The Lyceum seems doomed to lucklessness. The attempt of a
few amateurs to set up the "legitimate drama" at this theatre is a ludicrous exhibition of inexperience, incapacity, and presumption. The First Part of &TAMPERE'S Henry the Fourth surely never was more miserably represented in any country-barn ; and the costumes were as bad as the acting. To criticise such performances as Falstaff by Mr. HARVEY TUCHETT, Hotspur by Mr. WENTWORTH, and Prince Henry by Mr. MELFORD would be waste of words ; seeing that the performers lack most of the qualifications, physical, intellectual, and artistic, which are requisite to the personation of the characters : they but served as foil to the merit of the professional actors who filled the subordinate parts; and KEELne, as a carrier, shone forth "a bright particular star," though he had but to bawl, yawn, and scratch himself. Mr. WENTWORTH has a good person and deportment ; and having youth on his side, he may ripen into a respectable representative of walking gentlemen—if he will take pains to acquire the art of speaking distinctly and without effort : tragedy is quite out of his way ; nor could we judge whether he has any natural talent for comedy, though he created abundance of laughter. The applause of zealous though injudicious friends stifled all opposition : but the delusion of the first night cannot last. The afterpiece of The Miser's Well, a dramatized version of the ad- ventures of Dolph Heyliger, is nicely got up, and very well played. Mre. KERLEY, the hero, looks the merry, adventurous boy to admi- ration, and acts the part capitally ; and her husband, a rustic lout frightened out of his wits, is extremely amusing.
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