As a specimen of dramatic skill, there is no doubt
that Mr. Stirling Coyne's version of The Vicar of Wakefield, just produced at the -Haymarket, is greatly superior to the one written by Mr. Tom Taylor and previously brought out at the New Strand. The leading idea and the principal in- cidents are taken from the novel ; but these are moulded by Mr. Coyne in an independent manner, and he has reserved to himself perfect liberty as to which events he shall-present to the eyes of the audience and which he, shall merely communicate by means of dialogue. The piece is so constructed. that it would be plain even to those who had never heard of the novel; and the more striking tableaux are placed with great skill. Mr. Web-, ster's Dr. Primrose is more fresh, and not less true to the notion of the reader, than Mr. W. Farren's ; the cast generally is strong; and the groupings are exceedingly picturesque.
But while we are convinced of the superiority of the Haymarket-piece as a drama, we are equally certain that it will not vie with that of the New Strand in point of attraction. Its very merits are against it in this respect; for the audience who go to see a dramatized novel have an epic construction already in their heads ; and being thus perfectly sure of understanding the story, care for dramatic construction as little as pos- sible. They want to see the people about whom they have read as walk- ing and talking, actually walking and talking -before their eyes in the same manner. The dramatic feeling of Mr. Coyne has led him to be much more sparing in the use of Goldsmith's dialogue, and much less dif- fuse in the delineation of isis personages, than Mr. Taylor : consequently, the many-people who go to see not a play but a novel will be disappointed.
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