The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1806-04-11
FOR TEE ENQUIRER.

II is difficult to defcrnc the vivid expetfa
tions OF The audience, who attended the Rich
mond Theatre laft Saturday night to fee. cri.
ticIe and admire the celebrated Cooper. The
notice was hort; but the houic was uncom nou
~ crouded. Everyheart throbb'd for the ,ifiny
OF the curtain and every eye gazcd with anxiety
FOR the icene that was to prefcnt them with the
Prince OF Den,.ark next TO Rolla. the favo
rite and perhaps the greateR character plaved
by Cooper.
The fcene ut. length was fhifted, and Ham.
let appears at the footfiool of the throne, F.
very thing about him was prepoGeGinc. A
mourning dreis, rich and farred with briIliants
hgure OF more than middlire Failure, firm
without being athletic, and dignifed, without
dffrctaion a face, whole every feature feem-
ed cap1"'e of eXpreng every emotion fi,ch
was the interefting object that food forth before
the audience. But il was not Cooper the PLAYER
* the itraneer, who appeared before you, with
An eye expreilive of curioiiiv & the blum of any
iety upon his cheek. II was Hamlet of Denmark.
and Al the very hrft giimpfe, you faw the folded
arm, the knitted brow, the indignant and diC
contented eye, which announced, that there
was " fonething rotten in the fate of Den.
mark" =.
In tact, you never fsw Cooper once during
the whole experimentation. Mott PLAYERS are
apt to drop the character they aTume. They
grow tired ot 1t or they forget their dramatic
exiitence. They turn and fpeah to the audi
ence. They ccqueits with them, thew try TO
md out the weak lide of the houfe, and Ike an
artiul advocate, to that point they bend all
their force. But Cooper commands the whole
houie by attempting to command nobody !:
ne forgetS where he is, and recolletts only the
character which he perfonates. He never turns
ms audience into players, by fpeakiue to them;
when he ihouId be fpeaking to the other dr..
mathis on the fage.
10 thoie who have not feen Cooper, II
wonld be difficult to defcribe the command
which he has acquired over him1elf. How mimi
table was his action, when he aRed "what
ihall iuch fellow as I do, erazpEap Letzye,y
| bedpen and earfb!'' His very hands Geemed n
hrt to initiate the motion whrh he menti-
oned, and as he gradually RATED them into
| Inld-aIr, his very fingers feemed to be convuI.
| led, and 10 vibrate with the retching of his
| feelings.
The fame attention to character is die.
played IN the pauies of his dialogue Mot
PLAYERS ieem TO think that the playing of a par,
coniiits IN fpeakiug it. Their dramatic cha
racter is as fugitive as the words which tbrv
pronounce. When they ceafe to talk, thev
think Their labor is at an end. Why they
nay then oggle with the pit, or leer at each O..
ther gnaw their nails, 9Th up their cravat
or play as many "antc tricks" as their humor
or convenience may dictate. But Cooper is
iomething more than a theatrical trumoet
| When he ceates to fpeak, he nill fills 10 the
panles OF the dialogue with every emotion
which the fcenc is calculated TO infpire. II ia
ne very look of Hamlet the veryleRure: the
| very ipIrit which feems to breathe in ever
| limb and feature.
! would be tedious TO fPesk Of the differ.