THE THEATRES.
Twis is an eventful week in the theatrical world ; but the two most notable occurrences—namely, the opening of Drury Lane, and the ad- vent of Mrs. ALFRED Snew in Covent Garden—both take place this evening, too late for notice in our columns of the present week. Mean- while, the opening of the Adelphi on Thursday, and two more novel- ties produced at the Haymarket since our last report, remain to be chronicled.
At the Haymarket, Grandfather Whitehead has lent a hand to help on Alma Mater, who was sinking fast into disrepute, and, but for this timely aid, would hardly have been able to keep a house over her head, for all she brought out some Curiosities of Literature to please the visiters. Grandfather Whitehead is one of those truthful and touching portraits of individual character for which we are originally indebted to the French stage, and its greatest comedian, BOUFFE ; though we must not forget our obligations to Mr. Manic LEMON, the adapter of the piece, and Mr. FARREN, the skilful artist who has produced so beautiful and finished a copy of the original. Grandfather Whitehead is a doting old man, whose whole soul is wrapped up in his two grandchildren, Louisa and Edward, but chiefly in the boy—as idle and mischievous as ever spoilt child was : the old man, mistaking a sum of money lent to his son-in-law for his own stipend, incontinently spends the whole on presents for his grandchildren ; and his son-in-law is ruined in consequence : old Whitehead quits the house in despair, wanders about all night, and is found famished with cold and hunger at the door of Langley—a man whom he had raised from beggary to affluence, and who in return had reduced him to penury : the sight of his victim awakens Langley's remorse ; he makes restitution ; and Whitehead is thus enabled to rescue his son-in-law from prison. The story, of which this is a very brief outline, is full of improbabilities ; but they are so skilfully glossed over, and the main interest is so artfully sustained and varied, exhibit- ing the principal character under different states of emotion, that we are reconciled to any discrepancies in the plot by the result of them. One quite loves the fond old grandfather, though he does spoil that wanton boy ; pity for his infirmities swallows up censure of his follies, which are all of a generous and unselfish kind. We do not remember to have seen FARREN play so finely, and with so little seeming regard to the audience : from his first entrance, dragged in by the young urchin with his hoop, to the last scene of reconciliation, he appeared wholly absorbed in the assumed character. He portrays the extreme old age, verging on second childishness but not utterly imbecile, with perfect fidelity to nature ; his face and voice, his gait and manner, are equally expressive of decrepitude. The distress at the disastrous consequences of his rashness was not so pathetically depicted as we fancy it must have been by BouFF*; nor was the appeal to Langley so forcible as could be desired ; but if the griefs and joys were less vividly expressed than they might be, yet the quiet,Isubdued tone of the personation, preserved that smoothness and absence of effort which are so rare on our stage. The effect upon the audience was answerable to the gentle pathos of the performance ; and Mrs. YARNOLD, who played Louise very ,pleasingly, seemed personally affected by the h cunning of the scene.' Master WEBSTER represented the boy very cleverly, and in a natural manner : we tremble for the success of a scene that depends on childish coiiperation, but this juvenile actor soon set us at ease by his address. Mr. STUART, as Langley, made the mistake common to tragedy-actors, of attempting to be grand in a familiar Character and only succeeded in making the scenes absurd in which he appeared : if he would not mouth so he would be much more impressive; as it is, he throws his words out like a porter " pitching " his load, as if utterance were a burden, the whole weight of which he lets fall upon the hearers by way of making an impression. The universal and reiterated ap- plause that greeted Mr. FARREN throughout and at the close of his ad- mirable performance, will, we hope, convince him that an English au- dience can perceive what is good in acting without receiving their cue from the performer. Curiosities of Literature is one of those broad farces in which the au- thor sets all probability at defiance and glories in the extravagance ; but the amount of laughter elicited is not in this case answerable to the extent of the licence : nor are the situations new, while the humour is very coarse and the equivokes are forced. Sliakspere Dibbs, a gar- retteer scribe, who curdles the blood of the readers of Newgate Calen- dar horrors under the signature of "Jack Ketch junior," by some convenient blunder is installed confidential secretary to a minister of state; but acts under the impression that he is appointed manager of a matrimonial alliance company : the blunders that ensue are, as may be supposed, ludicrous enough, though occasionally too preposterous even for farce. WEBSTER acted the hero Dias with gusto; but the part demands a humorist : PowER would have made such a piece go off like wildfire. Where is WRENCH?
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