interest and excitement of the passions, with regard to others, as unavailing in mitigation of their censure. They are so absorbed in the immorality that they look to nothing else; but such critics remind us, in a measure, of a man (whose name we do not recollect, though the fact is certain) who went to see Garrick in Lear, and being asked how he liked him, he replied-As to the effect of his acting he could say nothing, but he knew exactly how many words he had uttered; and immediately told the number correctly. Still we must confess, of the plot, what Thersites says of the Trojan war, "all the argument is a cuckold and a whore," and, as to the catastrophe, it certainly seems to be formed on the principle of our old friend Puck "The man shall have his mare again, and all shall be well.” In the management of this last scene, then, Mr. Thompson was, perhaps, a little to blame. A trifling alteration, which his ingenuity could easily have afforded, might have left every thing to praise, and nothing to blame. Mr. Young has added another laurel to his brow in the part of The Stranger. He pourtrayed the victim of sincere friendship, and overweening love, a man almost justified in his misanthropy, with fine dis *Troil. Cress. act 2, sc. 3. |