PLAYS AND PLAYERS.

THERE have been no novelties during the week. The Critic has been reproduced at Covent Garden to give us JONES in his favourite put of puf BLANCHARD played FamtEN's part of Sir Fretful Plagiqty ex- cellently well. Some of the actors in the " Tragedy Rehe,trsed " are described as spoiling the effect of the burlesque, by too broad a carica- ture.

A son of the veteran DOWTON appeared this week at Drury Lane, in the character of Tangent, in The Wily to get Married ; and was very well received. He is deicribed as possessing a neat and light figure, a moderately good voice, somewhat thin, and not too powerful, and an abundance of animal spirits, with more activity them grace. The ex- travagance of the part renders it an unsatisfactory one for a debut. Mr. DowTox junior is spoken of as being too wart; in his personation of it ; but evincing talents of a re:Tectable order, which will make him a use- ful actor.

Miss PHILLIPS' has played Jane Share; but her acting is complained of as being too obviously "studied :" this, indeed, is her besettil:g fault.

MI I.TON'S masque of Chita.5. with the music of HANDEL mil ARNE, was peri,anvid at Covent Garden on Friday; the principal parts beitu;

taken by II. Pati.Lic.i, Miss :lad Kiss Itii,7nit. We

are not surprised to bear that it went bat flatly ea: It k II a pro- duction suited to the town taste it lacks excitement for the vulgar, and the music is more suited to the concert-room than the stage.

DE MEnic is to appear at Covinit Garden before the commencement of her engagement at Drury Lane.

H. PHILLIPS also is at Covent Garden; and on Wednesday appears in the part of Steady, in the Quaker.

On the same night we are to have the first performance of JEnnotn's new drama, Nell Gwynne, of which Miss TAYLOR is the heroine.

Why has LAPORTE kept back so long one of the best cards in his hand—himself? He is modest on the score of his imperfect English : let him then play Frenchmen's parts—they abound in our comedies. LAPORTE'S performance in //is First Campaign was admirable, and worthy of a better part. He is shortly to appear in the character of a French humorist.

MaTnnws is returned from Brighton, and is concocting the mate- rials for his next "At Home."

The Opera opens about the middle of this month. LAPORTE has en- gaged, among others of less note, PASTA, Dosrmaar, TAMBURINI, DE BEGNIS, HEBERLE, and TAGLIONI, and a Madame BROCCABADATE, a singer, who is new to this country. Part of the Italian Opera Com- pany have been performing at Edinburgh. LAPORTE will not deprive Covent Garden of the attraction of TAGLIONI, although she is also to appear at the King's Theatre. He talks of producing for her the ballet- opera of Le Dieu et in Bagadere, so popular in Paris.

MORRIS, to make up for his losses last season, and by way of re- prisals on the Opera and the two other large houses, which injured him by opening on a greater number of nights than usual during his season, intends to open the Haymarket at Easter; for which purpose he has engaged the Adelphi company.

Miss KELLY opens the Strand Theatre on Saturday the 19th.

During one of the finest passages delivered by MACREADY in lago at Drury Lane, the other night, a worthy Member of the House of Commons, sitting in the dress boxes, thinking that he was listening to a speech instead of a play, called out, at the top ()This voice, "Hear, hear 1" much to the astonishment and diversion of the audience.

H. WALLACE has been appearing on a stage, unfortunately too familiar to many actors—the Insolvent Debtors' Court. He explained the causes of his appearance there to have been the failure of his trip to America, and the heavy expenses to which "professional gentlemen" were subjected. His explanation did not appear to satisfy the stern critic on the bench ; who, when he declared Mr. WALLACK entitled to his discharge, cautioned him against "a second appearance" in such a character. Economy is a very rare virtue in the private character of actors.