The National Register.
London, England, 1814-10-30 00:00:00

COVENT GARDI'N.

On Tuesday night Mr. hemble made his second appear-
ance in the part uf Cato. This charawer is perhaps one of
the most suited to Mr. Kemble's Peculiar ta'ents, to his age,
and to his physical powe:s, but in othci' test,c-:ts the play
was less happily selected, as the half etnpty boxes amply
testified. The tragedy of Coto has been well assigned its
place. Five long acts of cold declamation may hear a
perusal, and if enriched, like the play of Addison, with noble
and elevated sentiments, clothed in i:armonions langu;!ge.
they may even repay it: but when taint is put in aciou
wlich si.arcely has an action, and a set of personages whoni
nothing is to stove from the attempt of moving others, then
indeed the efect is mortal; the live acts become live pen-
ances, and the spectator In-,s nothing left him than to Ny-n-
-der at the passive .fottitude of men, who could On axy con-
sideration remain a day at so tirct,oine a Olace as Utica.
We know howiustly dear the name, of Addl,on %yid ever
be to English lite:attire: if therefoie we have thow,,,lit too
eveiently of a production of his, let it he imputed solelr
to that provoking fellow Voltaire, wh• we remember ,tlvJarec
himself at a loss to conceive " how the nation posse,sii;gs
the fine tragedy of Coto, can tolerate the barbarisms of
Shakespear."—Coxeomb l did he then nit 11;e
difference existing hetwein the elloets 'if genius, however
faulty and and the productions of incdioet ity, how-
ever laboured and correct? Why the distinction is now in-
telligible to every one; to every one at least wlto has read i)a-
radise Lost and the lienriade.

In Mr. Kern ble's performance of(iao. h was particularly
successful in the scene with Pcrius who hears him thc Nor-
sali of ex...al-for pacification. The stoic 1)1:a, and unbeuili:ll
patrioti6m of the old Pmman, r;ere admirAly nraLcd, flint
ex presstd in the most spii ited and effective wanut:.r. In :he
scene, too, with the iel,c;lious soldiers, lie was ti tilv peat;
his reproaches .‘vere resistless, and his whole demeanour dig-
nified and commanding. To the soliloquy, '' Plato, tiro a
rew,oncst well," he g:tve all the additional
.beauty ‘...11c11 it
could receive from the justest recitation but at last he orde
convinced us, that soliloquies, estraneoes to the business of
the piece, arc not susceptible of what is called :.-y•ct that.
if not po,sessed in themselves of great me; I', they would be
intolerable, and that they arc even then, pQrlial.s, only beau-
Icons defects.

,11.

On Thursday Mr. Eemble played Harmer. We were rot
rresent ; but with respect to this character, we 'believe that
Mr. Kemble is acknowledged to he the most.fini.q.:ed:
on the tamer, if tmt the most vigorous and animated.
Last tti:;ht lietnble plaed the part of Brittu.l,
Notw!thstauding conducted Flot, and its
two catastrophes, this is one of Shaki:spear's nohkst plays,
and at Covent-!zarden Theatre it is perlotinf.d in a St !e wor-
thy of its mcrits. We have not time for details ; and cart
only observe, that Mr. I.emble's Th'utus was only ;
that the Ca4s,us of Mr. YoutP4 was a nicst ::41nirabie per-
formance, his only fault be:ng, that as he plays the chirac-
ter, he makes hint a no and !note Important persona;,e
than the author intended he should he, 1" alTe"" bAil.
hil!/i's praise of Bpithic ; and that Antully himself wits miist,
ably represented by 2,1 r. Conway.