The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-07-26 00:00:00

THE DR AM.A.

The managers of our theatre seem determined on trying to
please the lovers of the drama by the introduction of a succes-
sion of good plays, and also by an: importation of good actors
from the metropolitan boards. In addition to Mr. Cooper, Mr.
Bartley and Mrs. Nisbett are now fulfilling an engagement of
a fortnight each; and on Tuesday night we had an opportunity
of seeing these excellent performers act together iu The Pro-
voked husband, Cooper and Mrs. Nisbett sustaining the parts of
Lord and Lady Townly, and Bartley that of Sir Francis fl-rung-
head.- The character of Lord Townly is considered one of first-
rate importance, and has had the honour of being performed by
one of the greatest monarchs of the mimic tribe, John Kemble,
who admirably embodied the calm dignity of this specimen of
the English nobility of other days, when peerages were not
quite so cheap as they are in ours. With Mr. Cooper for his
representative Lord fownly ought to be perfectly satisfied. We
never saw his lordship more ably represented, nor has it been
our lot to see Mr. Cooper in a part better calculated to display
his powers to the best advantage. As Mr. Bartley has been a
stranger to the Liverpool stage for ten years, it may not be
amiss to observe, that he is, in his personal appearance, almost
a personification of that whimsical creature John Bull,—his
face is the very picture of good humour, when undisturbed by
those sudden squalls of temper to which his characters generally
subject him,—and his style of acting is unequalled for its ease
and freedom. As Sir Francis Wronyhead, we think it almost
impossible that he could succeed with no better supporter than
Mrs. Taylor as Lady Wronghead. Here we feel some difficulty
in giving an opinion. Mrs. Taylor, no doubt,
. has been a good
actress, but she is now evidently arrived at that period of- life
when she is physically, incapable of supporting many charac-
ters; and it is exceedingly painful to see her retain those where
theinfirmities of her age are rendered too apparent, and sub-
jected to ridicule instead of respect. Why was not her place
supplied by Mrs. Clarke? Mrs. Nisbett made a beautiful Lady
Townly, and went through her scenes, and provoked her hus-
band, with the most provoking nonchalance. To the honour of
high life be it spoken, that the character of a female gamester
is but little known in the present day ; Mrs. Nisbett, however,
drew a fine picture of the mental degradation and the humilat-
ing consequences of this intoxicating vice; and, in the conclud-
ing scene, when she is awakened to a proper sense of her errors,
she told her story with a pathos that we have never seen ex-
celled and seldom equalled. Before we dismiss The Provoked
Husband, we must bestow a word or two on Mr. Slaiter's John
Moody. This gentleman is, we suspect, the best Yorkshireman
on the stage ;—his manner and person remind us very forcibly
of Emery, and we are of opinion that eventually Mr. Siaiter
will rise to an equal degree of eminence in the profession.
In The Wedding Day Mr. Bartley, as Sir Adam Contest, was
more at home than as Sir Francis Wronghead. In this he was
supported by Mrs. Nisbett as Lady Contest, and we were much
delighted with the manner in which she announced the reap-
pearance of the old and real Lady Contest to Sir Adam.