The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-02-19 00:00:00

THEATRE ROYAL.

MR. 'MURDOCH IN THE "INCONSTANT.'

'Mr. Murdoch appeared at the Theatre Royal on Moe'
i
day night for the first time, and again last nightn the
long-banished character of Young 3lirabel, in the Don:
stunt." Very high eulogiutn from critical authorities
,_ofe
great London repute preluded his appearance ill t
provinces, and secured for him an audience of the 01°''
favourable disposition. The success which had restored
even for a short time to the stage a character so utterly
extinguished in our own age led most people to a real
belief that in Mr. Murdoch would be found some novel
and very peculiar dramatic powers. Before the cartal-
e
rose, there was probably but one feeling is the housee'il
that of very high expectation. When the curtain le
we feel satisfied there was an almost equal unanimity
a feeling of utter disappointment. Had Farquhar intenders
Young Mirabel as a kind of cross-breed between his dwlld
Archer in the " Beaux Stratagem,'' and Goldsmith's I.'"
Lumpkin"—had he intended to pourtray a roysteril
noisy swaggerer, remarkable chiefly for coarse g°2a
humour and an incessant loud laugh, Mr. 111urdoell!,
impersonation might be considered a perfect sucde%
But those who always read the play with t".
ilea that its hero was one of the graceful, suPera
elegant, imperturabie, and dissolute fine gentlemen of a s
era happily dead and buried, must have been at leas;:n
much amazed as disappointed with the new view twit`,
before them. Refinement of external manners, provokl f#
grace, and immoveable composure, were surely amoeg,,T,
attributes Farquhar designed to embody in his o'l'lo,
seductive, but not utterly worthless, he;'o. From befitot
ning to end, Mr. Murdoch was never any: hip; iota
boisterous—his good humour continually running to
buffoonery, and his animated piquancy breaking
coarse rudeness. It must be allowed, however, tbatee
Mr. Murdoch deprived the character of all its graceal.
took away also a good deal of its objectionable proPertied
No one could seriously blame the follies, or even vines' as
a merely overgrown and mischievous schoolboy, snier
we presume this. performer conceives to have been of
quintr's ideal. On the other Land, it would seem pert see
marvellous under what hallucination Oriana beards
enraptured with so Orson-like an Inconstant. Tits a,
" Love-in-idleness '' adoration for Nick B°ft
,' :o
could not have been more surprising, if we did not lribo
of the magic cause. Any analysis of the points °`bst
performance is not necessary. We have only to sal "tio
the performer sustained his singular conception ocero
part to its close. In the denaaenzent scene, indeed, w'of A
the life of the profigate is just resound on the Pol.°tbaret,
violent extinction, Mr Murdoch gave utterance to en° Of
of natural, unexaggerated, and appropriate Me:is:4l9,,f
all else we can say no more than that such a charaoler
we have described was played well and heartily•—e'v`ifi
thing being "done,, if we may use the exprassian, f0a;414
large type; but that of the general idea of Farquoad
redeemed libertine there was nothing whatever to reallti
us. Mr. Baker played the part of Old Mirabel with fide his
to the original, and with true comic power completfYead
r own. The sudden irritability, the suddenly restored at
humour, the weakness of the father, and the warm f1e,,,.."511
under all, were rendered with spontaneous and nat'ill
humour. Miss Page, was animated and occasion ter
effective in the difficult part of Orianc—a chars ;pie
whose very devotion is of a kind not likely t°
thorough sympathy from a modern audience. Alr'
Tiers went through his part, Darstete, with credit' tlf
have said on a previous occasion that we believe it llttelog
impossible to give a permanent reanimation to that C,
of dramas of which the "Inconstant" may be taken h'iolf
type. In the present instance, however, we do not trtaer
the issue fairly raised, as we do not believe that ei‘,oll
the vices or the attractions of such a character as ',"00'1,
Mirebel, who may be taken as the model hero of the see.d
have fond any embodiment whatever in the extraordfn°
representation which Mr. Murdoch has originated., the,
On Tuesday night, Mr. Murdoch appeared 1°
lei
character of Eve/en, in Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton sePable
of " Money." This play has obtained a realarpoti
popularity among audiences who delight in fine sentitace of
instead of feeling, and stage mock-heroics in the ni!iivet
passion. It is a difficult task for any actor to ilecoos
some of the pompous and inflated speeches whirbeeenoff
out, in every scene, without leaving nature and true "410
altogether behind him, and getting into that peculiar thd
of expression, which one inseparably connects With tild.
footlights. Perhaps, then, we should not attribll",,i to,
fault to Mr. Murdoch, if we say that from begin°„ie o,`
endelhe was as completely exalted above the deg'
nature, as the most, enthusiastic gallery could desire'to the,
must not only suppose that he entered thoroughlY,illeatig
spirit of the thing—recognised the " admirable 10`aorde
he had to go through, and went right through it a.F'froo
,ugly. Seldom, even for a momena did he descent,
the transcendental style of his original, and door'
himself to be betrayed into any look, action, of n o
at all resembling any kind of life to be sat',l",fo,
• the stage. Sometimes—for Mr. Murdoch is neither" re 01
of talent nor of occasional feeling—a word or gest% tije
natural and unstilted expression would burst out, bud OA
performer appeared immediately to repent him -Atft
absence of fury, and mounted up again to the loftiapp,
he had been betrayed into abandoning. All that Cee
said is, that he played the character of Evelyn fullY `7,4 10
and, indeed, a little above, its own peculiar life ; !eriaa
doing so was necessarily utterly unlike the life of o'pooet
nature. Given such a character as Evelyn,
that any man ever did deliver such speeches in ain ale
of despair, and turn such antithetical conceits in tile";
burst of passionate affection, and Mr. alureloch's 5,y0
pauses, whispers, and thundering tones must be regplel
as forming a faithful performance, tally in keeogAosh!
the spirit of the criginal. if, however, Mr. l'attl."00;
ambition be to turn his talents to a better account b°
altogether throw away from his thoughts the reels 01
andttraditionary life of the stage, and look out of bd. Div
eyes and mind to that life which is aroun esetail,
everywhere else, and which bears about the sanle;-00ea:
blance to his present model as an " improved,
translation of Shakespeare does to the origina,fi
Baker's performance of Graves was in every istialsae
admirable. He infused through his part a genuineora
wholly of his own, and vivified many a dull alt„" 14-4
scene by a flash of genuine animating coMenl'eeftil'ea'
Page played the excessively sentimental Clara gra"of
and without exaggeration. Indeed, the charactersod per
play were, in general, well sustained by our Ice tv ,
I ormers.
este"
Last night, Mr. Murdoch, as we have said, reP-
' Inconstant.

