The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-23 00:00:00

,nITRY-L A_NE

This :heatre was crowded at. an earl:: le,a- 19st
night to witness the performance of Mr. Charles
Kean in Richard the Third—a character in which his
father, it may be remembered, achieved one of his
greatest triumphs. That the son equals him in this
• part we will not say, but it is much to his credit that
his reading of the character is his own, and is but
seldom suggested by his recollection of his father's
peculiarities. The elder Kean was e man of g,-,nitis—
a quality vouchsafed to t.w, and And' redeems a
thousand mistakes and invonsi•teneies--the yenrwer
Kean is a man of judgment, who, if not brilliant, is at
least forcible in his conception of character, and pro-
duces effect by earnestness of purpose and strength of
feeling, disciplined by common sense, and an evident
habit of careful observation and reflection. His
idea of Richard is sound in the main; he brings-
out all the strong, and many of the more latent,
points in his idiosyneracy; does every justice to
his serious and impassioned qualities; but fails, we
think, in giving adequate expression to those lighter
touches of sarcasm which abound in the character in
the earlier stages of its development. He is, in fact,
somowhat too grim and sardonic in his notions of
Richard, apparently not taking into account that the
" crook-backed tyrant" was a consummate man of
the world, with much of the cool, laughing, calcu-
lating devilry of lago in his composition ; and
worldly men know right well—as Shakspeare has
shown us in many a striking instance—that to wear
a constant scowl on their brows, and to keep humanity,
as it were, at arms' length, by emphasising to the
utmost degree every caustic idea that may happen
to suggest itself to their imagination, is not the way
to make a strong impression on their adherents, but
rather to open their eyes, and teach thorn a
•6holesome lesson of distrust. Kean's Richard is too
frank and earnest in the exhibition of evil qualities,
and nowhere is this more remarkable than in the me-
morable scene with Lady Anne, where we missed that
glozing, wheedling tongue—that crafty intellect
which gave the idea that it was the slave of impas-
sioned impulse rather than ‘vedded to cool, delibe-
rate villainy, which almost recoeciled us to Anne's
credulity, when the part was performpd by the elder
Kean. Nothing was wanting to make the character
of Richard, as represented last night, perfect, but
a little more lightness and buoyancY of manner
in the earlier. scenes. The tyrant had not then
felt the weariness and satiety tliat comes of success ;
his ambitious views had received no check; his career
of triumph was yet to be run ; hts vivid imagination.
piercing into the future, .beheld it star-crowned
and radiant with glory; and in all the varieties of
human life and human character, there is nothing so
sanguineso buoyant—as ambition in the first stage
of its career, no matter how diabelical be the
ends which it propeses to accomplish. In the two
first acts Shaksre ire's Richard, though caustic and
malignant in his nature, -is by no means a grim and
saturnine person, but is evidently intended by his
creator to enunciate his most pungent satire, with a
laughing, careless air, that half redeems their malice;
but it is after he becomes the " Lord's anointed," and
crowned King of England, that the tone of
his feelings deepens, and he has no longer lii
clination to indulge in sharp pointed sal
lies. From this period up to his death,
nothing could be finer—more eX2etive•—or more
rigidly correct in its interpretation cif the text of
Shakspeare than Kean's Richard. The triumphant
chuckle with which he lingered on th ,vords, "
with his head—so much for Buckingham," produeed
enthusiastic appLat,e—and no wonder, fo i,. was

_ .
masterly cutntnent on the character. The iitiath scene
Was nut less itnpressivri ; inught like oia.•
drunk with wounds; and never %ta!'• a more striking
exhibition in indomitable purpo•e ;i!yl
for revenge vainly struggling v.-i!-h wok
Hess. Af er all, good actors lire I.‘, fir the
commentators on Shakspeare; and if to the last half
of Kean's Richard, we could give the first half of his
father's, we should have the character himself
.just as
Shakspeare intended it should be represented. The
play was admirably got up, and the scenery through-
out of the most splendid description. We conclude
by saying that we shall watch Mr. Kean's progress
with great interest, for, if we mistake not, he bid.. 4
fair to become incomparably the finest tragic cctor of
his age

