TII fl I'll EATRE S.
NOTHER of those striking pictures of " the romance of real life " in which the dramatis persona are exhibited in successive stages of their career, by a lapse of time being seppeseri to intervene between each act, was produced at the Lyreeni on Monday, with well merited suc- cess. It is written by 31r. BraNa 1: 1 a OW author of Lucille, Woman's Faith, and other popular pies. s. Farmer's Story is, very pro- perly, a simple one, and its leadiva feat:1sta are femiliar enough ; but
the obvious way in which tlaa- re -I.:or-bed—bating souse stage licences
of improbability—the healthy a.f ;111. sentiment, and the natural
truth of the actieg, give to Os- ioterest similar to that winch constituted the great charm r-1 1 i t ; Stephen Lock word, a yesi,g 11FL:sr. envying the luxuries of the
squileareby, is disgusted with 1..)!I,in I t t 11 :aid the humble COMforts of home, though these are swectraled bv the smiles of a charming little wife. Ile sighs for fortune, rind to wish is aratified by the success of a trial in the lottery ; the tieitet, in t.r.lci to bliv which he had run the risk of being Fent to gaol, lir:deg up 0 :Ittl:00/. prize, by a piece of stage hick. In the second suet. ii e see tin young farmer metamor- phosed into es inau of fashien. living in a splendid mansion in town, and introdured into society by hi. 1:1!fIndsru landlord, a profligate young squire. His wife, more weary as 1,1: Ow business of pleasure than ever she had been with the work of her brae. e and &dry, sickens at the change in her existence. and, what is more pailiful, in her husband's manner and feelings ; and her misery is completed by discovering his at to a fashionable deleirep, and beirig herself insulted by the addresses of the young squire. The third net shows the natural con- seqlvenees of this career. The splendid mansion is exchanged for a wretched hovel, anal penury aml a ant have siteceeded to luxury and extravagance. lint one friend remains to them—a desperate and ruined gamester, who tempts his vistim to crime : this fellow proposes to rob a rich man who had jest al-live(' iii the village ; Lockwood con- sents, in a moment of recklessness ; but his better feelings prevail, mid instead of plunderina the sleeping- t»ati. over whom he stands with is kilife that his tempterloal put into his hatul. lie wakes him, and to
his horror sees his own brother stand before Min. The brother had emigrated, and returned the 1; OSSI SSW' of wealth, to carry back Stephen Lockwood to America and make him a sharer in his good fortune.
The acting is excellsnt throualsolit ; bet Mrs. KEELEY, as the wife, is perfect. The naturalness of her manner of speaking, and of her ex- pressive looks and gestures, makes bur (diameter appear actually real. Nothieg is overdone, nothing omitted that can contribute to the illu- sion. There are no stage starts, no runtiog and whining; all is quiet,
easy, and familiar, but withal most impressive. It is like French acting without its mannerism. St:ass, as the young fanner, is secretly less natural, and not at all
less effective : we were never offended by that peculiar whine which is the only drawback upon his ptrform:a-ice; and even PERKINS'S beset- ting sirs of over-energy is not paiafallv evident in his personation of the emigrant brother. liaasto, too, 115 the gambler, and HEMMING, us the heartless squire, are like the individuals of ;hese classes as can be; and OKHERRY, as a Zummerzetshire ploughman, with a mixture of rustic simplicity and cunning, looks and speaks the character to the life. WRENCH, as a peripatetic painter of all-work, has a fantastical part to play; and he makes plenty of fins by his imperturbable noncha- lance. Even the steward and constable, as played by ROMER and SANDERS, and the lady's maid, by Mrs. F. MATIIEws, deserve a full share of the general praise. In a word, we never saw a play more effectively performed. Indeed, the cast of pieces at the Lyceum gene- rally is admirable for completeness. This little commonwealth of actors deserves public eneouragement ; and such performances as the Farmer's Story will not fail to bring it.
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