The Sun.
London, England, 1815-02-14 00:00:00

ANoTIIER.

" Crop off this odious Tax," the Barbers bawl,
" A Tax that is' with'many a grievance big;
" The war,is ended, so there's now no cowl—
" Cut, or each Thry here will prove a Wig.

THE THEATRE.

DRUIIYTLANE.—Last night an excessively fOolish
play, Town and Country, was revived at this
Theatre, for the purpose of exhibiting Mr. KEANr
to a London audience in an excessively foolish
character, Reuben Glenroy. As it is most pro-
bable, that the memory of this play has sunk into
oblivion, it may be roger to refresh 'the public
mind with a brief sketch of the characters, before
we offer any remarks upon the way in whicu they
were sustained, and we anticipate a rather unani-
mous verdict that, as the piece, was unworthy of
reproduction, there was nothing in the pertorL
mances to render it at ail palateable either to taste
or judgment. The characters are alt of romance,
and with no qualities of common nature to recom-
mend diem to . the stage. Reuben Glenroy, the
hero,' a young; grave, wild, NVelsh philosop'4er,
• with aprodigious appetite for adventures, and as
keen a, scent for tempests as vultures have for
dead carcasses, is throughout• the early scenes an
eccentric Coentry Gentleman ; but in the end,
upon coining to town, bores us with preachments
of sentiment, which in a few minutes reclaim a
modern fashionable wife, a confirmed ganiester,
and, almost, the waiters at a gambling-house in
St. James's-street.- Rosalie Somers, his beloved,
is a 'romantic young Lady, Who is desperately
smitten With the charms- of Reuben, the only sturdy
Knight with whom - she has the .good fortune to
be acquainted—what she wants in sense is made
up in sensibility; for though she permits herself -
to be run away with at daybreak the next moms
ing by a Inti found over-night half dead in a not-
able storm, and who calls himself her Cousin, she
takes care to jump out of window and escape from
iihn by the first convenient opportunity.. Old Co',S
the guardian of this," fairest piece *of well formed
earth," is a marvelously liberal StOckbroker, who
goes about with. pockets, great coat and all, stuff-
ed with pocket-books full of Bank-notes, which
books he adminiStees to every body who Ap- ,
proaches hint, as profusely as if he had really
found the Philosopher's Stone in paper currency,
Plastic is a most absurd villain, who ruins his
friend without motive, and himself at the same
time ; and at last, after he is detected and expos-
ed, attends the principal- persons merely, as :it
should seem, to enjoy the benefit of being disgraced
and buffeted. The rest of the Dramatis Pero' we
are literally characters to be let, and would do as
well for any other comedy or tragedy as for Town
and Country.
From this outline of the chief parts, it will be
acknowledged that the Actors must be possessed
of extraordinary powers indeed, who could justify
the resuscitation. of such mortal lumber ;
abut
there was no such salvatory di-splay last night, and
those who saw Town and Country fOr the first
time would very naturally make it thelast. Mr.
Kzax, it may be said, could not readily embody.
so., incongruous a conception as is drawn by the '
Writer, hut surely he might have had intellect or
advice enough to induce him to refuse the part.—
His appearance was too mean to, afford any idea of
time phenomenon of the village, and it was impos-
sible for the most exorbitant credulity to fancy a
little stout fellow (as hardy and as rough as a
Welsh coney) the idol of female adoration and the
Silvanns of rustic idolatry. But, in truth, Mr.
KEAN did not scent to think nniCh of/this portion
of his business ; he was .preparing. himself fur the
more important adventures of the storm, which ,
had no sooner begun to .Mutter ,than lie placed
himself at the side scene, and watched most law-
riously for thescreams of distress which were to serve
as the signal for his exploit. Then was Richard
himself; and in the subsequent scene, in which
the apparently voluntary elopement of Rosalie is

announced to lie re-enacted the friar scene
of: Romeo and Juliet, and it may by some critics
be called the excess of feeling, bui tO us abso-
lutely put on the semblance of a person who. had
swallowed a nauseous emetic ; DOWTON playing
the Doctor, and holding his head. After this
the parties are all hurried up to London, where
they arrive. -in ,the course - of the day • from,
Wales, leaving, of course, he Bristol Mail at an.
immeasurable distance behind. In London, as
we have reinarked, Reuben is very sententious and
sentimental ; • and in one. other scene, with Plastic
,at the gaming-house, Mr. KEAN exerted himself
much. In some of these parts his conceptions
appeared to be jitst and, vigorous; and he abso-
lutely gasped with his efforts to realize them, but
his unfortunate voice marred the, effect. Yet the
value of the attempts were duly appreciated, and
he received the full tribute of applause' for his
endeaVours. •In action, Mr. KEAN'S comedy re:.
sembles his
.tragedy, disclosing breast, tapping
and searching, head rubbing and hair erecting,'
and all the variety of indifferent pantomime.—
Comparisons -have 'been deprecated in favGur of
this actor;---we will not insult his predecessor in.-
this character by instituting any.
The other parts -We're very respectably played.
DowlroN was rather saturnine in '• Cosy, _which
wants more lightness than feeling. A ridiculous
stock-broker is no relation to the Bramble family-.
MtJMDEN was bier-conlique, Mrs. GLOVER an ex-
cellent Mrs. Glenroy, and RAE, WALLACK, Mrs,
SPARKS, and Mrs. HORN, all that their characters
would permit them to be.-

Yesterday the person-well known in the Court
Of Chancery as setting up certain imaginary claims,
to the estates or dukedom of Norfolk, entered
the House of Lords, and was proceeding withid
the Bar, in order, as he said, to speak to the
" Duke,!' when he was observed by the door-
keepers, who compelled, hil4 to withdraw.