We never saw LISTON act better, with more nature and
less gri- mace, than in the new burletta at the Olympic, Kill or Cure. He and Mrs. ORGER are husband and spouse, who lead a cat and dog life—she passionate, and he morose. She, in a fit of bad temper, threatens to poison herself; but he, accustomed to hear similar threats, only laughs at her. Piqued at his sneers, she procures poison, and thinks to frighten him by actually pretending to drink it : she being suddenly called away, he examines the bottle and the white liquid, and is alarmed by discovering it to be really poi- son. He substitutes milk in its stead; and when she returns, on her refusing to drink, he puts on a melancholy look and tone, and vows that he will. He raises the cup to his lips ; she of course screams out ; but, to her horror, he swallows the draught, and counterfeits its deadly effects. He is restored to life, appa- rently by the stomach-pump, but not till he finds her repentance sincere; when he tells her that " he did but poison in jest;" and they resolve to be happy in preference to being miserable toge- ther. A sort of moral Quixote, in the person of WEBSTER, is in- troduced to bring about the denouement ; but the character was poorly drawn, and afforded no scope for acting. WEBSTER is a very painstaking and versatile actor, and an acquisition to any stage. He has got a trick of disguising his features by puckering them up,—which is substituting a mask of grimace for the natural play of the features : we pray him to avoid it, otherwise he will spoil both his face and his acting.
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