The Sun.
London, England, 1842-09-28 00:00:00

HAYMARKET TIIEITRE.

A most touching and beabtifill drama, entitled
r Grandfather Whitehead, was prOduced at this theatre
i last evening. It i; an adaptation from the French,
, by Mr. Mark Lemon ; and if all our adapters had the
taste to select, and the skill to adapt that Mr. Mark
Lemon has exhibited in the present instance, we
shcaild be for the establishment of a free trade in
dramatic literature with our continental neighbours
at once. Grandfather Whitehead (Mr. W. Far-
ren) is an old man of ninety, kind-hearted, in-
dulgent, and benevolent, who lives with Dray-
ton (Mr. Tilbury), a builder, his son-in-law,
and whose great delight is in indulging and spoiling
his grandson, Edward Drayton (Master George
Webster), a boy about eight years of age. Grand-
father Whitehead is now poor, having only an an-
' nuity of fifty pounds a-year, independent of his son-
in-law, which annuity is paid him by Driver (Mr.
Strickland), a sharp, cunning attorney, but of whose
bounty Driver is the instrument Grandfather White-
head is ignorant. But although now poor, Grand-
father Whitehead was once a thriving merchant, rich
in worldly wealth; but the unsuspecting, trusting, kind-
heartedness of Grandfather Whitehead had been no
match for the keen worldly knowledge of his quon-
dam partner Langley (Mr. Stuart), and the benevo
lent old man had been utterly ruined by the machi-
nations of one whom as an orphan foundling he had
adopted, brought up, and enriched with half his for-
tune; yet Grandfather Whitehead is happier far in
his honest poverty, than Gabriel Langley with his ill
got wealth. Langley is indeed miserable—he feels
that he is the, despised of all good men, and in order
to ease the pangs of his conscience, he, through
Driver, allows Grandfather Whitehead, the annuity of
fifty pounds. At the period when the action of the
drama commences, Drayton is in difficulties, and has
applied to Driver for a loan of thirty pounds, offering
as a security Grandfather Whitehead's annuity. This
is done without the knowledge of Grandfather White-
head. Driver accedes to Drayton's proposal, and
goeS to his house with the money. Grandfather
Whitehead is present when Driver arrives, and greets
him cheerfully, telling him that he had had a presen-
timent that he should that day receive his half yearly
allowance. Driver is about to undeceive him when
Louisa Drayton (Mrs. Edwin Yarnold) interferes,
begging him not to let her grandfather
know the real state of affairs, as it would
distress him unnecesssarily, and having received
twenty-five pounds from Driver (who charges five
for expenses), puts the same in a bureau, and goes to
seek her father. Grandfather Whitehead having
seen her put down the money, goes to the bureau,
and finding exactly the amount of his allowance,
then takes it, and goes out; and having paid certain
little debts which he owed in the neighbourhood,
spends the remainder in a gold chain as a wedding
gift for Louisa, and in toys for his pet Edward.
On his return, Louisa explains to him the
fatal mistake he has made, and tells him that
her father is ruined. He stands thunderstruck.
She flies to her father—he is heard without threaten-
ing to turn Grandfather Whitehead out of the house.
The old man hear 3 him, and saying, he will not
force Drayton to commit that sin, prepares to quit
the house, without seeing any one. As he is about to
cross the threshold, he meets his little pet Edward
coming into the house, and the parting between the
old man and the child, was one of the most affecting
scenes ever witnessed. The acting of Farren went o
the heart—so intense was the interest of the scene,
that, save the sobs of the audience, not a sound was
heard throughout the house as the old man hugged
the boy to his bosom, and prayed for blessings on
his head, and then directing the child's attention to
the toys, tottered forth alone. This scene concluded
.the first act. The whole of the action in the second
act passes at Langley's house. Restless and con-
science-stricken, Langley rises in the early morn, and
sends his nephew, Bob Lincoln (Mr. Webster), who
is articled to Driver, to fetch his•master. Lincoln
has, during his visits to Drayton's on Driver's busi-
ness, fallen in love with Louisa, and also be-
come acquainted with Grandfather White-
head, whose history he has heard, although
he knows not that V Langley is the rascal who
has ruined him. On his way to Driver's, Lin-
coln finds Grandfather Whitehead sitting shivering on
the step of a door, and takes him into Langley's
house, where he seats him by a fire, and brings him
wine. Grandfather Whitehead, on discoVering be-
neath whose roof he had taken shelter, declares that
he will not quit the place until he has seen Gabriel
Langley ; but on being told that his being found
there may -bring Lincoln into trouble, he consents to
withdraw, and suffer himself to be concealed in
a closet, until Lincoln comes to fetch him.
Lincoln in the meantime goes to inform Louisa
&f Grandfather Whitehead's safety. Langley enters,
and shortly after Grandfather Whitehead, imagining
that he has been forgotten by Lincoln, quits his con,.
cealment. Langley and Whitehead meet. The for-
mer demands what Whitehead would with him, and
offers him money if he will quit him, and rid him of
the presence of an enemy. Old Whitehead calmly
replies that he had come to offer him forgive-
ness; that he rejects his dross, and that since
his offer of forgiveness is refused, he will quit
the house. Langley leaves him, and Louisa and
Lincoln enter. Louisa rushes into the arms of her
grandfather, who learns from her that her father is in
prison for the debt. Grandfather Whitehead, on •
hearing this, sends for Langley, and says he will ac
cept his offer of money, that for the sake of his
children he will humble himself to him, and, over-
come by his feelings, the old. man sinks exhausted
into a chair. Then the memory of other days comes
upon him, and he is again the prosperous
merchant—le hears the cries of distress—he
rescues a boy from death—he learns he is
an orphan, and the orphan boy, Gabriel Langley,
is pressed to his bosom as his adopted son. Langley, ,
overcome by his feelings, falls at the old man's feet,
and begs his forgiveness. Ms pet grandchild Edward I
comes in and caresses him—the old man's senses gra-
dually return, and once again Grandfather Whitehead
is the happiest of created beings. Great as Farren is in
other characters, Grandfather Whitehead is certainly his
greatest. Never was the kind-hearted, honourable, 1
indulgent old man, better personified. There is a
natural truthfulness about Farren's Grandfather
Whitehead which goes direct to the heart, and the
tears of his auditors bore witness to the touching
pathos which he infused into the character. At the
fall of the curtain he was loudly called for, and an-
nounced the piece for repetition amidst reiterated
bursts of applause. We repeat it, Grandfather White-
head is Farren's greatest character, and no lover of the
drama should omit seeing him in it. We cannot
close this notice without bestowing our approbation
of Master George Webster's acting as Edward Dray-
ton. lie supported Farren admirably.