The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1852-01-22

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THrArar.-The performances Tuesday night
were more than ordinarily ersditahle, and yery
wen gotten through. especially who re oongider
that ONE Of Shakspeares plays, "a Kon Like IT.
" - represented. We can sadd thattzers VA less
blackguardism percsptbie amidstsfhe audience.
Indeed, it was . very wen behaved assemblsge. of
course we do not mean cast ilur upon the entre
audience at any time assembled In the Theatre fhat
we remember; but we have occasionally seen there
an amount of coarseness and vulgaritys . coniinu-
Gus effort to make every thing at all capable OF
double sense, assume the most BLACKBOARD mean
ing that as disgust ng in the extreme. 1t is this
kind OF demonstration Of the audience that makes
vulgar actors; for the actor Is naturally forced
alang that vein of acting which most peascs those
to whom he plays. We never see coarse acsof
upon the stage who is much applauded oy MS au-
dience, that we do not feel much stronger dis-
gust for those who cheer him, than we DO Tor the
actor himself.
Miss CHAzLorrE CusHMAN was the star OF the
evening She played Rosslind;" and she played
it with great spirit most admirably humsring All
the unique caprces of her difficult character, one
of the most peculiar conceptions of the immortal
Shakespeare Her reading, her gestures, and general
expression were excellent The only drawback
was voice little too old, little too masculine
for the young Rosalind but 20 far as hveliness Of
manner, brightness and quickness of expression,
and that peculiar passionaensss of grish conceits
were concerned, the acting of Miss Cushman was
mos. excellent. We enjoyed her performance
most on account of her clear reading and apt en-
phasis She knew how to read Shakespeare, and
none of the rich humor and exquisite wit of the
immortal bard were iostin her personation of Re-
salind.
Mrs. potter played Celia with much vivacity.
BRELsroRp, as the Melancholy jacques" and
PHELPS, as Orlando" both deserve much praise.
Their general reading was much better than We
anticipated. BIS reading of the Seven Ages" was
really very good. Phelps played with very fine
spirit. BURKE, as Touchstone, was what Burke
always is very caricature in every light you can
view him. Nobody can help laughing at him !;
yet we could never see any point of excel
lence in Burke. Personally, he is caricature, and
upon his very entrance you involuntarily exclalHi,
there is a rare individual sort of living skel-
etop, rounded very nicely, with a curious, lnde-
scrbable, smooth face, with a snub nose, he en-
ters and when he lifts his voice up, you have such
an one was never heard any where since the
confusion of Babel, when We told, all sorts of
voices and tongues completed the COMPOUNDED tn.
multi The notes he utters are not thoseE of treble
pipes, nor of masculine females, nor OF eunuchs,
nor of any other sort of being in human form that
we ever heard Of. Yet his is certainly voice-a
fiat, unmusica audible sound-in which words are
conveyed. tits always the same. No matter what
he plays that everlasting tone is heard, and the
same attenuated gesticulation and mo:ion--the
same smirk of face salutes you. Yet Burke pro-
vokes laughter. AS an actor, he ia not one of
merit-as a caricature, he is comicaI, and always
perfectly irresistible to the pit The pit is Burkes
heaven. He is a very comical fellow and very
good fellow; and if not very good actor, he has
peculiarities that will always command laugh,
and what is more important, living.
RYAN, as "Arneus" sung Some Love to
Roam, instead of the song Shakespeare had writ
ten. We thought the introduction of the Ameri-
eau fas and the tri-colored Gag of France in the
liberty duet of the " Puritan" by Marini and Bene.
vautano, was bad eaough, but thi, tfrusting of
Henry Russell into Shakspeare's play is much
worse. 1t was abominable We wonder Miss
Cushman permitted it at all
Miss HowAKD has a comely person, but wants
animation. AS d" Phebe,' the Shepherdess, she
was inappropropriately dressed, " IS Mr.. WE'RE
as Syivius.'' One would have thought Miss How
ard came out to play Norma.