After which will be performed, for the first time in this Theatre, the viin asi ROMAN ACTOR, OR A VINDICATION OF THE STAGE. Parthenius, Latinus, Latius, Mr. Lynch Mr. Faulkner. After which will be revived the favourite Melo-Drama of THERESE, THE 3ten bad idley ORPHAN OF GENEVA. 2116 of guileng Charles, Count de Morville, Fontaine, Mr. Wynn # Mr. Pritchard ***Mr. Calcraft Mr. Lynch Mr. Murray Mr. Duff Mrs. Renaud Mrs. Nicol Miss J. Nicol Mrs. H. Siddons asses, Messdames Brough, Rae, &c. PUBLISHED DA͡ˇ BY J. L. HUIE, INFIRMARY STREET; Dramatic Review. "...Gool, my Lord, will you see the Players well bestowed ?--- My Lord, I will use them according to their desert." SHAKSPEARE; www No. CCCLXXXIX. MONDAY APRIL 12, 1824. Vol. VIII. Theatre-Ropal. KNOW YOUR OWN MIND.-We are not exactly aware, (being precluded by an accident from ascertaining the fact at the present moment,) whether we formerly gave an historical account of this comedy. It is the production of Arthur Murphy, and was acted at Covent Garden, 1777, with considerable success. Printed, 8vo. 1778. It is founded upon the Irrésolu of Destouches; but is by no means a translation, or servile copy of it. A vein of humour, if not rich or original, yet genuinely English, animates the dialogue; and characters not in the French piece, particularly those of Miss Neville and Dashwou'd, are happily introduced and skilfully delineated. The latter is well understood to have been intended for a portrait of the facetious Foote. The sentimental slander of Malvil is judiciously opposed to the unguarded pleasanty of Dashwou'd; and the play, upon the whole, has tolerable merit, though not remarkable for any vivid corruscations of wit, and though its humour, upon the whole, is of a ponderous species. Where Dashwou'd is made to say, "I saw him, five times in one winter, upon the fire, at Bath, for cheating at cards," the author evidently had an eye to Baron Newman, at that time a professional gambler, whom an unlucky incident that happened at picquet, brought into great notoriety. A gentleman with whom he was playing, suspecting that the noble Baron had concealed a card under his hand, which was then conveniently extended upon the table, seized a fork that happened to be near, and thrusting it at once through the offending hand, which he fastened to the table, he exclaimed, "Monsieur Baron, if you have not a card under your hand, I beg your pardon." On releasing the hand, a card was found beneath it; and after this sad memento (which ought to have pricked his conscience as well as his hand,) the Baron generally took good care to wear a muff. We had two sources of regret upon Saturday evening; first, that the house was not so very good as we were prepared to expect; and, secondly, that the play was but indifferently acted. As to the bad house, it is to be observed, that, as it was difficult to convince the public generally, that there was bad management, so they are to be reluctantly persuaded that there has been a great reformation, obvious enough to the regular frequenters of the theatre. With respect to the acting, it was evident that the only eminent display of talent, made in the course of the performance, was by Mrs. Siddons herself, who appeared in the character of Lady Bell. The vivacity, ease, and graceful self-possession of Mrs. Siddons were never more conspicuous; and her absence from the stage, for ever so short a period, was felt as a calamity. Mr. Faulkner's Sir John Millamour was barely tolerable; and Mr. Wynn's Sir Henry Lovewit was as poor as it is possible to conceive. Mr. Jones' Millamour was more than respectable; and we are glad to see that he has improved considerably in this part. No one who knows what Sam Foote was, would suppose for a moment, that Mr. Calcraft, who acted Dashwou'd, could make himself the type of him. We allow, that Dashwou'd is not so much the type as the shade of Foote; but then Mr. Calcraft is but the shadow of this shade. To express our ideas by another metaphor, as Foot was a lustrous substance which, like our Scotch warlocks, had no shadow, Calcraft's Dashwou'd was shade altogether. Pritchard, in the part of Malvil, showed very great address, and considerable power of exertion. At same time, we must say, or rather, make ourselves the organs of the general opinion, by observing that the cast both of The Vespers of Palermo, and this comedy, so far as respects Pritchard and Calcraft, ought to have been completely reversed. The Manager unquestionably has, during the season, shown great impartiality and good taste in his casts, until within this week or so; and, as it is not to be supposed that those qualities have all at once deserted him, the public will naturally look out for some other cause. Miss Eyre attached considerable interest to the part of Miss Neville; Miss Rae's Madame la Rouge is greatly and deservedly admired. ROMAN ACTOR, OR A VINDICATION OF THE STAGE.