The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-03 00:00:00

HAYMARKET THEATRE,

DAVID GARRICK.
The production of the new three act play, " David
Garrick," so long underlined in the bills of the Haymarket
Theatre, has at length taken place. It is, alas, but an
adaptation from the French, by Mr, WT, T. Robertson,

founded on an incident "said to have occurred to Garrick,

but which has no pretensions to biographical accuracy."
The anecdote alluded to is, that a young lady, the daughter
of a very wealthy citizen, on seeing David Garrick perform
the part of ILmlet, at once fell desperately and hopelessly
in love with the actor, and he, curiously enough
was smitten by the same lady, whom he had detected pay-
ing the utmost attention to the performance, whilst the

majprity of the audience were to a great degree unmoved

Garrick takes active steps to discover who the lady fair
is he has thus interested, but for a time fails until the
father of the lady, who has by accident discovered his

daughter's attachment, invites the actor to his housato

inform him of the mad passim of his child, and also
to prevail upon him to relinquish the stage and
leave England, as he has already selected a husband
for his daughter in the person of her cousin Dick, whose
prospects of a peerage are by no means unfavourable.
Garrick listens to the father's story, and is so much moved
by it, that he, without seeing the lady, promises on his
word of honour to do his utmost to cure the lady of her
romantic attachment—his plan being to make himself so
revolting that the lady shall become disgusted with him.
The play opens in the house of Mr. Ingot, where
we discover his daughter Ada, a young and bloom-
ing girl of 18, reading passages from her " dear
Shakspere." The father gently chides the girl
reading " such stuff," but the fascinating creature
has her loving parent completely in her power, and can
wind him rsund her finger like a piece of silk. Ingot tells
his daughter he fears he shall become jealous of Mr. Shak-

epere, to which she archly replies there need be no fear (a
that, because he and Shakspere are two such different kind
of people. He afterwards tells her ha has invited some of
his old friends to dinner, and Ada, taking no interest in the
matter, decides upon not changing her simple morning
dress, but immediately the hears the name of Mr. David
Garrick announced as one of the guests, she rushes to her
boudoir to don her evening attire. Garrick is introduced by
Mr. Ingot to his city friends, all of whom are the most
homely business set of people imaginable, and lastly to his
daughter Ada, wart now appears a perfect Venus. Garrick
instantly recognises in Ada Ingot the object of his soul's
adoration, but the discovery comes too late, his word is
pledged as a man of honour to act in such a manner as will
render all attachment between them impossible. At dinner
tiarrick simulates unbridled indulgence in wine, a love of
gambling, riotous uproarious vulgarity, insulting be.
havisur towards the guests, .and finally his presence be-
cornea so unbearable that Ads is compelled to ring
the bell, and give directions to the servants to call Mr Gar-
rick's coach. Daring this episode Ada has some misgivings
as to the reality of Garrick's conduct, but these are set at
rest by fresh acts of coarseness, and in despair she gives
her promise to her father to marry her cousin Richard the
next morning. Garrick has accomplished his task, but at
the expence of his own peace and happiness, and is con-
veyed, overpowered and nearly heartbroken, to his
home, from whence he betakes himself to a tavern, and
there the whole affair is related, the names of the parties
only being withheld. Cousin Richard Chivey, a sort of
Toney Lumpkin, happens to be present, and he, not know-
ing that the scene has taken place at the house of his
prospective father-in-law, hastens there in a state of real
intoxication, and relates the whole affair, the listeners being
Ada and her father. In vain the old man tries to stop the
relation of the story, but as Dick has had more than his
fair share of wine, he goes on with the tale
to the end, addine that in consequence of one
in the company, to whom Garrick related,the story, op cak-
ing in disrespectful terms of the lady and her father, he,
Clearrick, had challenged him to a duel. Ada hears all this,
and, to prevent the encounter, and fly from a marriage
with her stupid, vulgar and unmannerly cousin, she calls
at Garrick's house on her way to that of her aunt's. She
fails to prevent the hostile meeting, and before she can
leave the place her father enters and upbraids her with her
conduct. Hearing Garrick returning, Ingot conceals him-
self behind the bookcase, and there he overhears Garrick
address the daughter in such terms of filial tenderness,
rather than those of an enraptured lover, that the
old man instantly recognises in Garrick a man of whom
any father. in law might be proud, and having discovered his
nephew Dick is nor the sort of person he expected, he gives
his daughter to Gat rick, and thus terminates the play,
The great event looked for with such peculiar interest
was the assumption of the part of David Garrick by Mf•
Sothern, end although it could not be otherwise than a
gentlemanly performance, yet we regret to say it was no
more. The most effective portion of the performance was the
assumption of drunkenness, but there was no real art exem-
plified in the simulation, nor in the transition from it to deep
emotions of love mil horror at the effect produced upon his
beauteous Ada. Mr. Sothern seems to lack the power for
such an effort, and the melodramatic bombast into which
he breaks now and then is not in the slightest degree more
artistic. The situation in the last act, viz., the interview
between Garrick and Ada, although perhaps one of the
guttural tong of
finest ever imagined for the display of high art, produced
no enthusiasm iu the audience, because all his expressions
of pathos and earnestness were uttered in a
voice that positively grated on the ear. We cannot but say
we were disappointed, because it seemed an impossibility
that one who could hit off such a ruatchlees:performance as
Lord Dundreary, should lack the power to infuse the same
life into another, and by no means a difficult part. At all
events, one thing is very certain, M r.uttural
Sothern lacks pathos,
so that if he desires to maintain his place on the metropo-
litan boards, he must:try his hand at something else—high
comedy for instance—and let his first effort be Charles
Surface. We have had Charles li-enable's version, and
also that of Charles Mathews ; •can't we have another ?
Mr. Chippendale's Alderman Ingot wag a thoroughly
artistic performance; and our ever lively, ever entertaining
and amusing manager, Mr. Buckstoiae,
as Squire Chivey,
had only to keep the audience in a merry mood, which it
need hardly be said he did from first to last. Mies Nelly
Moore has achieved a great success by her embodiment of
Ada Ingot, and we heartily congratulate her on the circum-
stance, and trust she will continue her studies, because she
is evidently destined to take a very high
place in the pro-
fession. The minor parts were all very efficiently repre-
sented, and at the fall of the curtain last night the applause
was enthusiastic and universal.
His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, attended by
Major Teesdale, honoured the theatre with his presence.