"Nor fear to strike,

Where justice bids me on, nor dare to strike
Where she forbids."

To praise is far more congenial to our disposition than to censure, and fain would we relinquish the painful task of reviewing Miss Phillips's performance of Lady Townly: we say painful, it being little more than a complete failure. We do not mean to assert that Miss Phillips is to blame for appearing in the part of Lady Townly, but we think the managers acted very injudiciously in placing her in a character in which it was hardly possible for her to succeed. A person may be taught to sing, to play, to dance, to recite, or to excel, provided there is genius, in any other accomplishment; but the almost indescribable grace and manners of a lady, not only moving, but taking the lead, in the first circles, are not to be taught; they are to be acquired. That Miss Phillips has not had the time or opportunity to acquire all these superior excellencies, is a proposition we may very safely venture upon; but, independent of this, the lady has little or no genius for comedy; her manner was not sufficiently vivacious, and her humour

"Was like the forced gait of a shuffling nag."

Mr. Young's performance of Lord Townly was that of a perfect gentleman, a man of talent, and of the purest sensibility. In the scene where he informs his lady of his having determined on a separation, there was a noble and commanding earnestness in his countenance, a melancholy grandeur in the fine cadences of his voice, which made a deep impression on the audience. All the other characters were so admirably sustained, that there is little for the critic to say. At the conclusion Mr. Young came forward, and announced the comedy for repetition, "with your permission," on Thursday and Saturday.

After the play a new farce was produced, called All at Sixes and Sevens, from the pen of Mr. C. Dibdin, which, to use the phrase of a popular author, "was strangled in its birth." The characters were,

Ebenezer, Mr. GATTIE; Whirlton, Mr. JONES; John Stubb, Mr. LISTON; Spruce, Mr. HARLEY; Grubb, Mr. HUGHES; William, Mr. LEE; Dob, Mr. W. BENNETT; Muzzle, Mr. WEBSTER; Miss Varnish, Mrs. ORGER; Betty, Mrs. WEBSTER; Miss Stubb, Miss Love.

As this composition has been ushered into the world under the designation of a farce, it may naturally be concluded that it has a plot; perhaps it has two, though we must confess our humble abilities will not permit us to understand the author's intention; but such parts of it as we are enabled to depict and decypher, we will.

Whirlton is a young man of fashion, and of considerable property, which he is not to come into possession of till the age of twenty-five; he therefore borrows money of a Jew, which his guardian Ebenezer hearing of, informs the Jew that there is a clause in the will to this effect:

+

should Whirlton borrow any money before he arrives at the age of
twenty-five, the whole of the fortune is to go to him (Ebenezer).
Whirlton, hearing of this clause, starts off with Miss Stubbs, a farmer's
daughter (who has just left the fashionable boarding-school of Miss
Varnish,) whom he meets by accident in the street, for Gretna Green.
They are pursued and taken. Whirlton is arrested by the Jew Grubb,
and placed in the King's Bench, and is shortly released by Ebenezer,
who invented the scheme in the clause of the will to check his ward's
extravagant disposition; while the fair partner of his Gretna Green
excursion marries William, an old sweetheart. The piece altogether was
so truly absurd, that the cries of "Off, off, off," soon became pretty
general. This brought on Mr. Cooper, who stated that it was neither
the interest nor the wish of the managers to thrust any production on
the public. The farce was by the author of several popular pieces; and
if they would give it a fair hearing, he pledged himself that, if it was
then disapproved of, it should be withdrawn. It has accordingly been
withdrawn. The great fault was the dialogue, which was composed of
some of the vilest puns we ever heard. The acting was very good. Mr.
Liston had the part of a Hampshire farmer, whose constant phrase was
"Excuse my joke." Mr. Harley was a pert valet, and a corrector of
phrases, a sort of walking dictionary. Mr. Jones was very amusing,
especially in the last scene, when confined in the King's Bench, His
entering in the regular bankrupt's costume, with a candle dangling on
his finger, four muffins in his hand, and an ounce of "five-shilling green
and four-and-eightpenny black;" this, together with his horror on his
hearing that a barber was chum'd on him, produced some laughter.
Miss Love made the most of her part, in the character of a farmer's
daughter, blessed with all the affected airs and graces of a boarding-
school Miss, speaking bad French, and imitating the waddle of her
foreign governess.

