STANDARD COMEDY AT COVENT GARDEN.
THE regular comedy has this week made its appearance at Covent Garden, in the form of the School for Scandal. He who ought to write comedies, is the man who, of all his compeers, most abounds in the faculty of making pointed and brilliant remarks on life and manners, as they exist in his time. To this quality must be added, a decent organ of constructiveness, and some knowledge of drama- tic effect. Such a man was MOLIERE—and more than this, for he was witty as well as pointed, wise as well as satirical. Of English- men in later times, SHERIDAN alone has answered the description; and the School for Scandal is the most finished. and highly wrought of all his elaborate but still felicitous dramatic efforts. A few scenes of SHERIDAN act like a test, and reduce the claims of other pretenders to their just value. We were curious to see Miss KEMBLE in Lady Teazle, and desirous of ascertaining that the late illness of her father had. left no traces on his acting; and took the opportunity of witnessing a standard. drama got up with all such strength as a great theatre may now command.
The Lady Teazle of Miss KEMBLE is an uneven performance, in which, though it does not satisfy as a whole, in detail, the beau- ties so far overbalance the defects as to leave upon the mind a very sensible pleasure. Its characteristics are animation and intelli- gence. A more playful little coquette we have not seen in the part ; and we were chiefly disappointed where, from the actress's tragic talents, most might have been expected—in the more se- rious and impressive parts, where the jeopardy in which Lady Teazle has placed her reputation calls forth all the native dignity and worthiness of the true woman. Here she assumed her mea- sured and very singular cadence; which, however objectionable, or the contrary, in the sustained scenes of tragedy, did not at all har- monize with the natural and really charming intonation of her comic delivery. On the whole, however, though fault may be found, the part lost nothing in her hands : she looked well, and acted better than any other lady on the stage who could be thought. of for the character.
CHARLES KEMBLE'S effective personation of Charles Surface is well known to every playgoer. Few things could be better, excepting the same part by the same person some years ago—or as we hope it will be again in a few months. Languor, and a want of thorough enjoyment, could indeed be detected by those familiar with the buoyant gaiety and the arch love of fun that used to characterize Charles Surface in KEMBLE'S vigorous hands. But Mr. WARDE, as Joseph Surface, is a new claimant for " unmixed " praise. We confess to have begun the evening with a "little aversion" for him, which ended in warm admira- tion. The finished and gentlemanly hypocrite came from him with a force and precision we did not expect: in some points, more particularly in his exit, where Joseph, confounded and exposed, still attempts to gloze himself off, and as it were stammers his way out, he concentrated as much malicious venom and habitual hypo- crisy, borne down for 'the Moment by shame, as can possibly fester under the human face and form divine. We have not been for years more thoroughly satisfied with a performance. We have now exhausted our stock of praise. The two other principal characters—Sir Peter Teazle, by BARTLEY, and Sir Oliver Su?face, by Mr. F. Meernews—were, to say the least, not worthily filled. BARTLEY buffooned the part: so very considerable an ass did he make the character, that we were immoral enough to regret that the suspicions he entertained of his condition proved unfounded. FARREN is the only adequate representative of the part now on the boards. Mr. F. MATTHEWS is a rising and meri- torious actor : we have seen him accomplish some excellent portraits of testy and arthritic gentlemen of sixty; but in Sir Oliver he did not seem at home or at ease—he had the air of being led through the part.
The "Scandalous College" we have been accustomed to see filled with far more adroit professors of slander; though the caster of the piece had in this instance, as in others, doubtless done his best. MEADOWS, WRENCH, and Mrs. GIB/3S, are at least good and attractive names.
The house was full ; the applause unceasing ; and the piece will be again repeated, and occasionally continue a very delightful in- troduction to the pantomime during its season.
Previous page
