The Express.
London, England, 1855-11-21 00:00:00

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HAYMARKET.
The Provoked Hernia was revive& int night.
This celebrated nasty nee enjoyed as Intruded pra-
irie', sad kept posmeroll of the stop for s pester lesgth
of time, we Wien, than any play written ariaranst is
W days el Shohipeare. By.. dews to a pitied vitals oar
owe memory it outrun to be • stock pins, sad its per.
Musses wee • meteor of routine at every theatre. From
the " oldest time " of Wilke and Mn. Oldflold ,bra to the
enders days whisk we ma yet remember—tat days
el Kimble, Yeesig, Raisin, Mr. Devises, sad
Fess, Kimble—every aster and estrus beingrag to
thb hawk eowdetie essayed their powers is Lord sad Lady
Townley, pelts is which many brilliaat triumphs were
achieved. Is later times The Provoked Reaseissi has gra-
dually got est of date and oat of fuhioa. It has become
deed to the rage, and so attempts to revive it Dave proved
sesserfol. This is set because it is • bad play ; far from it.
It is user the best plays of its class, and Cieber's share of
it is the most pears windy that ever rowed from his pee.
The plot is simple, the isseidents are Brunt, sod the dia-
lers' sparkles with wit and satire. Vanbergh, in his
pram, is still mere successful. Then is nothing os our
my tan of nth comic humour than the family of the
Wseerkesa in all its branches; the geadminaree stolid
eassen spire; hie spouse, sourly are, the fashiesable
feats or Pe tuna ; the unlieked rib, his son ; and the pert
heYdee4lie daughter. liven is misty, revue, Jobs Moody,
hes enralsits skein. Baththe mistorrans is, that eke she-
raster of this play have bee their point. They being to •
etas.( society aid manner whisk has posed away. They
ace plerares of which the originals an lost—they ere no
=natation of the life which we an around us. The
Ned mamas, sad language of the ladies mid pur-
ees ma the rage, en as straw to us as their
Mind eats, perukes, hoops, and stomachers. TM lively
sail -talk sad sourly gall try
of their rity
felt la ow to be stiff, Maud, sad tedious; and a Sae pa-
tine* arrayed he • cent nit of Cates Anne's time loots
like a models fermaa. Our forefathers looked on the Me
pathless and ladies they saw on the stags with other nee.
Mn. Wield or Miss Funs, Mr. Wilk. or Mr. Garrick,
append in the theatre as they would have appeared is the
drawls/40os ; sad the illusion of the scene, which to some
extent is nessesary to the enjoyment of • play, was preserved.
Now- s-daye, is the performance of these old comedies, it is
lost. This evil isles felt in characters belonging to what is
called low comedy. Though the wintry equine of a han-
dled ysua ago have passed away as completely as the
line gentlemen sad ladies, yet characters of broad humour
may retain their vitality. This is the can with all the mem-
ber Oohs Wroesh ead famil ; and the ernes in which
they an neeerned ere alorystely sectesaary to keep the
phi abet sad prevent it from sinking altogether.
From all this, we did not meet that last night's serval
of this old ploy would have much SOCCINS ; nor did the pub-
lic either, for the amouneensent failed to draw a house.
The performance was careful, end on the whole, good.
Miss Cashman essayed the part of Lady Tomlin, and
was injudicious in dreg so. This lady, with all
her merit is her own line, ought to have
Mows that Lady Townley is entirely out of it.
She has neither the fan, pros, voice, nor manner belong-
ing to the graceful. elegant, gay, frivolous, bigh-brad woman
of turn. It was only in the last scene, which approaches
to tragedy in its display of passion--the scene of Lady
Towaley's sudden persist, and recosoiliation with her
basbentl—e sane, by the way, out of keeping with the in-
',tents levity of the sharacter—that Miss Cushman made
wirer like • stress impression. That scene was warmly
sad deservedly applauded. Mr. Howe and Mr. Farrell leads
as much of Lard Townley and Mr. Mail y as could be ex-
pected. Miss Swanboroogh was a gracrul Lady Grace.
She acted the part "soberly," and at the sane time
plessaatly. The " Wrosghead " ernes went off with
erste, and sassed much amusement. Chippendale was the
Old Squire, Compton was Squire Richard, Miss Ellen
Chaplin was Miss Jenny, and Rogers was John Moody. All
steeliest, especially Compton and Miss Csaplin. Oo the
whole the play is worth seeing as now acted, though the
Ipleeenre to be derived from it will be got at the aspens, of
• little wearier..