Westminster-School Play.
The Times, 1824-12-09T00:00:00

enacted TereWee's pIayXf sti istminster'School the frienrs of thenmistis and scholars, among whom weoli. served the Bishop of London,theEarl of Aberdeel, and'seve- ralotherpersons of (listinction. It would'be needless at thi' time of iday to point out the.incongruity (which is at once so obvious and so easily- ridiculed) of representing- a Roman play, especially as a school exercise, with'biit en deavourhng to imitate the Roan cos:tme and otilier dramatic appendages, as well as to rehearse a Roman dra- maticdialogue. Last night there vwas no .change or im- provemenlt in this respect. The two slaves, Davusand Geta, were disessed like fashionable English valets, of the 19th century,-with shoulder knots, plush smallelothes,arind cecked lIats-Antipto andP .adrio lik-e fashionable beaux going to a ball-Phor,mio in a white beaver,Wellington pantaloons,and cloured handkerchief, like a dandy of the first water-the twe old gentlemen like the money-making citizens who keep possession of the stages of Covent-gardeii and Drury-lanie- the tbree lawvyers in Bt glish gowns andwigsand ophrona witlh a bonnet and feathiers, a scarf, and reticule. *Vith the exception of the costume, and the arrangeme?its of the stage, we- were. highly pleased with the entertainment which the young gentlemnen of Westminster last night offered to their friends. They all seuamed to be thoroughly penetrat- ed with the spirit of the piece-they al appeared to feel perfectly the foree of every humorous tutn or allusion in the dialogue-_tbey all seemed to comprehend the claims of their dramatic situations; and four or five of them displayed very considerable power and skill in supporting their parts. Dunlop, who acted Geta, was the faivourite of the evening. He had a great deal to do, and he did every tbing with much spirit and talent. His mnanner of support- ing some parts of his eharactcr was so arch, skilful, and natural, that it would have entitlel him to considerable applause on any stage. Next to him, Phillimore, as Phormio, obtained the most cordial and most unanimous approbatien. The young gentlemen who represented Anti- pho (Jeffreys) and Nausistrata (Heath) likewise evinced considerable power in su;pporting the spirit of their parts, and were deservedly applauded. The prologue, whiclh contained nothing very strikiing, was well repeated by Littledale, the captain of the sebool. T'he epilogue was a more laboured and a more happy attempt to please and amuse the eudience. The parasite I'hormio returns on the stage with a mass of projects in his handls, accompanied by Chremes and Demipho, who demand their money. He tells them that he will be able to pay them from the fruits of some of those numerous schemes; and thiea gives a humorous list of those which have been started within the last year-docks, roads, canals, bridges, Macadamization, mining enierprises, tunnels, and last, the great ship Colu?nIus, a large picture of which is exhibited on the stage. In the dialogue .and description to which thcse prajects give rise, there are intersperset several jokes and puns, which, i 2t refined, are very laughable. -' WESTMINSTE.R-SCHOOL PLAY.