THE THEATRES. DRURY LANE.

A NEW Tragedy, entitled Epichezris,* was produced at this theatre on Wednesday night. The scene of the whole action is laid at Rome, during the reign of Nero ; and the subject is derived from the cele- brated conspiracy which was unsuccessfully organized against the tyrant. by Cams Piso. The following is an outline of the plot. Su- brius Flavius a Tribune, and one of Piso's associates, becoming en- amoured of a youn„cr Greek woman, called Epicharis, communicates to her, in a moment of admiring fondness, the existence of the con- spiracy, with some of the details, and the names of the principal con- spirators. Epicharis, who (in the tragedy) entertains a devoted af- fection for Flavius, and who is moreover a woman of sense and spirit, is struck with the insufficiency and insecurity of the means upon which he relies for the liberation of Rome. With a view, therefore, to secure the safety and success of her lover, she endeavours to bring into the enterprise one Volusius Proculus, a Chiliaxch of the imperial fleet ; and for this purpose she, somewhat imprudently, communicates to him the nature and objects of the conspiracy, but " mentions no names." This Volusius had formerly made the most ardent addresses to Epicharis, but had been rejected ; and being a thorough-paced scoundrel, he threatens to denounce the whole affair to Nero, unless Epicharis shall agree within two hours to bestow upon him her hand in marriage. Having proposed this ultimatum, Volusius takes his departure ; and immediately after, Flavius arrives to visit Epicharis ; who acquaints him with all that had passed between Volusius and herself. After some conference with her lover, she refuses to bestow her hand upon Volusius ; who thereupon makes Nero acquainted with all that himself had learned concerning the conspiracy. Epi- charis, being brought into the tyrant's presence, defends herself with a doubtful success ; Nero expressing a disbelief of Volusius's in- formation, but refusing to release the " fair and subtle Greek " from captivity. Meanwhile, the whole circumstances of the conspiracy are communicated to Nero by one Milichus : but the conspirators imagining, from the presence of Epicharis at the imperial palace, that the information had been given by her, devote Flavius to death, as the punishment of his own indiscretion, and the supposed treachery of his mistress. Just as they are about to carry the sentence of their court-martial into execution, they are all arrested by the guards of Nero, who release Flavius from his dangerous situation, and convey the other persons to prison. Piso, finding his cause desperate, or think- ing it so, puts an end to his life by poison ; and Flavius procures ad- mission to the prison of Epicharis, and there arranges with her a plan for the assassination of Nero. This plan is to be carried into effect when Epicharis is to 'IAA second time tortured by the rack, on which she had suffered once 'already. When that oecasion arrives, Flavius, in the act of assaulting the tyrant, is struck down by Fenius Rufus, the Captain of the Guards ; who is himself slain by Asper, ..a friend df Flavius, and who together with him is sent off to execution by Nero. Epicharis, in despair at the fate of her lover, swallows poison, and falls dead upon the stage.

The classical reader will observe that this plot is a mere dramatical expansion of the compressed and sententious narration of TAcirus.

The events spring from the same sources, and follow each other in the order stated by the historian, and the whole consists of an in- teresting passage of Roman history, adapted for performance upon the stage. Some slight alterations have, however, been made in the cha-

racters, and some in the circumstances of the action. The "Epicharis QU

into a virtuous maiden, the beloved mistress and betrothed bride of a Roman military tribune ; and this change not only adds dignity to the character of Epicharis, and consequently to the general action, but affords a natural e-round for those efforts to further the cause of free- dom, and for that constancy in suffering which excited the astonish- ment of TACITUS himself.t The change which we have just men- honed, and the substitution of poison for strangulation as the imme- diate cause of the death of Epicharis, are almost the only deviations from the text of TACITUS. The closeness with which the author has adhered to historical truth, has preserved him from the possibility of violating any of the main prohibitory canons of tragical composi- tion, and in some small degree supplied the defect of invention. The only incidents in the drama are thosewhich are said to have actually occurred. The characters are in general feebly drawn, and more feebly discriminated ; and the sentiments, which for the most part are destitute of force, have so little of peculiar appropri- ateness to the characters to which they are respectively assigned, that a great part of the dialogue, which is divided between several of the persons of the drama, may be delivered by any one of them with