ST. JAMES'S THEATRE.
FRENCH PLAY S.
Mr. Mitchell commenced his season at this theatre
last evening, with even a more powerful company
than he had the last season. Our old friend Lienard,
We are glad to see, is amongst them, and Mademoiselle
Eliza Forgeot continues the directrice. The first
tiiece was La Famille Improvisee, in which Monsieur
arqui, an actor new to the English public, sustains
five different characters with great humour and
effect. He is one of the most rapid talkers we ever
heard, and, as a chattering old woman, kept the house
in a roar. tie is a member of the company, and will
certainly prove a great acquisition. The comedy of
Vibunonier du Regiment followed, which introduced
-to us Monsieur Achard, from the Theatre du Palais
Royal. From the high fame of Monsieur Achard
.'e were induced to expect great things from him, and
we were not disappointed. M. Achard is a roost nc-
cornp:shed artist. llis Pascal is a chaste, quiet,
beautiful vet most intense pie,:e of acting. Ile is the
chnplan of a regiment, and has received a billet de
logenzeht at the house of Robert (Cartigny), an old
thou-!ache. He presents his bilkt to Marie (Madlle.
Leauchene), the daughter of Robert, and from her
he lea: ns that Robert hates priests, because his bro-
ther's confessor had so worked open the mind of his
Penitel t as to induce him to disinherit Robert in his
•(the pr est's) favour. Pascal asks the name of this
Priest, and discovers that it was his own brother.
Ye quits the co!tage, and Rolh-rt, who has
Just asked to be sent upon a larig•erou,; expedition, in
order to secure a pension for his daughter, enters. He
turiou, at hearing that a priest is quartered on him.
but his fury giei way to joy when Pascal enters in
the uniform of a common soldier and presents his
"let ; they soon become the best friends in the world,
ai d Robert offers his daughter to the young soldii-r,
to thv great. disma of Christian (Lienard), an non.,si
l'lacksmith, who s so: 1e time been bets othel to
)Pr. Robert retires for a moment, and during his ab,
write orders arrive for t m :o,leliver certain dispatches
uta neighbouring fort; es-, the service of danger :Or
which he had volunteered. Pascal takes the dis-
patches, performs the service in the name of It,,h-rt
!lid returns wounded. 11,,bert is outragvoit, at beil.g
"eprived of the glory of his action, but his compa-
,,T( e
nis enter to contra him. Ile goi-A to seek
the Young. soldier and fitah time ch em-
hi:n with gratitude, and is ,4%tiog ti:e f!ct,
`llieh had occasi (ii' when h,
is
tr:kop2ed
.I%,sevl with
brother," the curt: iii :s
; ••
Achard a first rate actor Inv is also an excellent
singer. He was called for at. the conclusion of the
ieee, and loudly applauded. In the last piece, Brune
Pil
eur, he appeared in a character of quite
,rterent nature. In l'Aumonier he was all
mePose—in Coutourier and Bruno he was all
antle; in l'Aumonier he was the quiet g-ntle-
bo.n--in Coutourier he was the quintescence of
tolsterous vulgarity. Bruno is already familiar
wMost of our readers as the Spitaltields'
ver ; and Achard's character is identical
to that of Symonds. He was as excellent in Cou-
,—•
the
as he was in Pascal, and is certainly one of
first of French actors. The house was well and
m'ost fashionably attended. The N ational Anthem
Was
. 'hung during the evening by the whole company,
listed by Mr. and Mrs. W. Seguin.

WILSON'S SCOTTISH ENTER-
TAINMENTS.
MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS.
h The entertainment given last ev:ning at the Music
,71111. Store-street, by Mr. Wilson, had, at least, this
°"ItY, that it was nut exclusively Scottish. In sketch-
Qthe chequered and disastrous life of the only British
ueen Who K. also Queen of Ft-anc,e, and illustratiug his
,i
sketch by the many and beautiful songs to which her
ep eissitudes and the noetieal t,ttit,er of her cr,i
tt
oi Ica. he introtht:•eti m
,specten :m Freh r.lis-
o,'B3' in her titne—the " Last Lay of That.
`'ziatelard was- the seeref ry of Mary, her lover—
Qf\("- f(3l' which he suffered death")—is, unhappily fix the
ueen's • o merciful woman.
too
k well knownfaithful,.
But the last lay of the martyred trou
react' as ship',' by Mr. Wilson, is instructive in this
Zt, that it proves there remained to his time H
ayell of that Cdtic ft-cling, the want of which, in later
D'.-1 n 5 given-to Trench music its eharacter_stic ru
iu th The Biscayans still preserve in th,ir music, alt
cli.lei language, strongly marked traces of their
totth ilos:: sons of son, who carried to the tar west
~satirl.xhaiistible fund or mehrly which Scotian 7
pus
Tn) one csn upon -rith greater
attd t ‘‘` •-1 I'v/in ist esy aip4this, d
411 r .
'n f-• delight of his tiudience, we were compell-d to
t0.17t their want 6!.consideration for their entertainer's
Thy task which he hailundenaken—to
e4oufourteen song-s without relief— wt,.s in itself severe
gl It was cruelly selfish to en .'ore him s: yen titues
ATI

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