The Press.
London, England, 1854-01-28 00:00:00

IP frama.

HAYMARKET THEATRE.
Mr. Buckstone promised to produce tragedy and
Miss Cushman at his theatre d • the present
season, and has kept his word. The lady appeared
on Monday, playing the eharseter a Bianca 111 Dean
Milman's which she repeated last night ; and
en Wednesday took the part of Mrs. Haller in I'he
Stranger. Returning to London after many years'
absence, Miss Cushman received a most enthusiastic
welcome upon first presenting herself upon the
stage, and all her performances since have been
crowned with full success, by audiences which were
not only applausive,but—what is far better—crowded
to the ceiling.
Both the excellences and the faults of Miss
Cushman's acting are discernible at a glance. The
effects at which she aims are broad, bold, and deeply
marked. As she generally accomplishes them, the
resulting picture is vigorous and striking in ite
delineation, but also too often harsh and coarse.
In all her personations, now and heretofore,
we discover an extreme conscientiousness in working
out the character she has assumed, even to its
minutest details, aided by careful study, and
guided by a cultivated intellect. She possesses,
moreover, many physical advantages—indornitable
energy, a powerful and well-modulated voice,
with great resources of eye and countenance.
What these qualifications enable her to do is done
with almost too painstaking industry. The result is a
portraiture which, as we have said, is sufficiently
striking, but rarely pleasing, and still less frequently
natural, because it lacks the weakness, the softness,
and the grace of nature. In her performances there
is much that we must admire, but little that we can
like. Many of her scenes excite terror, and seize on
the imagination; but they seldom satisfy the judg-
ment, and never touch the heart. They are of a
quality entitling the performer to rank high as
a physical artist, but to no higher rank of art, be-
cause it is by physical means that their ends are

achieved.
In behalf of Miss Cushman we should be inclined
to reverse the old canon, and say that the picture
would have been better if the painter had taken less
pains. By adopting what, in theatrical phrase, is
still called " Alacreadyism," that is to say, a
slow articulation, a deliberate action, and painful
emphasising of every word and gesture, all the
faults of her acting are fixed and exaggerated. A
character of artificiality and monotony is impressed
upon the whole performance. The most solemn
passages are spoiled when played only in minims.
Of the two characters in which Miss Cushman has
now appeared, that of Bianca is by far the best.
The fierce wild passions assigned to Milm ansheroine—
her jealousy, revenge, remorse, and insanity—
were admirably suited to her capabilities, and the per-
formance was wrought up at many points to a pitch
of terr►ble grandeur. As Mrs. Haller her deficien-
cies became more conspicuous. That character cannot
be rendered attractive, we might almost say endurable,
unless it is exhibited as impulsive, tender, and fra•
gile ; and these are attributes which Miss Cushman
could not, or did not, portray.
We need say nothing of the plays themselves.
They keep the stage because they are essentially
'fogey, and afford some capital situations and one or
two good scenes to display the talents of some popu-
lar actor or actress, as the case may be. Otherwise,
there is no reason why they should now be resusci-
tated ; and, at all events with regard to one of them,
many reasons why it should not. Mr. Buckstone has
mounted them carefully and liberally and the sub-
ordinate characters have found respectable repre-
sentatives among the members of the liaym arket

CONSTANTINOPLE.—This exhibition is
Egyptian hall, and well repays the
very great trouble of waiting until the
• crowd at the door enables him to
Constantinople, but the shores of
the Mediterranean to the Black Sea,
spectator; and so well have artist and
formed their parts that the illusion is
'lance transports us from Piccadilly to
where the land and the water
the golden and purple glow of the
First was the Hellespont, with a war-
giving off from a port on the further side,
sounding and feeling the way for the great
which, with their chequered sides, are seen
bending under piles of canvas, white

in masses grand and swelling,
Ald to be the thunder's dwelling."
sea of sunlight" even the great black
their grinning cannons seem to smile.
first scene, to the last, the general
exhibition is the same, lasting for
half without a moment's monotony.
and wind more like a river than the

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now open at the E
• visitor for the veil
absorption of the i
enter. Not only
the straits from tb
pass before the sp
mechanist perforn
I perfect, and a glai
the Dardanelle,,,
dreamily bask in I
Eastern light. Fi
steamer moving c
t probably soundim
war-ships which,
crowding up ben
like clouds—
" Roiled in
As Pond
i But in that " sea
slips with their
1 From this, the Su
&sweeter of the
an hour and a h
The *traits glide
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