The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-03-13

Last evening, Mrs. O. N. Sinclair late Nrs Forrest In
company with Mr.. g. vandcnhon, gave dramatic and
poetcal readings at Metropolitan Hall The attendance
good in fact in point Of Numbers the entertainment
completely successful the house being filed every
part with fashion able well dressed audience We cam
not say much for the performance. Mrs Forests
part Of it decided failure and those who advised
the stsp must have been sadly wanting in judy
ment or candor II was undertaking for which she
totally unfit Il is thing to keep up the aterna-
tons Of brief dialogue in comedy and it is quite
another thing sustain the continuous reading Of long
poem Then 1t most III advised course to place her
side by side with such admirable reader as vanden
hoi The contrast overwhelming In fact If the
whole thing had been desgnedy got up for his triumph
and her humiliation the end could not be efectualy
accomplished than it The pieces selected for her
were about worst suited to her capacity that could be
chosen.
The performance commenced with the first act OF
shakspeares Merchant Of Venicc,n which Vandenhof
read with fine effect At the close he stated that Mrs
Forrest had cold and that he therefore claimed for her
the indulgence of the audience though be did not think
il would much emharrass her readings
shortly after she made her appearance on the stage
wearing black velvet dress and her hair without head
warmly received by the audience
Mr. Vandenho sustained the character Of Shyock with
much spirit and also Of the other characters
Mrs Forrest read the lart e ortia tamey, and with
very Indifferent Fer voice both weak and
like an instrument out d tune She appeared to have
slight cold but that not the of her failure
In the poetcal readings Ct the second part Of the
ainment the contrast between her and Vandcnhofi
still! more striking, He read be Punch Bowl by O.
w Holmes and !. Lochinym," by Sir Walter Scott in
splendid style, and amidst thunders Of applause In
Lochnvar he Enthusiastically cncored. Mrs For
rest read a Poets Parting Thought by Mother
we'll and failed to give the piece any spirit effect In
= The Building Of the Ship by Longfelow-whch was
the finale of tho entertsinmcnt--she still I'M
happy. 1t absurd to select long piece Cor her
and little adapted TO her genius She broke down
in it most completely. She blushed became nervous,
confused and agitated, and finally stopped she ap-
Piled her handkerchief 10 her mouth, as if she
was laboring under sudocating feeling and coughed
a little Mr. Vandenhon who sitting near,
came to Der, APP arently for he purpose Of
inducing her to ttop; but she shook her head,
indicating refusal and Immediately after preceded again
cheered by the plaudts Of the audience She had only
read few lines when she stopped again and Van
denhoI and ma ched the book from her amidst
great applause and returning TO his chair read the
rander Il the piece about all Of ~ with much lcu,
at the end he was loudly applauded The lady up
peared deeply embarrassed during this interval and kept
handkerchief to her eyes all the time Every
ed to feel for her
Thus terminated the readings Of Mrs Sinclair, which it
were better for her reputation had begun She
had made hit Lady Teaze in the School for Sean
dali and also successful in other plays and would
have been wiser to have confined herself TO those parts
other characters Of the description than to have
launched her trail bark into an unknown ana t,achcrou