MISS KEMBLE'S BELVIDERA.
MISS FANNY KEMBLE appeared as Belvidera on Wednesday, and played it quite as successfully as Juliet. We have watched this young lady's progress closely. We saw in her from the first, great natural capabilities, and we have observed narrowly the trying effects of indiscriminate applause upon an unformed taste. Her first triumphs could not be taken as the measure of her talents. Their effect was heightened by many accidents. She bore a charmed name ; she appeared to pled a father's cause ; and she took the public by sur- prise. These circumstances must have added intensity to the admira- tion which the coldest critic might feel for her natural powers. She was not stage-hardened, moreover, like other " stars ; " but ready to regulate her conceptions and manner by the judgment of the public. She was in fact their pupil. But in the multitude of counsel there is not always safety ; and Miss KEMBLE owes little, we think, to her many-handed instructor. The exaggerations in her style have been, as usual, cherished into vices. Her misconceptions of points of cha- racter—whatever has been false in her expression of passion—all such things have been singled out on system for the most rapturous com- mendation. Her Bdvidera, we are disposed to think, as a whole, su- perior to her Juliet. There is nothing so good in it, however, as the balcony scene. Her best points were her appeal to her husband when he delivers her to the conspirators ; her "Shall I swear:?" in the third act ; and her "Now, then, kill me," in the fourth. In all of these she exhi- bits great power ; and her attitudes, in more than one of these scenes, are really beautiful. Of her attitudes generally, we must however say, that they border a little too closely on distortion. In expressing dignity or high resolve, we think her particularly unhappy. She uni- formly points her toe, in what dancingmasters call the fourth position, and throws back her head, till her attitude presents a perilous devia- tion from the perpendicular. Here it is—but the gallantry of the artist whom we employed to copy our sketch has considerably soft- ened it.
In speaking, Miss KEMBLE is very happy in colloquial passages, and in the expression of earnestness ; but when she aspires to the pathetic, she is apt to whine, and in attempting to give utterance to the loftier passions, her tones are drawled out till they assume the character of mock-heroic. In proof of this, we appeal to her delivery of the pas- sage about Cato's daughter, and her expressions of loathing for.* conspirators, in the third act. Miss KEMBLE is not to Le greatly blamed for this : she is but trying the purity of her own taste by the test of public feeling—she asks advice of the public, and they mislead her. The many, too, may seem kind, and our comments may appear harsh, although we urge them in a spirit of tenderness for her fame. We think most favourably of the natural capacity of this very young actress : our object is but to secure for it fair play—but to save it from misdirection.
CHARLES KEMBLE looked and dressed Pierre admirably ; but his delivery was scarcely in accordance with the heroic outward man whom he presented to us. His Pierre will not bear to be named with his Mercutio—how few are the personations on the stage that can ? WARDE, again, is not the best fitted to reconcile us to Japer or any other bore ; for, to speak an unpleasant truth, if WARDE has a failing it consists in drawing a little too largely on the patience of an audience. He is useful and respectable at all times ; and his voice is a good one, but his ear is terribly uncultivated. He declaims poorly, and his pathos is really "pitiful, wondrous pitiful." He Hubbered for the whole evening, without exciting sympathy in any bosom but Pierre's; and we are not sure that the public gained by the strong sympathy with his friend's manner which the latter evinced.
The scenery was new in a great measure, and of surpassing beauty. On the fall of the curtain, BARTLEY presented himself; but he was obliged to give place to Mr. KEMBLE,—who, after receiving the bois- terous congratulations of the audience on his daughter's behalf, an- nounced the repetition of Venice Preserved every Wednesday and Friday till further notice.
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