The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-12-30 00:00:00

THEATRE ROYAL.

pre engagement of Mrs. and Mr. Charles Kean has
and highly attractive. The house has been very well
ster fashionably attended during this week. " The Game-
of
.A) Mr. Sheridan Knowles' last new play of " The Rose
Straprragon," Mr. Knowles' play of " Love," " The
sa.ger," with the new pantomime, have proved magnets
ehe rtyetently potent to draw the public into the " royal pro-
6,
pint. he Rose of Arragon," although possessing an ingenious
and occasional bursts of fine language, we do not reckon
4t—ne of the best of Mr. Knowles' productions. It is long and
'ewhat heavy, and was made still more so by tbe intolerable
time the audience were kept waiting between the acts. Mrs.
aCharles Kean's Olivia is a chaste and beautiful performance.
ver acting throughout was replete with that grace, feeling,
and Pathos that have ever distinguished her, and placed her
as the leading actress of the day. She appears somewhat
thinner than when last here. In Mr. Charles Kean there is
a great change—he seems to have toned down with an un-
sparing hand all those clap-traps in which he was wont once
,t°: luxuriate. We noticed the absence of those starts, strut-
"e, gs, and sudden alterations of voice, that no doubt told
With the audience, but which were unnatural : he has, in fact,
'tefujrned them altogether." There is a higher quality about
Nean's acting than we ever expected to see—not that
l
he
eeents idietract from his merits, which are great, but that we say
its adopted, or somebody else has suggested, improve-
must palpable in his style. His Alasco was full
t Ruon. in
enough of fire and energy to mark the proud Spanish peasant
rs
mahout being over done.
:the " Love," on Wednesday night, was ex-
rnelY clever. Of Mrs. Kean's Countess of Eppenstein
..e have often spoken. It is like everything else she plays—
Perfection of histrionic art. Miss Gardner's Catherine quite
_urprised us. As a singer she is acknowledged to be one of the
,s7eeetest we have had for long, permanently connected with
the theatre. Miss Gardner is an excellent musician, and
uoderstands well her art, but singers are not expected to be
good actresses as well, and the instances of their ability,
that of their line," are rare. Miss &ardner has proved
in at she _ay
7, m lay claim to being one of them—for her acting
I's instance constantly drew forth very marked tokens of
approbation._, She made every line tell ; lost not a point
;s',l3.ere one could be made ; and in the scene where she ap-
pears as a pa-e,
6 her archness and vivacity were most arnm.
IN7' and she was warmly applauded at its conclusion.
been
question Miss Gardner's Catherine is the best that
na!,been seen at this theatre since the play was produced.
'he pantomime of Baron Munchausen is an admirable
re ; the tricks and changes are all new, and apply to the
taaaal as well as the general topics of the day—for instance,
esrnerism, the corn-laws, hvdropathy, the tariff, the Chi-
seta,War hullabolooism, and other novelties, that draw
hr ry from John Bull's pockets. Some novel effects are
l'aiuluneed ; one particularly excites surprise, where the scene
H doVill flat on the stage, and exhibits the harbour of
i_l,3lllg Kong, very beautifully and correctly painted. The
.!ta'oduction is amusing, in which Baron Munchausen is
int de the medium of introducing the comic business on the
;age• The "Baron bold" is extremely well acted by Mr. L.
th Thompson ; Mr. Jonas's Pantaloon is really the clown of
th"eisPit,ece, Mr. Paulo being about the worst representative of
lir euaracter. we ever saw. He appears to possess neither
BPirit, nor fun. Mr. and Mrs. Schmidt make a good
r ariequin and Columbine—the dress of the former is a
zetnarkably handsome one. The pantomime is got up with
sretne eat care, and there is a considerable display of ingenuity in it.
arti
°f the scenery is very beautiful. Amongst the best
with s are the "weighing of the Sovereigns," "The man
growing g, ,
the le " " The hvdropathic cure," " The
°L.s chamber of magic pictures, ' Sze. This production
be:ituite equal to last year's—which was admitted to be the
of the season, either in or out of the metropolis.
and )- Keas take their benefit t-night, playing Benedict
Beatricne, in " Much ado about Nothing."