The chief theatrical event of the week is the production,
at the Hay- market, of Idoliere's Tartufe, done into English blank verse by Mr. John Oxenford. The experiment of producing a French comedy of the high "classical" school, with all the conventions of the most formal French style, is entirely new, and has proved eminently successful. Mr. Web- ster plays Tartufe in a very careful, discriminating manner; and has so trained his company and decorated his stage, that a perfect tableau of the days of Louis Quatorzo results from his endeavours. Far from the au- dience finding the work "slow," they relish the points and strongly- marked situations of Moliere, just as if he had written them for the present day. The translation, it should be observed, is as literal as possible ; so that the play has nothing in common with the Hypocrite genus, but is the real bona fide Tartuffe. Another novelty at the Haymarket is a little farce, called Hake the Best of it, founded on a French vaudeville entitled Le Pont Came. Mr. Buck- stone, the principal actor, represents a Cockney gentleman, who to amuse himself in a lonely Welsh inn plays a game of cards with an unknown lady, on the condition that the loser shall be at the absolute disposal of the winner. He loses ; and the scrapes in which he is involved by being forced to execute the lady's commands form the materials of the piece. Buekstone is highly comic, and the situations are ingenious ; but we wish they had rested on a foundation less obviously artificial than the very im- Nrobable game of cards.
Last week we were in doubt where to place Mr. J. W. Wallack. Our
.aabts are resolved. His Hamlet was remarkable for nothing save the a :length to which his slow delivery extended the part. As he has all tat qualities of a generally serviceable actor, let him give up, at present, the notion of continuing as a tragic " star." A good field is open for him if he will take pains to work his way.
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