The " Tavistock House Theatricals," which commenced on Tuesday at
the residence of Mr. Charles Dickens, have been the talk of the week in literary, artistic, and professional circles. Mr. Wilkie Collins, who on a former occasion supplied the same body of amateurs with a drama entitled The Lighthouse, is likewise the author of the present season. The Frozen Deep, as the new piece is called, is of larger dimensions than its predecessor ; but it is written with the same regard to the peculiar talents of Mr. Dickens and his fellow amateurs, and to the exigencies of a small theatre. A wholesome lesson of Christian forgiveness is inculcated by a few well-drawn characters ; the place of action is always an interior of narrow compass ; and a certain sense of the supernatural, which Mr. Collins so dexterously infuses into his tales, is maintained among the least superstitious of audiences. As a delineator of strongly-marked natures, Mr. Dickens can scarcely be excelled ; few professional actors are more versed in the business of the scene than Mr. Mark Lemon ; and when we mention Messrs. Stanfield and Telbin as scene-painters, we show that everything possible in the way of decorative art is essayed at Tavistock House. The Frozen Deep, as performed by the Tavistock company, is a highly-finished cabinet picture, that perhaps would not look equally well in a larger edifice, but which seems admirably adapted to the spot where it is now exhibited.
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