f °At,
COUNTY COURT.—In consequence of the illnese;0000-
Pollock, the judge, the cases fixed to be heard is tbje
yesterday, were adjourned to the 9th of March• 106°i
Lax SLAYER'S ENCAMPMENT, SLIA W'S BROW.--; (loci%
by advertisment that the benefit of the above -natheuhea
individual tokes place on Monday next, Feb. '231 tw,-000"if
have no doubt that the intrinsic merits of his Per`°"er,
during his stay in this port will ensure him a butoliolio;
is needless to dwell upon the truly respectable style i°„io3olr,
the Encampment has been conducted ; the 101°,1;01,,,"
opinion of the sight seekers of this town all agree u",t
say the least, it is certainly the best of its sort totil„e;
appeared here. The amusements are varied and eti",o Philo
and the lecture which is delivered by Mr. James i)"01
proves that he has not travelled among the dettizei,°,3oostifi°s
forest without reaping ample opportunities of
acquainted with their various pursuits, alWet',"eseteb.:ol
qualifications,which he promulgates to the visitors e'bobp,i
in a style far better than we have been in 01 03
; listening to by others in a similar position
remark that we think he has moved in circles belts T'
to the superior education that he decidedly possese.s;ooo,°,
Lion Slayer makes his final bow to a Liverpool all'al'golto
the above date, and we Irene that he may reel) blio
harvest from his patrons, admirers, and the Pu d
general. 1.1.05.0°
PRESENTATION —One of those pleasing exhi-1 e atstlA
good feeling and appreciation embodied in a pre3,ourvia
that are now and again rec ,rded in the publi?
took place on 'cuesdar evening. Mr. David 133te-itistl,l
general manager and superintendent of Messls;olooh'it
Dyke and Co.'s extensive establishment, by.bis "00 :bed
bearing to the salesmen under his supervision viterarillect
esteem and admiration. Of these feelings they dehio
to give that gentleman a tangible proof. Willi t'e-0,
in view they gave a commission to Mr. )11,04001
executed for them a handsome silver goblet, heirTatstici;o
inscription expressive of their feelings, The Prei':' 0000
took place at. a banquet in Slatter's Railway sots
Sales Do
add off ctiveness to the meeting and offering,
chose their colleague, M. John Evans, to prest,";(lo;eil
th it mouthpiece on the ccasion. acqult,''',alce,'Ete
most admirably ; and after a short but We e 0 #
opclog
address passed to Mr. Ritchie, the substantial telteoclfol
meeting's recognition of his merits, Mr. Ritelleie ple'l'oo4
suitable and most appropriate reply. A very
evening followed, agreeably versified with toast, I,oooo'o
sentiment. The vice-chair was occupied by 111/..A with tOO
Mr. Thomas Gray, who has been conneete'no 00 ' 14
great Fire and Life Office, the " Royal," of Licert:o3opef o,
its establishment, having held for some years the tatiolk,'
post of assistant secretary, on the iny.lty
the Directors of the " Unity Fire" and " °„'ciati°llo9,4
accepted the post of manager of both these seu';iitig, 41e
busi";sioe'tioS,'
Mr. Gray is a gentleman of considerable (1;03 kill°
his great zeal and almost unsurpassed
cation, have received, on more than one ecce"direeo#o
highest encomiums from his own board °I aget,ols
Whilst the intelligent and hard working nt°;fis 6/.01
actuary of the "Royal" (Mr. Percy M. Di 0,)„,.. the
months or so absent from Liverpool, forro'f3 ell"Des'
profitable business of the 'Royal" in Cao" very IDS
United States, Mr. Gray conducted, with the ioilln,j4,
credit, and with the high approval of his
ce
whole of the extensive operations of the C0044,--grsetih-tieo"
his connection with the " Royal," Mr. Gray,, ‘rtl"o3o°A'
in the offices of the Liverpool and London VOA 00,
under the guidance of Mr. Gray, the fame of tt:
ciations will be preserved, and the business r•
augmented. Possibly no fitter successor to lur' 'lave or
„„ald be
founder and late manager of the offices, to -
selected. Mr. Farrance will, we hope, 0011°-
meted with the office.—Reporter.