COntrts nub Sum
There have been several events during the past theatrical week, but most of them are of comparatively trifling importance. The revival of Mr. Jerrold's Prisoner of Warlast Saturday, at the Hay- market, was remarkable for the strength of the cast ; Mr. and Mrs. Keeley plying the characters they originally sustained at Drury Lane, and Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kean condescending to take those originally sustained by Mr. Anderson and Miss Fortescue. The characters in question are not particularly in Mr. and Mrs. Kean's line ; but their names have weight lathe bill, and the sacrifice of personal position to the general good is, at any rate, a wholesome example.
At Drury Lane, there has been a revival of Ion. The very sensible acting of Mr. Vandenhoff, who deftly combines the hastiness of the ty- rant with the tenderness of the man, is the only thing highly to be com-
mended. Mr. Anderson, indeed, does his best to tame himself down into the gentle Ion; but still there is a burliness of manner and appearance, which resists a close approximation to the, character as set forth by the poet.
At the Olympic, Love's Sacrifice has been revived; and Miss F. Vining and Mr. Davenport have put forth their strength to good effect as the erring father and devoted daughter. Mr. Davenport has as fair a pros- pect of pushing his way on the London stage as any actor now in the Metropolis. His talents are not confined to any particular class of cha- racters, but he can play all things respectably, and some admirably well. His face, figure, and voice, are all greatly in his favour ; and he has that faculty of putting out force without the appearance of effort, which is sure to tell on a theatrical audience;Love's Sacrifice, which was originally produced at Covent Garden during the short management of Mr. Charles Kemble that followed the management of MadTamneacersitzis, is not a drama of the very highest order, but it abounds in striking situations, and is not without histrionic opportunities. At the Princess's, the practical joke of luring a bridegroom into a cold bath and his valet into a warm one, so as to keep them both prisoners when the all-important nuptial ceremony is just about to take place, forms the foundation of a broad, smartly-written farce, called Hot and Gold. Another professed novelty, Hy Wife Shan't Act, is but an old Olympic piece with a new name,—the piece in which Mr. Listen used to appear in a private box, and interrupt the performance on the stage on the ground that his wife was acting against his wilL
After all, the most striking event of the week has been the monologue delivered by Mr. Bunn at the St. James's. It was a strange rambling affair, made up of early dramatic history, recent dramatic anecdote, theories of elocution, and views of the prospects of the stage. The doc- trinal part was sometimes good, sometimes doubtful, and the anecdotes had various degrees of spice. Best of all was the delivery; the easy manner and quiet humour of Mr. Bunn giving a peculiar charm to an entertainment that would otherwise have been insufferably tedious. A series of views illustrative of the life of Shakspere, and exhibited in the course of the lecture, are beautifully painted.
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