The Sun.
London, England, 1826-11-20 00:00:00

DRURY-LANE THEATRE.

After the performance of that Ilmotian contposition-s-
-" The TWo Ilouses of Grenada," the play of " Amphi-
tryon; or The Two Sosies," abridged from the combined
dramas of Moliere and Dryden, and introduced by an ex-
platiatory prologue, spoken by Wallack, was revived at
this theatre, for the purpose of ushering in La Porte, .s
French comedian of eminence, to the notice of an English
audience. The subjected' Amphitryou'!'seems to have
' !mewls favourite with all ages—perhaps from its complex
and mysterious diameter. With •the Greeks it. was not
only prepared for the stage (in a drama that lots long since
perished) but transmitted- in t the shape of a fable, 'unim-
paired, from generation to generation. Among the Ro-
mans, Plautus found it a subject ready made to his hands,
and according!' he made it the basis of his richest comedy.
—Dryden and Moliere, among the moderns, have kept it
alive by its associations with their undying intellect ; (Le
veritable Amphitryon is a well-known proverb in Franee)itt
that the mere announcement of the name let a us at once into
all the secrets of " this Comedy of Errors." The days, how-
ever, of Mythology have longsince gone by ; good taste and
improved morals have purged the wanton monstrosities of
Paganism ; and these abolished, little of striking interest
remains. Even the Deities of Greece--except as Panders
to the appetite, as heroes of a " thousand and one love in-
trigues'—are Unidend vulgarisms, that when brought
before the ordeal of an English public, the spell that fm
ages hung round them, dies off; and they stand forth in
their true character divested of intellect or interest. In
the present play Jupiter, inflamed with love for illemena
(a married lady), comes down from Heaven for the pur-
pose of personating her husband, to promote which debt-
sionhe commands Mercury (Mr. Earley) to take upon
himself the form of &sick Amplatryou's set-vent. The
plot of the piece consists in the whimsical blunders and
consequent altercations between the false:and true Amphi-
tryon and Swim, the latter of whom-,-the legitimate
Soria..-..vas represented by Mr. La Porte. This gentle-
man, as a comedian true to nature, yet infinitely rich and
spirited in manner, is entitled to very Considerable praise.
Ile has all the redundancy of the French action—perhaps
too- much of it—about him, chastened, however, by a quiet
delivery that reminds us of the best parts of Minden, when
freed .from his favourite ambition to milieu laugh at the etr-
pence of reason, he used to give free play to his tins concep-
tions of character.' On his first entrance Mr. La Porte ap-
peared to labour under no slight apprehension ; and the very
-
cheers of the audience, enthuidastio as they were, served
only to increase his embarnissment. In a short time, how-
evirr, he became comparatively tranquil ; and in his dia-
logue with the 4anthorn, which he supposes to he his
mistress,
ihumoyet t; eillitiret
Ap and
plause.
archness soeEunovrefecNEnieerlndrgii.ieirilsile:sseillsiyinvi. 001 ee
iltnto: di
possessedr salsive ii
downrielai
wn
estage,new bbunt which its
professors yi,t:ootfit:
Lid:ntrl ooriew(twreytlel
.otfo
caution,"
outdi yo Pope
and
in
tat
the a t
go wthier:
pstihr)oomoktfelsigiboonffil•tthe power of it's comedy,- His c impressive
ountenance'
arossgitsiltrsatihti
os egionvsei det
hr eel). ly i
e x;
prt is
esitiofnui
onfi whenss
s
to, is
atfolhmreenesoyttidseterliktiiiinlngtthioutline The only thing we-Ohiect
t his performea
that, which we fear, like love, is nullis-onedieekqlit
increased the richness of the humour, but • what-
they gained in -comedy, they. lest in verisimilitude,
frequentnce Cl4na iti)thloar6taitvou"inn:it:tletehalltlgie4y-
' individuals. Thu tor, AmpAgtrionxi indeed, 11.n..4ett and
instant
suppose
thatimositi.
artileo;aariotdinita,agiitztritoenweeoraultt'efosrimatiet
stupid. him West
of.
intellect;
that. rililo;thboect,ltitgbeeitiiiigillyequally gifted tokoi.nt
,C,„okilearitodlbreleryAiesena„ and could we fancy the mother
of Hercules n being endowed with sentiment, we should
hare
tyro, Noon to praise tliteottearllejneosrr:fg hoeor(-irteiprneigsehtti-.
wire. tfittioy was as Mercurial, as Aterenry-sbould be;
ailit'dii-ji,;"'ktiilu.tfittrhcow*ailtitliestpireteeithirto .01141 of those gentiine hearty
„144,a, which are things to be long remembered. • The rest
of the Performers went through their parts respectably ;
and so did the scenery, with the exception of peer' Apollo,
whom some sacrilegious seenti-shifter, sniffed' OW.' With a
pair of eandle.iinutferst. •We would advise. Mr. Price for
the fatUre-tn he more select in hit Apotiat. - •