propriety enough. The style is easy and perspicuous, but has no pre- tensions to any kind of beauty or energy. The attempt to make Piso

display his own character to the audience, was altogether deficient in ingenuity of contrivance ; and his death (contemptible in fact) becomes more so from the puerile circumstance of his inclination to drink poison being decided by a favourite slave's offering him the cup,

believing it to be wholesome wine. In his harangue to the conspira- tors, Piso contrasts the manner in which Nero had been "preferred to empire," with that "right of lineage" by which " our (the Roman)

Kings of old" had been "assigned to rule." This ignorance or forget- fulness of the first elements of Roman story is inexcusable in the

author of the tragedy, and utterly impossible in the character of Piso. The part was efficiently supported by Mr. WALLACH. The character of Epicharis was sustained by Miss PHILLIPS with considerable ability : * We mark the quantity, because we heard people in the boxes talking of Epicharis, and on the stage one of the actors gave us for variety, EpiAaris. t " Clariore exemplo libertina mulier in tanta neces3itate ALIHNOS ac races °mans protegendo,"&c. her action was throughout judicious and appropriate, and she acquitted herself well in all the varied situations in which she was placed. The character is indeed one of the most effective in which we have seen this lady, who, as to the vraisemblance of her outward appearance, derived no small assistance from the costume, which, 'besides that it _ is graceful in itself, has the additional advantage of disguising the . tenuity of the actress's form. The bulk of the conspirators were a mere collection of individuals without variety or opposition of characters.

" Alcandrumque Haliumque Noemonaque Prytanimque."

Subrius Flavius, represented by Mr. Youarg, was "the noblest Roman of them all." We often imagine that Mr. YOUNG ought to have - been born in another age and country. The cothurnus and pretexta seem to sit upon him with more ease and propriety than Wellington boots and a frock-coat ; and the robust symmetry of his person, and severe and simple dignity of his countenance and action, are admi- rably adapted as an accompaniment to the utterance of sentiments of disinterested patriotism and heroic valour. When he proposed to the conspirators to kill Nero without delay, and concluded his address with saying, "You will find me ready," there was an easy, natural, air of truth and resoluteness in the expression and action, which almost con- vinced us, that if the proposition had been acceded to, he would have gone off at once and slain the tyrant behind the curtain. The relief which the noble character ofFhtclus afforded in this part of the drama, was as necessary as it was agreeable. The mind, turning away with disgust from a gang of revengeful assassins, who proposed- to slay one tyrant for the purpose of setting up another, found some consolation in the view of a patriot who conspired not for Piso, but for Rome. The scene in which Epicharis acquaints Flavius with the result of her first interview with Vo/usius, was very naturally and excellently acted by both parties, and the circumstances were pathetic in themselves. The sort of mistake, however, which is the foundation of that scene— namely, the fact of Epicharis using the word " traitoress" in one sense whilst it is accepted by Flavin& in another, resembles more the sharp, quick, turns of comic intrigue, than the more stately and obvious pro- gress of tragic action. We must observe, that Mr. Yomao occasion- ally swelled his elocution to a degree of elevation almost excessive. But this may in truth have proceeded from the nature of the senti- ments to be uttered, which were often so thin and flaccid as to be almost invisible without the help of inflation. The character of Nero was poorly indicated in the text of the play ; and Mr. • COOPER, though a very respectable actor, is not a person capable of filling up the meagre outline which has been drawn by Mr. LISTER. The tragedy was received with unmixed approbation, and is not devoid of merit. The dialogue, with one or two exceptions, is free from bombast and affectation ; no incidents have been invented with a view to catch the applause of the galleries ; and although what is called poetical justice is not observed, (as it certainly needs not to be observed) in the tragedy, yet we are all through concerned for the . persons whose virtues deserve our sympathy ; and although Nero escapes punishment upon that occasion, it is foreseen that the spirit excited by the bold and disinterested patriotism of Subrius Flavius, and the devoted constancy of Epicharis, will soon free all mankind from the oppression of the tyrant.