— This is more of a monologue than any thing else, the speaking being in a manner confined to Paris. It was brought out, (we think) about two years ago, in Drury-lane for Mr. Kean's benefit, when Kean acted Paris, the part occupied upon Saturday by Mr. Vandenhoff, whose delightfully graceful and powerful elocution obtained for him immense applause. We are not aware that at the present day, any vindication of the stage is at all necessary. We think it very successfully vindicates itself—not that there are things occasionally brought out which good taste must despise; but while they are all innocuous, many of them are instructive; and their general effect is to soften and refine what is rugged and gross, and to strengthen and elevate what is noble in our nature. Towards the close of last century, Collier attacked with great justice the licentiousness of the stage; but since his time, licentiousness has been banished from it. The stage, at present, has no enemies but a disgusting sect of religionists, who have not unaptly been compared to vermin, and threaten to corrode away and gangrene whatever is manly in the English character. A Boanerges of that sect at Sheffield, lately thundered away from the pulpit against the Theatre; and provoked a very spirited letter from Mr Calvert of the York and Hull Theatre; from which we are tempted to make the following excerpt, not that it is in refutation of anti-theatrical prejudices, but because it shows both the importance and difficulty of the histrionic art, and may teach some of its professors a becoming diffidence. It is now pretty generally allowed, that abilities of the very first order must go to the formation of the finished actor. No profession is more rigid in its exactions, more exorbitant in its demands; and the choicest gifts of nature and of art must unite in the succesful candidate for the scenic wreath. Elegance and symmetry of form, dignity of deportment, and a voice and physiognomy of power and flexibility equal to every variety of expression, constitute only the accidental and physical recommendations of the actor, who would as. pire to the higher departments of the drama. What knowledge of our fluctuating nature must be his-what insight into character, and the latent springs of action-what an intimate acquaintance with the passions, in all their variations, in all their combinations, as modified by age, by situation, by character, and every other imaginable contingency! All this attained, (and how difficult the attainment few can tell) the actor can scarcely be said to have advanced beyond the rudiments of his art. With the moral philosopher and the divine, he must enter into the recesses of the heart, and watch the rise, the progress, and the maturity of the passions; but the attainments of philosophy form only the basis of the actor's triumph. The finest conceptions will avail him little, without the rarer talent of execution, or the facility of reproducing his ideas, and embodying them in a tangible and impressive form. This accurate and forcible expression of the feelings, as portrayed in the countenance, developed in gesture and attitude, and exemplified in the corresponding inflections of the voice, constitutes in its elf the labour of years."We would request those who are sceptical as to our opinions of what good acting is, to listen to the voice of the eminent actor, from whom we have quoted. THE ORPHAN OF GENEVA.We only notice this piece to express our unqualified admiration of Calcraft's Carwin, Mrs. Renaud's Coun tess de Morville, and Mrs. Siddons' Mariette. 3 This evening will be performed, the Tragedy of ROMEO AND JULIET. Paulo, Helena, Genevieve, Claudine, Ninette, Paulina, Jeanetta, Clara, Mr. Jones Mr. Pritchard. Mr. Wynn Mr. Millar Mr. Brough Hunters, Messrs. M'Gregor, Aiken, &c. Mrs. Eyre Miss. Halford Miss Eyre Miss Rae Mrs. Mackay Miss J. Nicol Mrs. Brough PUBLISHED DAILY, BY J. L. HUIE, INFIRMARY STREET; SOLD BY W. HUNTER. 23. HANOVER STREET: |