A VISIT TO THE THEATRE AT RICHMOND—A DEBUT THERE.
IT so happens, that never before Tuesday last had we been inside the Richmond Theatre ; which is a sort of aristocratic summer-house of Thespis ; boasting better performances than the generality of provincial play-houses, and once a pet place of KEAN'S, where he was wont to relax his genius. It is long since we have been in a country theatre ; and though the neat, compact little house here, decorated in the smartest style of paper-hanging, with a row of gas-lights on the stage, chandeliers, muslin curtains to the boxes, and an orchestra, is not to be compared with the "barn " of a strolling company, with aloft full of smock-frocks, and two or three substantial farmers on the threshing-floor, staring at a row of bilious candles stuck in bits of turnip along the edge of a scaffold, level with the nose of a solitary fiddler, who was at once leader and band and candle-snuffer,—yet we thought it might serve to revive our recollections of rural theatricals. The announcement in the bills, of a "London company," somewhat damped our anticipations of fun, notwithstanding the play was a tragedy, and that too Macbeth ; but the first view of the audience revived our hopes : though the gallery was crammed with Cockney clodpoles, there was only a handful of people in the pit, and the boxes displayed a proper quantum of emptiness. It was not so perfectly selon les reyles, as at a theatre in some country town, where, on one occasion, we, individually, had the honour to be "the boxes," and a trio of the townspeople represented "the pit :" but it might pass for a "bespeak night," when the curtain draws up to a brilliant au- dience of five-and-forty shillings, besides the patron's party, who occupy all the private boxes, and for a couple of guineas enjoy the privilege of talking loud and laughing in the faces of the actors, the honour of figuring in the bills in large letters, and receiving the bows of the manager and such of the performers whom they condescend to ap- plaud. The gods were thoroughly versed in the gallery accomplish- ments of whistling a chorus of catcalls, and evidently accus- tomed to the exercise of that prescriptive right of filling up the pauses in the performance by indulging an unreserved freedom of conversa- tion, which must be to them a principal attraction of the playhouse. It was not till the prompter's bell rang for " first music," that we had leisure to reflect how strong must be the passion or necessity that enables the tyro on the stage to overcome the ludicrous, sometimes in- deed humiliating circumstances, attendant on a strollers' career. We began to feel nervous fur the fair debutante, in a character so ardu- ous as that of Lady Macbeth, and one where any unlucky centre-temps or awkwardness would be so dangerous ; but her appearance relieved our Suspense; and the passing smile of recognition to some friends assured us, as it did them, of the novice's self-possession. Her general ap- pearance and the taste of her costume were prepossessing : her manner of reading the letter still more interested us. As the play pro- ceeded, the debutante showed that she had conceived the character truly and vividly : her reading of the part was that of an intelligent mind that thought for itself, and she boldly dared to carry out the idea, OR the strength of its sincerity and earnestness. Her success was a triumph of impulse and intellect over mere mechanical dexterity. Not that there was any lack of stage tact ; on the contrary, she seemed to develop a natural aptitude for the mimic art. The character of Lady Macbeth, however, we fancy must have been chosen on account of its difficulty, rather than as being peculiarly suited to the style and powers of the debutante. Mrs. ADAMS—the married name of the lady, who is a daughter of the late Mr. BeeramiN blowsit—is of middle stature, rather slim, with features well-formed and prominent, large dark eyes, and a voice full-toned, but more sweet than powerful,—a physique capable of giving due effect to the expression of emotion even on a large Stage, but more resembling a Maiaatiasi than a SIDDONS The sleep-walking scene was impressive ; and the settled determination and the lofty scorn of fear which belong to the character were vigorously embodied, but the towering grandeur which sublimes its fiend-like wickedness was wanting : what struck us as most successful, was the subtle, not the vehement part of the character. The woman seemed a serpent coiling round her misgiving husband, and luring him on to the ctime with resistless fascination. The profound humility of her re- ception of Duncan veiled a deadly purpose ; and her apology to the guests fur Macbeth's infirmity, and her mariner of dismissing them, showed not only a graceful courtesy and commanding dignity, but dissimulation of her vexation and apprehension. In short, we incline to think that the vivacious and sarcastic, rather than the stormy and terrible, is the forte of Mrs. ADAMS, though there was no lack of energy : the elegance of her manner would adorn the highest walk of comedy. A performance of this kind, however, is to be regarded in the light of a rehearsal ; and as such, it was one of splendid promise. We should rejoice to welcome Mrs. ADAMS on the London stage, where she would at once take the first rank.
Before quitting the subject, we must do justice to the representative of Macbeth,—a capital specimen of the actor of sill-work, who "leads the business" at a country theatre ; a hard-featured, well-knit man, made up, as it were, of scraps of KVA BLE, ELLISTON, and YATES, with a slight dash of KEAN, of course, and proficient in tragic starts, tremblings, and scowls ; in a word, a tragedy " machiner," only inferior to that noble American animal Mr. FORREST. As a " distributor of stamps," he might vie with little BRADLEY, of broad-sword combat celebrity ; and be laid on to Mactlaff with the industry of a blacksmith wielding a sledge-hammer. His by-play was curiously elaborate ; and in making his exits be clung to the wings like a fly creeping out of a honey-pot. This gentleman was evidently a prodigious favourite with the gallery, to- wards which he constantly directed his eyes ; and on one occasion, when he had to say" I thank you, gentlemen," we thought he was addressing this part of the audience ; and we are mistaken if the gods themselves did tiot take it as a personal compliment to their full attendance. It oc- curs to us that he might possibly be the manager ; for in One instance he had a peal of thunder to aid his by-play ; and when Macbeth, on hearing of his wife's death, lets fall his truncheon, an attendant, after it had done its part of rolling along the boards to the stage-lamps as usual, picked it up, and, kneeling, presented it to him : to be sure the actor would have been as much at a loss without it as an auctioneer wanting his ham- mer, but these things mark one in authority. When young WEesrea came on as Macthdr, we began to think we should lose the fun ; but Macbeth himself proved a rich treat. The gracious Duncan, to be sure, marched in with the air of a drill-sergeant ; but altogether there was less of the comical than we expected : we have seen a worse Maccluff and Banque at Covent Garden ; and the " gentlewoman " who attends on Lady Macbeth was one in reality. The banquet was a very snug small party ; but on the heath the Spirits mustered strong to Hecate's sum- mons, and the Witches' spells were efficiently obeyed by the powers below.
We did not stay to see the pantomime, knowing by experience that the drolleries of a country theatre are very dreary: but we afterwards found that T. Marimws, the Drury Lane Clown, and ELLAR, the Harlequin, were the principals ; and as the former was to sing " Hot codlins" and " Tippitiwitchet," and dance the burlesque Cachouca, the lieges must have been well entertained.
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