On Friday evening, a Miss MosinauNa made her first appearance at Drury Lane Theatre, in the character of Widow Cheerly, in the comedy of the Soldier's Daughter. She possesses many qualities calculated to render her an excellent actress in genteel comedy. Her form is well-sized and elegant ; her features are rather delicate, but re- gular, expressive, and handsome ; her action and carriage are easy, genteel, and unembarrassed ; and her voice, though not powerful, is sweet and clear, and her articulation perfectly distinct. Her appre- hension of the wild, good-natured, madcap whimsicalities of the dashing young widow, was quick and correct; and she was completely suc- cessful in ;embodying her notions of the character. Her delivery of the frequent sallies, repartees, and arch: allusions with which her part of the dialogue abounded, was easy, spirited, and happy. The au- dience, who were in a good humour throughout the performance, ex- pressed some desire for a second repetition of that part of the dialogue • which is called "the Bengal Story," and which Miss MORDAUNT-'de- livered with great effect. When, at the conclusion of the play, she made that appeal which is- usual in the representation of this comedy, —demanding if " the countersign was victory or death "—she was an- swered wit Ii loud applauses, which intimated very clearly the favourable decision of her judges. The comedy, with all its absurdities and incongru- ities, its dull invectives, and stupid lay-preaching, was rendered highly entertaining by the arch humour and gay coquetry of Miss MORDAUNT and by the rich and unctuous acerbity of manner, which were blended with much simplicity and Cordiality in the conduct of old Governor Heartall, as represented by Mr. IV. FARREN. Mr. JONES played the 01 of Frank fieartall with animation and effect ; and at the falling of the curtain announced, that the comedy would be repeated on Tues- day next.

COVENT-GARDEN.

We are happy to observe that the public have the good taste to con- tinue to crowd this house every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, for the purpose of witnessing Miss Kamisaa's beautiful representation of tdiet. We were also glad to observe that Mr. CHARLES KEMBLE - has had the good taste to abandon the traditional impropriety to which we pointed the public attention in our last number; and that the text of SHAKSPEARE has been, in that point at least, uncontaminated dur- • ing the past week. To abandon in this manner an abuse which had been almost sanctioned by time, and to give up a piece of action which always drew down a certain quantity of applause, required no incon- thderable courage. But Mr. KEIVIBLE is .SO rich in his own merit, that he can be under no necessity of making a show of wealth by exhibit- ing the base and counterfeited coin of inferior actors. We cannot however, wonder that the best performers should occasionally indulge' the low taste of the groundlings in the house, when we see the sort of criticism which sometimes professes to instruct the public out of doors upon these matters. A Sunday paper of considerable pretensions put forth last week, upon the subject of Miss KEMBLE'S Juliet, an article in which, having described the lady as possessing" a form bent back- wards upon her own faith!" he goes on to assert the very curious fact that "her voice was resplendent with music !"—the critic having, as we imagine, borrowed the hint of the latter happy image from a Cele- brated Irish pindaric ode, in which the poet represents

. . . "the bees perfuming The trees with music!

All in the groves of sweet Castle Hyde."

When a premium is directly offered for distorted action and violent declamation, it is not reasonable to expect that performers should keep themselves very strictly within the modesty of nature, or forego the "solid pudding" which is attained by one style of acting, for the " empty praise" of the judicious, which may be the only recompense of the other. However, the present signs of the drama are most auspicious; and the manner in which Miss KEMBLE has been received by the public will, we hope, convince performers of all ranks, that there is so much good sense and good taste among us as to render just and tine. aggerated representations of nature the most certain means of attain- ing a lasting popularity upon the stage.