MONDAY, March 23.-Measure for Measure.-Deaf as a Post.-
Illustrious Stranger.

TUESDAY, March 24.—Artaxerxes; Arne.-Portrait of Cervantes.—
Haunted Inn.

Artaxerxes, first time, Miss BARTOLOZZI; Mandane, Miss BETTS.

WEDNESDAY, March 25.-Performance of Ancient and Modern Music.

THURSDAY, March 26.—Provoked Husband.-Ballet.—Charles the
Twelfth.

FRIDAY, March 27.-No performance.

SATURDAY, March 28.-Provoked Husband.-Ballet.-Critic.

COVENT GARDEN.

MONDAY, March 2.-Virginius; Knowles.-Battle of Pultawa. A Mr. Pemberton, who has obtained great professional celebrity in several of our provincial theatres, and who moreover gives lectures on the drama, appeared this evening in the part of Virginius. Mr. Pemberton's figure is below the middle stature, but is well proportioned; the outline of his features is good; his eye is full, but lacks lustre; his countenance is thin, and has a care-worn look, which renders it incapable of any great variety of expression. His action is awkward, and his whole deportment stiff and pedantic. His voice wants fullness and depth of tone, and even in level or pathetic dialogue possesses but little harmony or pathos; it is ill calculated either to subdue or command the passions. Though he cannot be styled an imitator, his representation of Virginius was evidently modelled after Macready's. Yet, with all the imperfections we have enumerated, Mr. Pemberton deserved and obtained, in several scenes, the warmest applause. The first three acts went off heavily. The whole of that beautiful scene, where Virginius betroths his daughter to Icilius, and which former representatives made so touching and impressive, Mr. Pemberton gave with very little effect. But in the appalling part of the drama, where the wretched father "with his own hand slays his only daughter," his acting may almost be said to have commanded the attention of his auditors. The deep agitation ere he struck the fatal blow; and his motionless attitude, with all the horror of his own act fearfully delineated on his countenance, after it was accomplished; though, in our opinion, he delayed the fatal stroke too long, for we think had Virginius been so long meditating the sacrifice, the father's feelings would have prevented it from being completed. In the last act Mr. Pemberton's manner has been censured by many of the critics, as being too violent and exaggerated, especially in the prison scene with Appius; but does not the fault lie with the author, in having introduced so disgusting a scene? The expression of his countenance, when he seizes on the tyrant, had the most fiend-like and determined look of vengeance we ever witnessed, and caused an involuntary shudder in many of the spectators.

At the conclusion there was considerable applause, and Mr. Pemberton was loudly called for, but did not appear. There was a very tolerable house.

TUESDAY, March 3.-Oberon; Planché.-Battle of Pultawa.

WEDNESDAY, March 4.-No performance.

G

THURSDAY, March 5.-Recruiting Officer; Farquhar.-Ballet.-
Bottle Imp.

FRIDAY, March 6.-A Grand Performance of Ancient and Modern Music, under the direction of Mr. Hawes.

SATURDAY March 7.-Maid of Judah (1st time).—Battle of Pultawa. Dramatis Persona.-Cedric of Rotherwood, Mr. H. PHILLIPS ; Ivanhoe, his son (under the guise of a Pilgrim), Mr. WooD; Wamba (the Jester), Mr. KEELEY: Gurth (the Swineherd), Mr. FARLEY; Robin Hood, Mr. DIDDEAR; Little John, Mr. O. SMITH; Oswald, Mr. HENRY; Friar Tuck, Mr. BARTLEY; Allan-a-Dale, Mr. MEARS; Miller, Mr. J. ISAACS. Normans. Sir Lucas de Beaumanoir (Grand Master of the Templars), Mr. EVANS; Sir Brian de Boisguilbert, Mr. WARDE; Sir Maurice de Bracey, Mr. G. STANSBURY; Damian, Mr. HOLL; Albert de Malvoisin, Mr. BIANCHI TAYLOR; Herald, Mr. IRWIN; Warder, Mr. TURNOUR; Norman Troops, &c. Jews. Isaac of York, Mr. EGERTON; Rebecca, his Daughter (the Maid of Judah), Miss PATON.

