Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1859-01-21

Ridin advances.
THEATRE.-The lovers of the Drama,
have beer rarely entertained during the
past week, by the performances of Mr.
McFarland's fine company. This is GER
tainly the best troupe, that has yet been
upon our boards, and we are gratifed to
see the appreciation of their excellence,
shown in the large and fashionable atten-
dance that nightly throngs the Theatre
Miss St. Clair, who is the browning attrac-
ton Of this talented corps, has won lost
Aattering verdict from our citizens, for
superior rendition, and moreover has cap
tiyated the hearts of half of our young
gallants, with her beauty and grace. On
first sight her countenance impresses the
beholder as rather pleasing than beautiful,
but, after further appearance, we wonder
that we ascribed only a sweet play of fea-
lures to face, that besides being very
winsome in expression, is charmingly
moulded withal Perhaps in her great
superiority, 10 the actresses, who have
played upon our boards, we may overesti-
mate her talents, but we certainly consid.
or them respectable, even in comparison,
with such Artists as Miss Dean and Miss
Logan, and with equal cultivation and
study might make her their peer AS
'Lucretia Borgia," on the FIRST night she
received showers of applause for her thrill
ing personation of that character, whose
stormy passions severely test the powers of
astragedienne. Her Camille" on the
succeeding night, melted the whole house
to tears, with the pathetic fervor of her
delineation, and even discovered an unsus-
pected reservoir of the briny moisture, in
the lachrymal font Of our arid looking
neighbor of the Je6ersonian.
In the "Lovers Sacrifice" on Wednes-
day night as Margaret Elmore, she most
exquisitely rendered the alterations, from
overwhelming scorn for the miscreant,
who demands her hand, as the price of
her Fathers safety, to the heart breaking
sacrifice she at last makes, on the altar of
filial affection. We should like to see Miss
st. Clair as Parthenia, in "Ingomar," as
we think the artless and untaught grace
of tho character finely adapted to her
power of sympathetic rendition. Indeed
her strength seems to lie more in her pow
er Of Identification with the parts she sus-
tains, than in artistic execution; and if
she would always trust to this, and let her
own free conceptions have sway, unmar-
ed by imitation and mannerism, and, false
ly SO called, art, she would gain no mean
reputation as an actress. She is not free
from those tricks of gesture, attitude
voice and expression, that blemish the
best acting on the American boards. We
make this structure in no spirit of dispar,
agement, as these faults seem almost in
herent in stage representation, but only tt
regret that she does not trust to tn,
promptings of an unusually the histrion
ic genius, and vigor of original concep
ton, and forget Art and models alto
gether.
We have devoted so much space to thi
charming actress, that we have not room
to mention the rest of the troupe, especi
ally Mr.. Kent, who is an actor of consid
able ability, and Mr., Clark, comedian o
much talent for humorous delineation.-
All the company, indeed play their role
very creditably, and We trust Mr.. McFar
land will continue to meet with that sue
cess, that has thus far greeted him.