THEATRE ROYAL.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2536, 21 February 1877, Page 2

THEATRE ROYAL.

The play of "Fritz" was performed again last night to an excellent audience, who, if not as absurdly noisy as on the previous night, at least applauded sufficiently to show that they appreciated the acting, and generally speaking applauded in the right places. Mr Emmet, when encored, simply bowed his acknowledgements, and wisely too, for had he once repeated a song, he would, no doubt, hare been encored during the remainder of the evening, and the performance might have terminated about 1 a.m. His part must have been sufficiently tiring without his having to repeat any .portion of it. On the whole we liked his acting better on the second night than on , the first. The same points. we noticed yesterday were equally well brought out, and others added to them, his facial expression in the third act when he is married and a father, being just what might be expected from a good-natured, honest, though careless man, who, after undergoing many vicissitudes, is enabled to settle down comfortably with all he cares for around him, and every prospect of ending his days in peace. To our idea, jt is harder far to delineate by the face the softer affections of the heart than the. fiercer passions of the mind. Many a man can work himself into a passion and roll his eyes, twitch his mouth, and do all that is necessary in that line without looking ridiculous, but very few can show by the look how much they care for those whom they are supposed to love; the winning smile very often is represented by the meaningless, vacant grin, and the look of affection by something between a leer and a wink. This does not Mr Emmet; you can read in his features the thoughts supposed to be .passing in his mind, and this is certainly one of the greatest acquirements of an actor. By his side the other actors sink into insignificance. First of all because there is not much in their parts to make anything of, and, secondly, because some of them in an attempt to make something out of nothing, or very little, rush into the opposite extreme, and turn the part into nonsense, or at best a clumsy imitation of a bad burlesque. This is bad for those who play their parts as they should be played, as is the case with Miss Raymond, Miss Leake, and Miss Amy Thornton. The last time the latter visited the Thames was when she'played with the Cricketers' Dramatic Club, and since that time?she has improved considerably, her acting being very natural and unaffected. Mr Holloway was especially successful in the third act, and the audience applauded

the nigger delineation of Mr Power, and laughed at the somersault of Mr Hoyle. To-night will be the last night of " Fritz." We advise all who have not seen it to do bo. Exception has been taken to a sentence in yesterday's notice of Mr Emmet's performance of Fritz. The sentence complained of is as follows:—"Fritz is a character something like Lord Dundreary and Rip Van Winkle. There have been many imitators of Mr Sothern and Mr Jefferson, but not one who has attempted either of these parts has ever come within leagues of the 'originals." We had thought that this would have been understood' in its • figurative rather than its literal, sense by intelligent readers,-but some, it appears, have construed it into a reflection upon Mir J.L. Hall, which was not intended or even thought of by the writer. Mr Hall's Rip Tan Winkle was always regarded as a highly meritorious performance, but it would' be no disparagement to him to say that it did not come up to the impersonation of Mr J. H. Jefferson, for whom, .we. believe, the story was dramatised, and who made it. a speciality.