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

DRURY-LANE THEATPE.

This theatre was crowded at an early to isst
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 :riumphs. That the son equals him in this
part we will not say, but it is much to his credit that
his reedit:lz of the char:les:l. is ;-'s ea;. _o i, bet
seldom suggested by Ins is-ssa.trt,,,. ie* ;:is :a list's
peculiarities. The elder Kean was a man of genius—
a quality vouchsafed to few, and which redeems a
thousand mistakes and inconsistencies—the younger
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 idiosyncracy ; 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,
somewhat 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-
i
s listing 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
constant scowl on their brows, and to keep humanity,
RS 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 them a
wholesome 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-
rnarable 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 wedded to cool, delibe-
rate villainy, which almost reconciled us to Anne's
credulity, when the part was performed 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 that comes of success ;
his ambitious views had received no check ; his career
of triumph was vet to be run ; his 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
sanguine--so buoyant—as ambition in the first stage
of its career, no matter how diabolical be the
ends which it proposes to accomplish. In the two
first acts Shalispeare's Richard, though caustic aed
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 sarcasms ith
laughing, careless air, that half redeems their inaheel
it is after lie becomes the " Lord's anointed," unit
crowned King of England, that the tone of
his feelings deepens, and he has no longer in-
clination to indulge in sharp pointed sal-
lies. From this period up to hi; death,
nothing could be finer—more effective —or more
rigidly correct in its interpretation of the text
than Kean's Richard. The triumphant chuckle
With which he lingered on the words, " Off with
his head—so much for Buckingham," produced
enthusiastic applause—and no wonder, for it was a
Masterly comment on the character. His death scene
was not less impressive ; he fought like one literally
drunk with wounds; and never was there a more
striking exhibition of indomitable purpose and fierce
passion for revenge vainly struggling with physical
weakness. After all, good actors. are by far the best
commentators on Shakspeare; and if to the last half
of Kean's Richard, we could add the first half of
his father's, we should have the character just as
the author intended it should be represented. The
play was admirably got up, and the scenery through-
out was of the most splendid description. The tent
scene, in particular, was managed with consummate
skill ; and the contrast. between the pale, sickly light
of the lamps, and the deep, clear blue of the night
sky, when the curtains were suddenly withdrawn, and
the ghosts of Richard's murdered victims were seen
standing by his couch in the moonlight, was of the
most striking and effective character. By the bye,
Mr. Kean's acting throughout this trying scene was
earnest and impassioned to a degree which even his
father scarcely surpassed. He looked and spoke like
one whose whole nature was for the time unhinged
by the terrible conjurings up of his suddenly
awakened conscience ; and recovered his self-posses-
sion by a desperate effort of the will, whose strug-
gles were successfully, because truthfully, pour-
trayed. The closing scene of the battle was full of
linstle, and gorgeous brilliancy, produced by the com-
bined exertions of the mechanist and the scene-
painter. We conclude by saying that we shall watch
r• Kean's progress with great interest, for, if we
mistake not, he bids fair to become incomparably the
finest tragic actor 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
piece was La Famille Improvisee, in which Monsieur
Idarqui 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. He is a member of the company, and will
certainly prove a great acquisition. The comedy of
Awn° nier du Regiment tollowed. which introduced
th.o us Monsieur Achard, from the Theatre du Pala;:
Royal. From the high fame of Monsieur Achard
We were induced to expect great things from him, and
We were not disappointed. M. Achard is a most ac-
complished artist. His Pascal is a chaste, quiet,
beautiful, yet most intense piece of acting. lle is the
tosplain of a regiment, and has receive('. a billet de
gement at the house of Robert (Cartigny), an old
moustache. He presents his billet to Marie (Madlle.
Veauchene), the daughter of Robert, and from her
, learns that Robert hates priests, because his bro-
ther'su confessor had so worked upon the mind of his
Penitent as to induce him to disinherit Robert in his
(the priest's) favour. Pascal asks the name of this
ullen, and discovers that it was his own brother..
'ke quits the cottage, and Robert, who has
Jost asked to be sent upon a dangerous expedition, in
3rer to secure a pension for his daughter, enters. Ile
, furious at hearing that a priest is quartered on him,
out his fury gives way to joy when Pascal enters in
uniform of a common soldier and presents his
billet ; they soon become the best friends in the world,
and Robert offers his daughter to the young soldier,
I, the great dismay of Christian (Lienard), an honest
l 8"'acksmith, who has for some time been betrothed to
. er• Robert retires for a moment, and during his ab-
• ittecee orders arrive for him to deliver certain dispatches
neighbouring fortress, the service of danger for
"'Hell he had volunteered. Pascal takes the dia..
Pat
e-es, performs the service in the name of Robert
and returns wounded. Robert is outrageous at being
deprived of the glory of this action, but his compa-
as enter to congratulate him. He goes to seek
Young soldier and finds the chaplain. He em-
,r ,ICes him with gratitude, and is stating the facts
ieh had occasioned his hatred of priests, when he
Stopped by Pascal with the words " That man was
TY brother," and the curtain falls. Not only is
Achard a first-rate actor but he is also an excellent
singer. He was called for at the conclusion of the
eee, and loudly applauded. In the last piece, Bruno
.....Pdeur, he appeared in a character of quite
utrferent nature. In l'Aumonier he was all
repose—ins Coutourier and Bruno he was all
; in l'Aumonier he was the quiet gentle-
bo.tieie Coutourier he was the quintescence of
tolsterous vulgarity. Bruno is already familiar
W Icolw" st o
Achard 's and f our readers
character as the
is Spital
idefineticldal
s'
wt!teh
that of Symonds. He was as excellent in Corr-
tOrier as he was in Pascal, and is certainly one of
first of French actors. The house was well arid
wmust fashionably attended. The N ational Anthem
ass! sung during the evning by the whole company,
ass std by Mr. and Mrs. 1V Seguin.

WILSON'S SCOTTISH ENTER-
TAINMEN T S.
MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS. 71no10 entertainment given last evening at the
1, Laic
11, Store-street, by Mr. Wilson, had at v , this
-e'tY, that it was not exclusively Scottish. In Ski ;Cll-
- the chequered and disastrous life of the only British
tithe
who was also Queen of France, and illustrating his
sTsetch by the many and beautiful songs to which her
'ei._ •
tssltudes and the poetical temper of hrr era rave in
gPirar
100, he introduced a specimen of French n
./ in her time—the " Last Lay of Chatelaril." That
‘
`l4telard was the secretary of Mary, and her lover -
r
(„, for which he suffered death")—is, unhappily for the
, een's reputation, as a faithful, just, or merciful woman,
b`co well known. But the last lay of the martyred trou
telour, as sung by Mr. Wilson, is instructive in this
ssilect, that it proves there remained to his time a
EZeh
ys of that Celtic feeling, the want of which, in later
pjditylAS given to French music its characteristic va-
rtY• The Biscayans still preserve in their music, ass
cyedh language strongly marked traces of their kin-
to those sons of song who carried to the far west
that inexhaustible fund of melody which Scotland ros-
akin
it'lidand which no one can draw upon with greater
with effect than Mr. Wilson. Whilst we sympathised
t the delight of his audience, we were compelled to
6ret their Alta a cousideration for their eutortaitter