MISS KEMBLE'S "BEATRICE."
WE so rarely find occasion to pen a pa1e2;yric, that when it is offered we do it with a hearty good-will. Miss KEMBLE'S per- formance of Beatrice is, without an exception, one of the most delightful representations of SHAKSPEARE'S women now on the stage. Her conception of the character was complete, and her delineation of it was true, natural, and beautiful. She marked her understanding of its meaning with feeling, and introduced some spirited touches of originality in the course of her acting. The character becomes her, for we take her natural disposition to resemble in some degree the ideal nature of Beatrice. Her wit was "seasoned with salt," not flavoured with bitterness. You perceived what her arch raillery would come to at last. Her ban- tering was but the ebullition of her will ; and her seeming antipa- thy to Benedick was but the effect of her suppressed sympathy. Their wooing was the repulsion of attraction. The ardency of Miss KEMBLE'S tones added value to her vivacity of manner ; her gayety and playfulness were not seeming' but earnest—absolute qualities of her temperament, and, like her satirical humour, spontaneous. In short, her performance was one of those ani- mated pictures which we never see on the stage but to admire ; and it is a most fitting companion to Mr. KEMBLE'S Bezzedick. The two characters could hardly be played better. We have been inditing compliments instead of criticism. But we will not and need not qualify our praise by any alloy of excep- tion. We will not go over the part to point out the beauties to which Miss KEMBLE gave life : were we to do so, we should doubtless stumble on a few faults, scarcely heeded, and easily re- medied. We will leave it to the reader to go and be charmed with the excellencies of this performance, and those who choose may look for the defects ; for, unlike the merits, they will require to be sought for. Not that we would say Miss KEMBLE'S performance was faultless ; we should be sorry if it were, for she is young, new to the stage, and new to comedy. She will ripen into a more full and perfect representative of the character. Her success will bring with it a more assured confidence. It only remains for us to con- gratulate her on her complete success in this hitherto untried path, and the public on the acquisition of so faithful and efficient a repre- sentative of this line of characters. Miss KEMBLE was not so successful in "genteel comedy," simply from a want of artificia/ity of manner ; she succeeds in what we shall call" natural comedy,' for that very reason, and because she has a true feeling and fine apprehension of nature. She embodies real sentiment and genuine character with vivid truth ; and she has now proved her capability to give effect to the gentler energies as well as to the violence of passion. Her Beatrice is not only the best of her characters, but by far the most pleasing; and we trust it will be the precursor of others equally agreeable.
Previous page
