Sullen is absurd as well as vicious; the view of gain, one main point, is in no shape answered there; yet notwithstanding these objections, he is a very agreeable, and therefore dangerous dramatic object; vices should never be dressed up in pleafing colours; however, such he is drawn by the author, and now we shall merely confider him in the mode of action. The attributes for supporting this part, are vivacity of deportment, significancy of look, and pert volubility of expression; every one of which Mr. GARRICK poffeffing, it is no wonder his performance should be capital; the scenes in which he particularlarly outstrips competition are those with Cherry -where he delivers lady Howd'ye's message, and the picture scene with Mrs. Sullen. Mr. SMITH is very sprightly, agreeable and characteristic; nor is Mr. LEE without considerable merit; but still we must insist that Mr. GARRICK, both as footman and gentleman, maintains his usual great fuperiority, tho' not so much as where more forceable powers are wanting. I have been so unfortunate as to fee Mr. SHERIDAN walk through this character; and have heard of Mr. Mossop's undertaking it, but the report cannot be true, as it must nearly reduce him to the ftate of the King of the Antipodes in Cronon, that is making a topsy-turvy part of it, and standing upon his head. Aimwell, who is only a plain, unaffecting gentleman, found better support by far from Mr. Ross and the late Mr. PALMER, than from any other VOL. I. I per person I have feen; Sullen is well enough in the hands of Meff. GIBSON and BURTON; but was indefcribably better in poffeffion of Mr. QUIN, nay of Mr. LUKE SPARKS; Mr. LOVE exhibits the ignorant, jocund effrontery of Boniface equal to any one I have ever feen; and Mr. MOODY is extremecharacteristic in Foigard; yet I must be of opinion, that if criticism would enjoy a feast of originality from the Hibernian priest, it must be found in the performance of Mr. SPARKS, now at Drury-lane. Scrub is a very marked and striking character, fimple yet cunning, forward tho' timid; a tattler affecting fecrecy; and a fool affuming wisdom; his situations are happily grotesque, and pregnant with much pleafantry; a performer must have very faint comic powers who cannot keep an audience in good humour with this part; and yet some very capital ones have run wild; Mr. THE. CIBBER gained applause, but entirely from making dro'il faces; Mr. WOODWARD took the fame path, with fome variations for the better; Mr. SHUTER also has the fault of being rather too comical; while Mr. WESTON, by an admirable naivete of performance, most certainly stands unrivalled in the part, and throws all elaborate, mechanical acting far behind. As to the ladies, the o'd one is a very good woman, but neither here nor there in action; Mrs. Sullen has been sufficiently animadverted on to shew that she is very censurable, yet she must always gain attention and respect from an audience; Mrs. PRITCHARD and Mrs. WOFFINGTON had each great great merit in this part, but undoubtedly preference was due to the former; who, with a figure less happily adapted, and less vivacity, still preserved the character, without rendering the licentious passages so offenfively intelligible; or dwindling so much into the affected coquette; of living performers, I can only say, that Mrs. BARRY gives fatisfaction upon very just principles; yet I must own a wish to fee Mrs. ABINGTON, who is happily devoted to comedy, and that alone, in possession of this part; first because her attributes are extremely fuitable; and next, because the small number of characters she plays, does not often enough gratify the public defire of feeing her: in respect of Mrs. LESSINGSINGHAM, who performs it at Covent-garden, I wish her a better income off the stage than she makes on it; and should be very glad to fee Mrs. BULKLEY fill up her present caft; which, tho' confined, is of too much consequence to be dallied with. : Dorinda is amiable, but not interesting; what could be made of her was to be found in the placid, modest sensibility of Mrs. PALMER, who, tho she never could equal great undertakings, allways made seconds of this kind pleasingly respectable : every thing we wish for in Cherry Miss POPE furnishes; but Miss WARD, tho' she means well, is far too faint. THE RECRUITING OFFICER. A COMEDY. By FARQUHAR. THE opening of this comedy is peculiar in two respects; first, as no other begins in the same manner; and next, as its title is verified in the first fcene; there is one essential towards drawing characters in a masterly manner, a strict intimacy with, and a thorough knowledge of the station of life represented; this requisite Mr. Farquhar thoroughly possessed in the piece under confideration; the military life he not only liked, but was himself immediately connected with ; therefore we may naturally suppose his portraits drawn from striking likenesses, and are highly finished; however, as examination will prove this point, either for or against the author, better than supposition, let us proceed to a candid trial. The character of a good recruiting serjeant is as complicate for low policy, or more fo, than any other; he must have smoothness and volubility of tongue, seeming generosity, profeffed good-nature, pliable compliance to flatter different tempers, unblusking confidence, unbounded lies, a still conscience, and an unfeeling heart; these qualifications must be the test of Kite's character. The first speech of this non-commissioned officer to the mob, is a masterly piece of military elocution; it touches with strong propriety upon those points ३ : points most likely to impress the simple, the idle, and the dissolute; introducing himself to Costar Pearmain, by offering his cap to try on, and the countryman's apprehenfions of such an experiment are highly in character; the ferjeant's account of the bed of honour, the recruit's disgust at being fa luted by the title of brother, and his being foothed into good humour by some compliments thrown out upon the importance of his figure, render this scene highly pleasing. Captain Plume is well introduced, as hearing his own drum; but he appears to have a strange idea of smart riding and expedition, when he speaks of one hundred and twenty miles in thirty hours; in the ensuing scene, Kite preserves his character of humour, and throws out some excellent strokes in mentioning the recruits he has picked up; one in particular conveys just fatire, tho' perhaps not ge nerally understood; speaking of a Welsh parson he has enlisted, the captain afks, " Can he write ?" to which Kite replies, " Hum, he plays rarely " upon the fiddle;" this alludes to a scandalous circumstance then common, and I fear now to be met with too often among curates in Wales; I mean stipends so low as ten pounds a year, which occasioned many to work as day labourers; but the most usual method of eking out such pitiful allowances was to keep hedge-alehouses, and every sunday-afternoon, in particular, to amuse their parishioners with some tunes on the fiddle : the circumstance of Mrs. Molly at the Castle seems to have no connection with the piece, except to how : 1 |