The following letter affords a remarkable proof of the tendency
of playgoers to be unduly affected by dulcet accents, a graceful person, and intentness of manner.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE Sl'ECTATOR. .
Manchester, 224 April 1840.
Stn—In your very admirable article on modern acting in last week's. Spec. tutor, 1 think there should have been one exception to the charge of artifi- ciality—viz. Miss ELLEN TREE. lkr Ion, Julia, Rosalind, Pauline in the Ransom, and last though not least, Ginevra' appear to Inc strikingly true to nature; and I am very much mistaken if lhave not seen her shed tears.
4144,to8intpurtzor.
We cannot admit the exception of our corresponds:Lb Miss ELLEN Titlit: always had a tendency: to conventional modes of toxin e,•.i lig emo- tion, and her visit to America has unhappily confirmed her in a man- nerism that masks her natural sensibility. We saw her play In the other night : her declamation was alternate rant and cant—noa speak- ing under her breath with a suppressed level tone almost inttudildc, and anon raising her voice to a scream—tunable and SW UV( witting, but not the less untrue. Her fit stare and air correspond ; solemn stillness and boisterous vehemence succeeding each other with methodical regu- larity. The eact is to give an appearance of studied pretence to what limy lie really meant earnestly ; and thus false art disguises real nature. Tbat Miss ELLEN TREE does feel the emotions she feigns so unnaturally, we can well believe : mare's the pity she does not alwa■ s express them with the gClluine simplicity that she used to throw into Inanely pathos. Domestic sentiment is her proper sphere : the heroic is abuve her sowers; hence she is forced to assume a state of exaltation in ideal eliartwons, that injuriously affects her acting in those Which are within the MI Te alter ima ina lion and sympathy. As an evidecce of Ilea real susceptibility, we stay mention, that at a rehearsal of The, Livend of ',Vomiter she was met by the author, passing to the green-room Item that stage, her cheeks bathed in tears ; and received from Mr. Ili N'I• the grateful salu- tation, "Bless that wet face!" Mrs. WARNEit may deserve to be especially excepted; fir in the power of affecting an audience she surpasses at tragic avIrcss at pre- sent tin the stage. The range of her talent is high, iii, oph it doss not attain to sublime elevation ; and she evidently fet Is the 1:sta ion she simulates, though her physical resources are ant ill C5 cry case adequate to its due expression. But our of ject was to throw out a few hints, not to give a review of the stage.
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