The National Register.
London, England, 1812-09-13 00:00:00

,SF PT. 13.

evillipg. Eugenia was played by Miss MARRIOTT who !
some years ago performed at the late Covent-garden Thea
tre ; and Florian was given to a Mr. ABBOTT, who appeared
before a London audience the season before last at the Pas-
market Theatre. Both were eery favourably received. Mi
MARIO° I.l* rOcSel/4SCS very considerable powers and hat a
thorough knowled4e of what produces stage effect. Iler ai•-
rarance was inteiesting and well suited to the character see
sustained. Per voice is more powerful than harmonions,
and she is often loud without being distinct. Her delivery is
moreover eccasionally marred by an unfortunate lisp, lei(
more fiequently by an affecteti mode of pronunciation. She
will do well to endeavour to correct these defects; an(4 these
amended, the spirit with which she enters into the character
she sustains, aided by the taste she displays, will make her a
favomite on the London boards.
Mr ABBOTT is not without merit. His face wants ex:
pression, and his appearance altogether is deficient in im-
portance; but his manner is tolerably easy and unaffected. and
his enunciation, if not powerful, has the advantage of being
clear and distinct. Occasionally he threw his arms about ra-
ther awkwardly, and suffered his countenance to present us
wiaran unmeaning grin, with which we would gladly have
dispensed. His performance, as a whole, was very respectable.
Miss BOOTIL was an interesting Geraldine; and the play
was welt east throughout.
HAYMARKET.
" Who Cants a Guinea" has been revived at this Theatre
with great success. MUNDEN, in Torrent, exerted himself
with the happiest effect, and equally distinguished himself by
feeling and by humour. MATHEWS was highly diverting in
Solomon Gandy ; and JON Is, inwSir Larry, was eminently
successful. Mr. TERRY sustained the character of Burford
in a very satisfactory manner, anti gave a most masterly deli-
neation of the injured broken-hearted veteran. His action,
chaste and appropriate, boasted proper animation without
appearing to be overstrained in any part. The great defect
of this actor lies in his voice, which frequently proves in-
competent to express with energy what it is evident he strongly
feels ; and after his gestures and manner have conveyed to
us that which he should utter, his voice, a feeble auxiliary,
follows, and seems to echo, if not to mock, the first expression
of the soul. -This, however, though it may at times consi-
derably detract from the effect of his exertions, will not, if
he gives his own good sense fair play, prevent his contiruir.g
to rise in public estimation. Let him, disdain the affecta-
tion of that wonderful versatility of talent which enables its
master to do every thing, and be cor,tent to confine him-
self to that range of chat acters which best suit
powers. At a country Theatre it may be very desirable that
an actor should hold himself ready to play Hamlet and Jason
on the same night, and the assembled bumpkin,-, who are
perfectly astonished at finding the man who wears a tragedy
dress can put on a cobler's jacket, may he prepared to
ep-
plaud him in both, however indifferently he may acquit him-
self, and to view him with equal admiration and amazement
In London, however, this reputation for versati!ity i 3
not
quite so valuable as it Is frequently found in the country.,
and he who aims most at it generally fails of attaining that
eminence to which, under other circumstances, his hopes
might reasonably aspire, and is doomed to all the drudgery
of the Theatre, to the injury of his reputation, without a
chance of obtaining asiy thing like a proportionate emolu-
ment to console him for the sacrifice.
Of the other performers in this play we can only say that
they were generally respectable. We could point ont excep-
tions, but as those we allude to arc not likely to trouble .114
long we will not do any thing to annoy theta at the close of
their career.