The Express.
London, England, 1863-06-27 00:00:00

DRAMA.

MADAME RISTORI AT HER MAJESTYS THEATRE
Mosenthars drama of Deborah, which was selected
by Madame Ristori last night for the fourth performance of
bar seriesbas the advantage of reeembling a story of modern
life—the characters in which come more closely home to
the sympathies of audiences than the draped classical
heroines or the high tragedy queens in which aloes she has
hitherto appeared. It is a German play—almost Idyllic in
its simplicity of construction. DotoreA has, we believe.
never been performed in this country, although, if
we remember rightly, a version has been produced
n America under the title of Leah the change
having probably been suggested to the playwright from the
fact that Deborah is • name which is commonly applied in
the United States to a negren, and has therefore acquired
there a kind of half ludicrous association.
The story diorite Madame Maori leas scope than her pre-
vious appearances for those tragic outbursts in which she
delights. Her performance, however, was highly effective,
and the pathetic and tender portions brought out some of her
best characteristics, and secured her more than one call from
an enthusiastic, though not very crowded audience. Mdlle.
Marchi looked pretty, and played with grace and feeling in
the part of Anna ; and Signor Teener° deserves mention for
a painstaking and effective performance in the character of
' Laurent, the village mayor.

MR. ANDR
MRS, CSH AKHARLES KESPEAR EAN'
FUND. READINGS
FO THE E
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kean made their final
appearance in London last night before their departure for
Australia, by giving a reading at St. James's-hall for the
benefit of the Shakespeare Fund. This fund was eats-
bliebed io 1861 for a variety of purpose* connected with
what we may call the worship of the poet in its concrete
form, and about 3,5001. appears to have been collected and
expended up to the present time, under the management of
an influential committee guided by Mr. J. G. Halliwell. The
bulk of the property at New-place, Stratford-on-Avon, has
been secured, and the committee state that 2,0001. more will
be required to add the theatre—which stands on the pro-
perty—to this purchase, to place the gardens in proper
order, and to erect a memorial to record the names of the
principal donors.
The reading kindly given last night by Mr. and Mrs.
Charles Kelm, it we may judge by the attendance, will be a
considerable help to the fund. The ball, in spite of many
counter-attractions, including the Guards' ball, was well
filled with a distinguished audience, and these two popular
actors were received with well-deserved applause. It is not
the custom to criticise a performance given for a public or
benevolent object, and we therefore do little more than
record the pieces read or recited. There were selections
from Shakspeare's play of King John ; Professor Aytoun's
spirited ballad, " The Execution of Montrose;" Hood's
" Bridge of Sighs," and the best of Lord Macaulay's rather
rhetorical Roman tolled', " Hontius Cooler." The play
was almost equally divided between Mr. and Mrs. Kean,
while the two ballads wen recited with great dramatic
vigour by Mr. Kean, and Hood's poem ins given by Mrs.
Kean with taste and teeing.