The vigorous and beautiful tale of Ivanhoe has been so frequently dramatized, and at the same time must be so familiar with all admirers of literature, that we shall depart, in this instance, from our usual plan of detailing the plot of every new production. Mr. Lacy is the author of the present drama, and the whole interest lies in Rebecca, the Jew's daughter, the only female character introduced. Cedric is almost immediately reconciled to his son, and Brian de Boisguilbert (as in the former drama produced at this theatre) has many of the sins of Reginald Front de Bœuf, as well as his own, to answer for. As a literary production it is truly contemptible, and not to be considered or reviewed in that light. It is of the music we have to speak, which is ably selected from the operas of Semiramide, Comte Ory, Armide, Donna del Lago, and other of Rossini's compositions. All the songs, chorusses, &c. are very happily introduced, and reflect great credit on Mr. Lacy's arrangement. But the chief attraction of the opera lies in the skill, mind, and wonderful ability displayed both in the acting and singing of Miss Paton. We shall not particularize the various pieces of music in which she excelled, but we think that the narrative song in the first act, and the difficult cavatina at the commencement of the second, are most entitled to notice. Of Miss Paton's acting we cannot speak too highly, for she gave such force and beauty to the part of Rebecca, as to become not only an object of delight, but a high example for the imitation of others. In every part of the character we had reason to approve, and frequently to admire. There was one scene in which she was so prominent as to excite the approval of every judicious person in the theatre; and that was in the 3d act, (when before the Grand Master,) by the air of majestic dignity, blended with feminine softness, when she threw down her

glove, demanding a champion. Next to Miss Paton, Mr. Egerton deserves very favourable notice, for the great feeling and pathos he displayed in the part of Isaac. He met with the deserving applause in the dungeon scene, where he pleads to the Templar to spare his daughter's honour. Mr. Phillips was of great assistance to the opera, by the richness of his base tones in the concerted pieces. Mr. Wood proved that, notwithstanding the great taste he has displayed in singing English ballads, he is unequal to the scientific music of the Italian operas. The other characters were well sustained. The piece was received with the loudest approbation by one of the most crowded houses of the season.

MONDAY, March 9.-Merchant of Venice; Shakspeare.-Giovanni in London; Moncrieff.

Mr. Pemberton appeared this evening in the part of Shylock, and more than improved the very favourable impression which he had made by his performance of Virginius; his faults, physical and acquired, were not so apparent, and the turbulent and unsatisfied passions of the Jew were given with much truth and energy. On the Jew's final exit, after his sanguinary scheme of revenge has been completely blasted, Mr. Pemberton made what is technically termed a new point. Kean, it will be recollected, replies to Gratiano's jest of the twelve god-fathers, by throwing the whole expression of his countenance into one look of withering scorn, while Mr. Pemberton turned round with an air of defiance. On the whole, we must observe on this gentleman's performance, that, notwithstanding some passages showed great force of observation and a sound judgment, it may be classed more under the head of an able lecture on the part, than a theatrical representation. He is constantly giving (and clearly understands) the author; yet not sufficiently dramatic. The Bath critics, some time ago, spoke very highly of his performance of Sir Edward Mortimer. We regret he has not tried that character in London, as he succeeds most in pourtraying the violent emotions of the soul; and his gloomy, care-worn look, and the wild expression of his eyes, are admirably adapted for that character. The house was well attended.

TUESDAY, March 10.-Maid of Judah; Lacy.—Battle of Pultawa.

WEDNESDAY, March 11.-No performance.

THURSDAY, March 12.-Sublime and Beautiful; Morton.-Invincibles; Morton.-Battle of Pultawa.

FRIDAY, March 13.-Performance of Ancient and Modern Music.

SATURDAY, March 14.-Maid of Judah.-Battle of Pultawa.