The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1807-01-17
COMMUNICATION.

at the Richmond Theatre.
| This COMEDY will not ftand the teft of a RI
Gid fcruiny. IN The Eft place, there is not =
UNITY at aciion and in the fecond, there is a
con'n'ion ct incidents: bmt as have as entire
! 4 dIiguh for " The cant of crticiim" as ever
Sterne had. iball FAY no more in the wav O,
ceniure al this play, but give it the merit, to
] which 1t is certainly entitled, of being, unop
the whole, an agreeable and intereiting come
dy.
with refpca to the rebrcfnf0tiou of the
piece, ore general cenfire apples TO every ac.
tor and attrcis on the Gage They tranfpofyd the
co!oca'ion ot the words, and mu.ilated the
! 'anguaEe "t the author, uniformly to the injury
| or the force and meaning of the pav
Mr.. Barrett fuitained the oharac.er of Lord A
vondaic with great Judgment, force of expref.
| hon and appropriate geaure. This is a very
natural character---It is compound Of virtues
ana Vices---it Is not one of thof. - flultefs
! monitors which the world never f,w," that we
100 often lee on the fage; but although it is
one ot thoie charaSters that we fee every dav.
yet is II on that very account, the more diff
cult to perform for as it is much ea(ier TO
draw monitor than natural porlrait--a as il is
| 'hu'h eailer to write bombaif, and fuitian, than
to write with the plain, unadorned fweet finn.
plc'ty OF Swift or Goid!mith, 70 is it much
| caller to rant in tragedy, or be huffoon in CO.
medy, or by aiiectation, and levity, where the
| charaHer docs not require it, TO excriIively to
oVsfact the part, that it not only ceafes to be
ioterea'ng or amuiing, but gradually becomes
| ""!ouS aud diiguGing, than to perform uafu-
raj character. Mr.. Barrett did perform natu-
raj character, and TO my tsle, with great ex-
ceilence.
Mr.. Conner repreftnted General Tarragon
WIN comfortable fuccefe. The character was
wen iu'ted to the actor, and the actor 20 the
character, which have obferved To he the cafe
o''cnsr with Mr.. Conner than any other Der
fofner on the fage; for ] do rot think this
gentleman pofcfes fexibiliiy of manner, or
veriatiity or talent, calculated 10 pleafe in diff
| 'crent and oPpohte characfers Mr.. Conner,
'"ue Oh voice is monotonous, and his ftyIe of
performance, to ufe the cxprefiion, too uni
FORM and unyarying but his geaurc is general
fuited to the meaning ofthe words he utters.
n ,' MIR: Corners firt appearance on the
Richmond fage, he has improved rxtremtiy I:
OUT after arriving at a cert ain point, whether
from Incidence. and want Of itudy, or that ma
ture has denied him farther excellence, it re-
mains FOR him to fhew--he ftopt fllort, and has
continued pretty much the fame for the feyeraI
lait pait feafons
Mr.. Collins did not fucced in the character
or Mr.. Ferment. 1t is one of the commoneft
things in human life for perfons 70 overrate
themfeIves and this is Ferment's prominen,
weakneis ; and it brings him into ludicrous Fl
tuations; but If | underffand the author he
did net i"tend that lie ftouid overrate himItIf
10 very far, as Mr.. Collins made him. He was
Represented as very dolt--.a creature in the
unfortunate fituaton, of being unable to ex-
cite either admiration, pity or laughter. Fer
ment mould have appeared much more ref
peetable and dignified than he did, at the fam.
time that his hobby-horfes, his plans and hi,
weak points, fhould have brought him
INTO embarrafng and udcrous fiiuations ,bs
modification of which f,ouId have made HE
own te't-love perceive and feel moi Poignant
~ mat 10 my apprehension, was tie faint of
CHARACTER to which Mr.. Collins qvoJ M, mn
but Mr.. Collinsisa young & difiden, man. yonJ
voice, genteel appearance always has his par,
perfect &, IT, as lhave heard, he continues to
devote hImieIf with ailiduity TO theatrical Nm
a'eS' think that lie will one day arrive AT con-
hdcrabe eminencc in his profe nion-.a nrof.ff;-
on, the influence ofwhich upon the rnorala and
manners of civilized fociety, and upon every
ipecIes OF excellence in forenGc and fcnatoritl
eiocuiion, has been 70 little underftood, and ro
oadiy appreciated. 1t requires only that the
lIres OF the a6tCrs and aGreGes |honld mn, b
'Pe"t III the ihamciul dlfhpaIion that they too
often are, and that they niould perform none
but good plays TO render the Gage more eGica-
c'ous N " rafting the genius and mendinc the
heart" than the pulpit itfeif.
Mr.. Spear in the character of Frederic k vas
very unequal in his performance Comctimrs
ne Imported the part toerab'y well hut in
general, the manner Of his acting, was tame and
uuIntereitinR; with a thick voice, mouthiuc
every word and his eefure altogether trained,
awkward aud unnatural.
Mr.. Green did not fupoart Tyke with hi, ~
'nal Judgment. The ferrous parts of the cha.
racttr were done with comfortable iniereH ;
hut the iudicrOus acre mt : MIR. Green could
nnt make JJkc greater fcoundrrl than he
vas but he certainty made him a much great.
or fool than the author intended. The word
yes" Is confauty fpeIied as it llIould be but
Mr.. Green uniformly pronounced it set: al.
! thou h from Tyke's acquaintance with Jockey
Lords" It might have been prefumed that he
would know how to pronounce a word fo per.
petulliy IN uie. Mr.. Green is very far from
being exempt from the general cenfure paGed
upon All ;he comedians, in the commencement,
J of theft retndks--if he did not "m make free
with The Kings Englih," he certainly made
very free with Mr.. Morton's.
! Mr.. Huntingdon Imported his character q,
the Old Man very well. This performer
teens to Rand upon middle ground of emf.
: nsnce in his Calling, from which he is never
Jotled, either by the laughter of comedy or The
irenzy OF tragedy; he is never very low in hi.
/ tyle gt performance and he is certainly never
/ yKry great