18 JULY 1840, Page 12

THE OTHER THEATRES.

THE Haymarket shows symptoms of the approaching termination of its ten months season. Pownit's last appearance (so say the bills) before his departure for America, is next week. Glencoe is also announced to be played for the last time; and but a night or two remain of CHARLES KEAN's second engagement.

We had the curiosity to go and see his Macbeth ; anticipating, from the accounts given of it by his few remaining admirers, a rich treat of the ludicrous: but we were disappointed. It is mere commonplace bad acting, with a few of those splendid explosions of ear-splitting rant that vary the wearisome monotony of his belaboured utterance. This is the third character we have seen Mr. C. KEAN perform: his Richard convulsed us with laughter throughout, but Macbeth only yielded two or three hearty guffaws—it was merely disagreeable. The " new effects" we thought were not altogether original. For instance, when the tyrant enters meditating whether he shall " play the Roman fool," Mr. KEAN rushes in from the back of the stage, and falling on one knee slides down to the foot .lights as if to impale himself on the double-bass, instead of falling on his sword : this was a trick of his father's in the tent-scene in Richard the Third; and Miss Knatmx. did the same in the scene where Juliet drinks the poison. Again, when Macdatf destroys the last delusive hope to which the usurper clings, by proclaiming his untimely birth, Mr. C. KEAN utters a suppressed cry, and jingles his sword to make his agitation evident: the merit of tlie audible shudder is his, but in the " jingle " another " stamper " has been before him—no less a person than the great bonassus of tragedy, Mr. Einvix FORREST. In the scene after the murder, when a knocking at the gate is heard, Mr. KEAN outroars MAennAny, who was quite loud enough: " Wake Duncan with this knocking!" he shoots out as if he were actually trying the experiment. He also surpasses the vehe- mence of MAcimsnv in assaulting the messenger who brings news of the " moving grove:" we thought he would have literally exterminated the poor fellow. The fight was prodigious ; BRADLEY himself could not have fought better: the combatants went at it " hammer and tongs," and Macbeth proved a very glutton of steel ; he insisted on being run through twice, and seemed disappointed at not getting a thirds mortal thrust, for he looked up reproachfully as he lay on his face, as if imploring the conp-de vrnee. Whenever there is no•occasion for gesticulation, Mr. C. Ke.ix is apt to sloven over the "dialect : " he is more mindful of the infirmilies of the deaf than the blind portion of his admirers. lie generally grinds out his words with erushie- em- phasis; but at other times Ile is lax and hasty ; ambling through soliloquy, and getting over the ground in pAssages of description at a hand-gallop. In every case, however, he declaims with the air of one who has got the words thoroughly by rot,?. In the beautiful apos- trophe to sleep, he runs through the catalogue of its virtues with the fluency of an auctioneer enumerating the excellencies of an eligible " lot ;" and he describes the murdered Duncan with a matter-of-cinirse readiness, as though the " stIver skin laced with his golden blood" were a common theatrical property—the traditionary costume of' a victim of slaughter. Macbeth 's speech of thanks to tim King was uttered with such rapidity that Duncan must have suspected it to be a hollow compliment conned beforehand. This may be a needful economy of time, to allow opportunities for pantomime business, and the display of his attitudes. In Lady Macbeth, Mrs. WAIINER would be much more impressive if she did not make the common mistake of simulating imssionate earnest- ness and strong emotion by loudness of tone. This ' is only suited to vehement outbreaks of teamer inconsistent f ) sotenstNe with

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deep thought and agitation of mind, and incompatible with that expres- sive enunciation which alone can convey import ot' SHAI:SPERE'S language. Mr. PHELPS, who firg.gt) admirably well, got t round of applause for the subdued pathos with * which rave the --b(i)irsat of anguish wrung from the stern soldier b the children's slaughter : this shows that andi.C. of' hiswifegand feeling and suppressed emotion ; and it is als.c:mIrtt‘'.;:r‘o‘uouft oafPgoroecdi:ti:tteste-itiiiiiedt judgment in the actor, who can forego such .a temptation to rant as this passage offers. Mrs. WARNER is not deficient either insensibility ity or imaginative sympathy with her character d in domestic tragedy she expresses emotion with genuine fervours;:ia,bililii 1where the character is above her range, as is the case with larbeth, she is apt to strain her physical powers in the ent eavour to attain the suldhne height of ideal grandeur. She was most effeetive in the scenes with Macbeth—perhaps by contras' , bar taunts had more of scold- , ing fury than of that sarcastic ibitterness which Lady Macbeth knew would work upon titileted.linan mod ot' a brave spirit. Subtlety a chief characteristic ; but this quality Mrs. WARNER

does not express. In the sift scene, we think, there should

be more frequent pauses, anitiltingienTof tone, accompanied with a hurried, fitful manner, like that of one whose mind is wandering. "MrS. WARNER titters the di,' ,intgal. seattlences too continuously ; standing still in one place, not ii'Mvit; nessly like a person in a perturbed state. As it is only the uneasy agitation of a guilty conscience that drives her from her couch, this shyou.dlknaturally be evident in the action as well as the speech of the Mei. The tragedy has been got upt:aramaenri;er very cey,ditable to the Hay- market management, and the music was given effectively.