THE THEATRES.
THE lighter entertainments at the Haymarket have been agreeably varied by a pleasant petite comedy, culled A Tale of a Tub, written by Mrs. GORE. The scene is laid in Paris, in the time of Louis Quinn; and if the satirical ullusions in the dialogue are rather too English,tbry tell better than others more in character might do ; and moreover, they serve to show that the drama is of native manufacture. Jeannette,' pretty little stocking.mender, occupying a "tub"—or rather, a half* —in the streets of Paris, is the heroine ; she is a female Diogenes is point of honesty and independence, but without the pride and intole. ranee of the Cynic. The fair footer of silk stockings chances to bet cousin-german of the celebrated Countess du Barri ; arid, so fur from being awed by the rank mid station of her ennobled kinswoman, Ike cannot perceive that there should be any difference as regards themselves but rather thinks it a stretch of kindness on her part to maintain the old feelings of relationship, seeing that her cousin has attained to state sad splendour ut the expense of character. The humour of the piece con• sists in the familiar way in which the humble stocking-mender speaks of and to the wealthy and powerful Countess—calling her" Jane" and " coz;" and the retaliation that Jeannette makes for her cousin Jane's" contemptuous disdain forms the subject of the plot. Taking advantage of the offers of the Duke de Lauzun, who makes love to het through the medium of her occupation of stocking-mending, Jeannette takes up the stitch dropped in her cousin's affection by his mean Professing to entertain his suit, she avails herself of his magnificent offers to surpass in state and splendour the Countess herself; and hav- ing gained admission to the palace on the night of a ftlte, relates, in the assumed character of a Persian, the history of the reigning favoutite- to the amusement of the King and the discomfiture of the Countess. The upshot is, that the little stocking-mender gets a commission for her lover, a life-guardsman, from the profligate Lauzun, who finds be has only been made a tool of ; and Jeannette having gratified her revenge, restores to her " Cousin Jane" some papers of importance that had been secretly intrusted to her care. The conclusion is some- what "lame and impotent ;" but, though it lessens the effect of the play, it does not spoil the fun.
Mrs. HUMBY, as the pretty stocking-mender, has full scope for the display of her peculiar talent, and makes good use of the opportunity. Her hard and precise manner, and mechanical action, joined to a free and homely familiarity, almost amounting to clownishness but never coarse, produce a very droll effect. It is us if a china shepherdess on the mantel-piece were winking and laughing at us.—..he seems as brittle
as porcelain. The scene where, in mockery of the state of the Countess, she has herself carried in her tub as in a sedan—meeting her cousin full butt—is farcically comic: and her style of relating her pre. tended adventures at the Court of Bagdad, shows a genuine vein of dry humour. She has the good taste, also, to dress in a vulgar flaring style, as the Persian, though not overdone ; which heightens almost imper- ceptibly the drolle y of the scene.
Mrs. NISBETT, a the Comitess, proved that not even a bend-dress like a counsellor's % ig an spoil a pretty face, nor mar the t ffect o 'good serious acting. Tl.e other characters were respectably filled—"phy- sically speaking," as Jeannette's life-guardsman has it.
The Bridal conth.ues its career of success; its powerful effect is un- diminished. The !c me where Melantius denounces Evadne's guilt, and brings her to confess her crime and pray for pardon, bus lost none of its terrific pathos. MACREADY seems an accusing and avenging spirit prepared to execute judgment on Evadne if she prove obdurate, but softening into the brother pitying his erring sister's shame, when she repents. Nor has Miss BUDDART'S personation abated one jot of its intense reality. We take this opportunity of calling attention to the merits of two subordinate performers,—Mr. Halms as Strata, the King's pander ; and the one who plays the gaoler. The unobtrusive excellence of their acting is worthy of imitation as well as of praise. They appear to be in earnest, and engrossed by the business of the scene, instead of staring about them when not actually speaking, as others, even some of higher pretensions, often do. The listless indif- ference, amounting almost to impertinence on the part of the inferior personages, often mars the dramatic illusion : attention, on the part of those who cat' no further assist in the performance, is the least that can be expected. The stage. manager should look to this. Drury Lane closed last Monday ; and the English Opera, under BUNN'S management, opens next Monday. It is reported that Mac- READY has taken Covent Garden : we wish it may be true.
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