The Sun.
London, England, 1842-03-31 00:00:00

HAYMARKET THEATRE.

Shakspeare's beautiful pastoral; As You Like P; was
performed at this theatre last, evening; fer the purpose
of ititrOducitig Mft it Hell, the Thentre nuyiiii
Liverpool, to a metropolitan audience, in the character
of Orlando. Mr. Holl possesses all the physical requi-
sites for success in the profession he has chosen. In
person he is tall, well formed, with an expressive coun-
tenance, a good eye, a powerful and sonorous voice,
and (a great point in an actor) a clear awl distinct
enunciation. His conception of the character was good,
and in the quiet scenes of the part he was excellent. In
the scenes with old Adam in the forest, where the old
man sinks from fatigue, and is supported by Orlando,
Mr. Hell's acting was beautifully pathetic, and elicited
loud applause. He was also very good- in the scenes
with Rosalind, but in the scene where he bursts in upon
the Duke and his friends there was a tendency to overact-
ipg—a tendency but too common with actors fresh from the
provinces, which Mr. Holl would do well to avoid, and
iThich a little practice on the London boards will soon
enable him to get over. Let him also beware of imita-
tion. It is a rock on which many a promising actor has
made shipwreck. Nature has endowed Mr. Holl with
talents of no mean order. Let him assiduously seek to
develop those talents by patient stuey and assiduous ap-
plication. He has not so much to learn as to unlearn, and
what he has to unlearn will not be a difficult task to him.
He has only to follow his own taste as his guide ; for it is
evident that the tendency to overacting, which we have
before noticed, arises more from an idea that such will
lease his audience, than from any natural bent " to tear
passion to rags" in himself. As a melodramatic actor,
we should imagine he is first rate ; but, with his talents,
he should, and no doubt does, aim at something higher,
and it will be his own fault if he do not succeed. He was
called for at the fall of the curtain, and loudly applauded.
Miss Charles was the Rosalind, and never had Rosalind
a more admirable representative. We say this advisedly
and with a full recollection of Miss Foote, in this her
favourite part. Miss Charles looked most bewitchingly
in her male attire. She entered fully into the spirit of
the part, and made every point tell. With what espie-
glerie did she execute her dainty device for getting Or-
lando to make love to her. How she did bewilder the
poor youth by her abuse of lovers and love, and
with what delicious archness e:d she prove him no true
lover, seeing he wore not his hose ungartered. How
inimitable too were her scenes with Phoebe, and how
soon did she bring that rustic coquette to her senses,
and yet in all this she never " o'erstepped the modesty
of Nature." In the midst of all her banter, even when
her wit flowed fastest, she never for an instant forgot
that she was the gentle lady Rosalind. And how beau-
tifully did the affection of the warm-hearted girl
triumph in spite of her disguise when she heard that
Orlando had been in danger, and was wounded.
Miss Charles by her performance of Rosalind last even-
ing, has made this class of characters her own. She
has made an immense advance in her professional career,
and sincerely do we congratulate her on it. Mr. Stuart
acted the melancholy Jacques, and thoroughly did he
enter into, and most artistically did he develop the
varied lights and shadows which go to the making up
of the character of this philosophical, and, if we may be
allowed to coin an expression, philophusical misan-
thrope. His recitation of the Seven Ages, was one of
the most chastely correct, and at the same time energeti-
cally beautiful pieces of declamation ever delivered. It
was rapturously applauded. Webster, the repre-
sentative, par excellence, of Shakespeare's clowns, was
Touchstone, and admirably did he, in his quiet way,
bring out the quaint drollery of the character. We do
not wonder, after seeing Webster's Touchstone, at
Jacque's exclamation—
" Motley's your only wear."
He was excellently supported by Mrs. F. Mathews, as
Audray. Strickland, as ,Old Adam, was perfect. No-
thing could exceed the beauty with which he gave the
celebrated scene, in which he sets forth with Orlando ;
during the progress of it the tears of his auditors bore
witness to his powers, and at its conclusion their delight
was testified by their rapturous applause. The piece is
very strongly cast, and is well put upon the stage. The
announcement of its repetition oh Saturday was received
with considerable applause. The house, although not
crowded, was very well filled.