The Express.
London, England, 1856-10-17 00:00:00

SKETCHES OF LONDON ACTORS.

FRANK MATTHEWS.
We have often thought that to the exoteric world
—those people who either do not understand, or have
so interest in theatrical matters—the advertising
columns of our weekly contemporary the Era must
offer an inscrutable mystery. For the periodical in
question is the chosen organ of all those histrionic
personages who are in want of engagements, while
the managers of the various provincial "circuits"
likewise avail themselves of its columns to proclaim
the adjuncts required for perfecting their companies.
Herein do we read of ladies accustomed to "leading
business," "genteel comedy," "first walking ladies,
1" soubrettes and singing chambermaids," of " walk- '
lag gentlemen," "juvenile tragedians," " low come-
inane," " eocentric comedy," "Scotch, Irish, French ,
and character parts," " homy fathers,"and " first old
men," all either wanting or wanted for provincial,
and occasionally metropolitan engagements. It leaf
one of the latter class, one of the "fast old men,"
that we now have to speak—Mr. Frank Matthews.
One of the beliefs of childhood, and one which
involves the greatest compliment to the actor,
le that all representatives of senility on the state
must necessarily be themselves senile; it is, however,
one of the delusions of innocence. Most artists who
have expelled in representing the imbecilities, the
dotage, the thousand characteristics of old age, have
entered upon the delineation of such characters when
they themselves have been in the heyday of their
youth and the dawn of their genius, for it is then that
the mind is best capable of receiving those impres-
sions by the reproduction of which their success Is
achieved. Of stage old men there are several vane.
ties. There is the choleric old man, generally either
a colonel or an admiral on half pay, who dresses in
uniform, carriesa bamboo Pane' swears volubly,
growls iadibly, has a disobedient dissolute nephew,
and a sentimental 'Amish daughter whom he wishes
to unite to some old friend's son whom she has never
seen; this is the old man who is bullied by the
daughter's maid, who all. him "Old Henske," who
lies to him, and singe to him, and cajoles
him in the most ridiculous manner. Then there is
the food old man, who believes in everything and
everybody, who spends all his money in gratifying
the ridiculous whims of his chi Area and grandchildren,
and who, in the last act, becomes childish and weeps
and maunders in such a touching manner that all the
handkerchiefs belonging to the female population in
the boxes are at work. Then there is the virtuous
old man, so extremely stroogminded in him &nuncio.
inns of vice ; the mild old man, who pats up with
every indignity and does not repine at the most afro-
dons treatment, because, uhe declares in a series of
set sentences, Heaven hal so ordained it; then these
is the nasty, love-making old man of the Capricorn
species—the fawning, humbugging old man, and
many other varieties, upon which we have neither
time nor space to enlarge. But in the representation of
each of these peculiar phases of character Mr. Prank
Matthews is a proficient; Indeed sines the retirement
of Mr. Farm he has, is this line, no equal es the
@Ur. It is difficult to say in the representation of
which class of senile characters he is most successful,
as chubby hilarity, bluff honesty, swindling by go-
wiry, cringing servility, and objectionable amorous-
um seem equally natural to him. When you have
seen him as Pteksaiff, with his sleek hair and ample
frills, his air of virtue and resignation, his horror of
deceit and disgust of vice, you imagine his bast part
achieved; and yet be is equally good in the des-
picable servWty, the crawling prostration mixed with
the low ouniag of Earthworm in the Game of
Spossistioss, sad in the Weenie great manliness of
Adam Brock in alarree 12C. Mr. Matthews is the
one representative of his peculiar line of acting ci
whom thiscan in jostles be said. Other artists of
seediest ability are hard and inviolable; but in Mr.
Frank Matthews there is an unctuousness which is

useful either in elaborating the joviality of a hard
drinking squire, or in adding to the shivering pester-
logs of a begging-letter impostor; twig genial, natural,
human, and to see him alter one of the drier school
is like cutting into a mellow pear after attempting
to carve on a walnut shell.

—Mr. Frank Matthews was born in the year 1807
in Store•etrest, Bedford-square, and, like moat other
eminent professors of his art, was not originally
intended for the stage. H. was placed with Sir
James Wigraur in Lincoln's•ion, but the tempter
came in the person of Oabeirry the comedian, under
whose auspices he made his first appearance as an
amateur as Captain Manley in Honest Thieves. His
regular debut on the boards was at Cheltenham,
when he was engaged for what is technleally termed
"utility," i.e., he would play any kind of character,
and of any age from 18 to 80, at a few hours' notice.
From Cheltenham he went to Mr. Macready, father
of the eminent tragedian, who then had the Bristol
theatre, and who was exceedingly kind to him, and
then, after playing at Nottingham, Dover, and Wind-
sor, he was seen by the celebrated Jack Bannister,
who recommended him to Mr. Arnold, the lessee of
the English Opera House, when he appeared as
Fermat Waldeck in the Bottle Imp, tuning on the
stage for his first appearance at put midnight. Alter
fulfilling this engagement he went with Mr. Charlie
Notable to Covent-garden, and sines then he has
played at mut of the principal London theatres,
including the Olympic, the Lyceum (where he was a
great favourite during the managements of Mr. and
Mrs. Keeley and Medan. Vestris), the Adolph', &c.
He is now at the Primes's, and though from the
peculiar character of most of the pious played there
he has not much opportunity for displaying him more
legitimate talent, yet he has established himself u •
favourite with hie audience. It is part of Mr.
teen's principle to give oeressional revivals of the
old comedies, each as The School for Scandal, The
&c., and he therefore dose moat wisely to retain
the services of Mr. Frank Matthews, who in
Peter Teazle, Biz Anthony Absolute, and characters
of similar genre, has not now his *qui on the stage.

ROTAL COLLZOI OF 811111•011 L—The Wowing
membeeselthe oellegekniag gaselegilbessolastodfalless,
sem admitted es mob M the eamekes of the Costello' tbe
16th fannies—Mem Noma Swede Ihriven, Royal North
(assassin Reelmaelfe Ciremessier; Ulm Robert Taylor,
deputy isagesiseissmal of beigials; French Xavier
Moseley, Cleemedmirest• Jose Loa* Heywood, Lases
Mire ; Jobs Masil ReNrwsyi_Jobs Thomas
Koski, Brompesa %lift=
34:=, bOl Aff•Y
Charles Lammas, ; William /Stoker,
Derbies; Saul Deoseoft, Hyde; Joshes Barlow, Ard•
sick, Manchester; sad ffeepton Byraager. Bath. At the
same swedes Kr. Nom Jobs Senn, of Berrowdee, was
samieled ea ed nesehes member of Me @allege ; this gentle•
mas had peewees* bees *chatted a Insatiate of the
Featly of Tinelshme sad Margeoss of °largos, his diploma
Wades date led Aped, 11113.
Ms LATE DIMINVOTION OF TEI ROMAN CATHO-
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sioners of Supply fee Itosburgbatrin, ou Tseeday lest, a
claim spas the musty was gives is fro. Mr. Hope Ikea,
of AbbeWsid, for the loss what be bad autaised by the
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leg as MX be. This sum Maude. sot may tbe mho of
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TIOMMINCIF-LASVZ CONVICIa.—The Prevost hes
nostril a nessseiestios fens the mows spat fa Slot-
lead. reggesang that, is masegseme of isetnatiess bas
eke Hew itmetary, there sal be cammusiseee• to bias
from deo as U.s the eases of penes. et largo as payees
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