The Sun.
London, England, 1867-10-16 00:00:00

MISS BATES AN'S LEAH.

John Oxenford's Tribute to her in the Leader of
Saturday :
TIIEATRE ROYAL, LIVERPOOL.—It would almost
be superfluous to state that when Miqs Bateman re-
appeared, on Monday la-t, at the Theatre Royal,
in her chosen character, Leah, her reception was of
the mirt enthusiastic kind, an audience that com-
pletely crowded the house giving spontaneous utter-
ance to the feelings which so pelf; et an impersona-
tion naturally inspire]. Panegyrists of the penny-
a-line school will probably declare that she received
an ovation," a singat,lax peeversity eenoug- atu
smaller fry of litterateu?s..kaing indeaced- them
almost universally to use the word which the Romans
applied to an inferior triumph, as an expression sig-
nifying something greater than a triumph on the
grandest scale. Let those who love modern abuses
say, by all means, that she was honourel with an
" ovation," if that conveys their notion of the
highest form of compliment. At any rate they will
be correct in spirit, if not in the letter. Looking to
our archoology, we prefer to state that she achieved
a genuine triumph in the highest and truest sense
of the word. How, indeed, could it be otherwise?
The first intelligence that the gifted actress was
about to return to the stage, and to commence a
tour in Liverpool, awakened a thrill of delight among
the playgoers not only or this great theatrical town,
but of the entire kingdom, for it was soon made
known that her route would comprise all the leading
cities of the British Islands. The retirement of Mss
Bateman from her profession was regarded as a na-
tional loss; her return gives new life to a declining
drama. The only possible obstacle to complete rule
over the intellectual public of Liverpool lay in the
proximity of the Alexandra Theatre with the power-
ful Italian company, which appeared, for the fir.A
time, on the very night of Miss Bateman's debut at
the Theatre Royal. But the voices of the operatic
charmers, wisely though they charmed, were
impotent to counteract the summons of Leah.
Leah, indeed, as impersonated by Miss Bateman, is
one of those very few figures that stand apart from
all others in the modern repertory, and, in this re-
spect, may be compared to the Louis XI. of Mr.
Charles Keau. Mosenthal's play is not one of the
grandest of dramatic works, neither is Delavigne's
historical tragedy, but Miss Bateman's Leah is one
of the most perfect of histrionic creations. The
actress has made the part her own, and in connec-
tion with her alone the piece keeps possession of the
stage. We may confidently predict that, in this
particular character, Miss Bateman will never have
a successor ; that when she retires the Jewish maiden
will vanish from the stage. The attributes with
which the figure is clothed belong not to the dra-
matist, but to the artist, and we should feel that a
sort of solecism had been committed, if, when the
trembling girl first rushed before the audience,
hunted by a mob of persecuted bigots, she proved to
have a face which was not that of Miss Bateman.
Leah, when she has frantically crossed the bridge, is
one of those images that remain fixed in the mind
of all who have seen them,
as the masterpieces of
antique sculpture remain imprinted on the mind of
ages. Of course, when this wonderful creation is
recalled to the memory, the celebrated curse, uttered
by Leah in the fourth act of the play, occupies a
imprecation
carries place. The force of the
carries a whole multitude before it, and on Monday
last it seemed to produce more than its wonted effect.
But, in our opinion, the consummate art with which
the force is wielded, is even more marvellous than
the force itself. While she seems capable of dealing
destruction, like a Nemesis, by the mere power of
her will, Miss Bateman looks to the intensity rather
than to the vehemence of the imprecation ; and the
growth of that intensity is minutely exhibited from
the first beginning of wrath to the final " Amen,"
which rings as the solemn proclamation of undying
vengeance. And how wonderful is the change, when
Leah, heart-stricken and contrite, draws tears from
every eye by her death in the last scene. There is
the victory of the tender nature over the demoniac
feeling that was the result of great wrongs, not the
offspring of a vindictive heart. The curse of Leah,
and the death of Leah, as represented by Miss Bate-
man, both furnish subjects for pictures in the highest
department of art. And to these we would willingly
add a third, which has been comparatively eclipsed
by their grandeur. All remember the first rush
across the village-bridge, and the attitude into which
the persecuted maiden falls, but we doubt whether
the delicacy with which she shows her sense of the
priest's protecting influence has ever been sufficiently
appreciate]. In the midst of the infuriated throng
the minister of peace stands as her sole guardian
against outrage, and she instinctively clings to him
as the only being who can afford her shelter against