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  • The Freemasons' Magazine
  • Oct. 1, 1798
  • Page 14
  • REVIEW OF THE THEATRICAL POWERS OF THE LATE MR. JOHN PALMER:
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The Freemasons' Magazine, Oct. 1, 1798: Page 14

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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

Review Of The Theatrical Powers Of The Late Mr. John Palmer:

verified within the walls of Drury . By the demise of Palmer , Barryrnore will , of course , succeed to rnany of his characters . Some of them he will support respectably , but few of them equal to his predecessor . Few persons have naturally a better voice than Barrymore ; but , as Archer says , ' he does , not know what to do with it . ' J-Iis voice is a sweet tenor , seemingly capable of every modulation which the variety of stage exhibition requires . ' If this be trueto

, > vhat cause , except that of inattention , are we to ascribe his failure ? An inflexibility , strongly partaking of , without being a monotony , gives a coldness to , and destroys the efFect of what would otherwise be considered good acting . This , we think , might , with a little care , be remedied . Barryrnore excels in tragedy , for which his figure is exceedingly well adapted ; btyt there is a stiffness in his

comedy which is both unnatural and ungraceful . Exclusive of the particular . cast of characters which Mr . Palmer possessed , the Drurylane audience will sustain a heavy Iqss , or , to prevent it , the closest attention of Mr . Kemble will be requisite . During a temporary absence of Mr . Kemble it was customary for Palmer ' to assume his parts ; for Palmer , if occasion required , could play every character ; thpun-h riot perhaps with equal excellence , which was peculiarly

reserved for Mr . Kemble . "Unless the proprietors obtain a reinforcement , Wroughton must be more upon the boards . But Wroughton is not a popular actor . An indefatigable industry has , in this gentleman , rendered less obvious the deficiencies of nature . More , however , remains to be

atchieved than , according to the common course of things , we can indulge the hope of witnessing . Mr . Charles Kemble is a promising and an improving young actor , and he has the best models to copy i ' rpni : hut tjie public would like Mr . Charles Kemble much better , if Mr . Charles Kemble liked himself somewhat less . If , instead of admiring the symmetry of his formor the elegance of his dressand acting entirely for himself ,

, , he would attend to his brother performers , an English audience would never withhold the meed of generous applause . Much mig ht be said of Mrs . Siddons ; but M's . Siddons is above praise . To illustrate or panegyrize her in numerable excellencies would be an attempt to harden the diamond . Kemble and Siddons , ' take them for p . ll in all , ' annihilate comparison .

Mrs . Jordan ' s name is , ot itself , a ' tower-ot strength ; nor can any actress be thrown into the opposite scale . . It is true , w d ° not admire her Op helia or her Juliet ; nor is her Lady Teazle exactly the thing ; but her Angela , in the Castle Spectre , is the very apex of exquisite acting . On her comedy all observations would be superfluous . The comic force of Drury-lane is excellentbutin poiptof

num-, , bers , it cannot cope with that of Covent-Garden . They have Messrs . Bannister , Suett , King , and R . Palmer ; Mesdames Pope , De CariipV Biggs , Goodall , Mellon , Stuart , and Wajcott ; but they have lost Parsons , Baddeley , Moody , Pgdd , Palmer , and Miss Fallen , without a single reinforcement to compensate . Covent-Garden

“The Freemasons' Magazine: 1798-10-01, Page 14” Masonic Periodicals Online, Library and Museum of Freemasonry, 29 May 2025, django:8000/periodicals/fmm/issues/fmm_01101798/page/14/.
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Title Category Page
Untitled Article 1
LONDON: Article 1
TO CORRESPONDENTS, &c. Article 2
PRICES OF BINDING PER VOLUME. Article 2
Untitled Article 4
THE LIFE. OF PRINCE POTEMKIN. Article 5
REVIEW OF THE THEATRICAL POWERS OF THE LATE MR. JOHN PALMER: Article 11
DESCRIPTION OF THE NATIVES OF EASTER ISLAND. Article 17
ISLE OF MOWEE. Article 18
EDMUND BURKE. Article 20
ANECDOTES OF PETER THE GREAT, Article 24
CURIOUS ACCOUNT OF THE DUMB PHILOSOPHER. Article 28
THE LIFE OF BISHOP WARBURTON. Article 31
ORIGINAL LETTER OF BISHOP BURNET. Article 33
ON RELIGION, MORALITY, AND GOVERNMENT. Article 34
CRITICISM ON A PASSAGE IN VIRGIL's GEORGICS. Article 36
SKETCH OF THE LIFE AND CHARACTER OF PASSWAN OGLOW, Article 38
KAMTSCHATKA DANCE. Article 39
UNFORTUNATE IV ASCHIN. Article 40
NARRATIVE OF THE EXPEDITION OF BUONAPARTE, AND A PARTICULAR ACCOUNT OF THE GLORIOUS VICTORY OF ADMIRAL NELSON OVER THE FRENCH FLEET. Article 41
VICTORY OF ADMIRAL NELSON. Article 47
CHARACTER OF FREDERICK II. Article 53
ANECDOTES. Article 53
THE FREEMASONS' REPOSITORY. Article 54
MASONIC INTELLIGENCE. Article 56
SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE. Article 57
REVIEW OF NEW PUBLICATIONS . Article 63
POETRY. Article 68
PUBLIC AMUSEMENTS. Article 70
MONTHLY CHRONICLE. Article 72
OBITUARY. Article 74
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Page 14

Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

Review Of The Theatrical Powers Of The Late Mr. John Palmer:

verified within the walls of Drury . By the demise of Palmer , Barryrnore will , of course , succeed to rnany of his characters . Some of them he will support respectably , but few of them equal to his predecessor . Few persons have naturally a better voice than Barrymore ; but , as Archer says , ' he does , not know what to do with it . ' J-Iis voice is a sweet tenor , seemingly capable of every modulation which the variety of stage exhibition requires . ' If this be trueto

, > vhat cause , except that of inattention , are we to ascribe his failure ? An inflexibility , strongly partaking of , without being a monotony , gives a coldness to , and destroys the efFect of what would otherwise be considered good acting . This , we think , might , with a little care , be remedied . Barryrnore excels in tragedy , for which his figure is exceedingly well adapted ; btyt there is a stiffness in his

comedy which is both unnatural and ungraceful . Exclusive of the particular . cast of characters which Mr . Palmer possessed , the Drurylane audience will sustain a heavy Iqss , or , to prevent it , the closest attention of Mr . Kemble will be requisite . During a temporary absence of Mr . Kemble it was customary for Palmer ' to assume his parts ; for Palmer , if occasion required , could play every character ; thpun-h riot perhaps with equal excellence , which was peculiarly

reserved for Mr . Kemble . "Unless the proprietors obtain a reinforcement , Wroughton must be more upon the boards . But Wroughton is not a popular actor . An indefatigable industry has , in this gentleman , rendered less obvious the deficiencies of nature . More , however , remains to be

atchieved than , according to the common course of things , we can indulge the hope of witnessing . Mr . Charles Kemble is a promising and an improving young actor , and he has the best models to copy i ' rpni : hut tjie public would like Mr . Charles Kemble much better , if Mr . Charles Kemble liked himself somewhat less . If , instead of admiring the symmetry of his formor the elegance of his dressand acting entirely for himself ,

, , he would attend to his brother performers , an English audience would never withhold the meed of generous applause . Much mig ht be said of Mrs . Siddons ; but M's . Siddons is above praise . To illustrate or panegyrize her in numerable excellencies would be an attempt to harden the diamond . Kemble and Siddons , ' take them for p . ll in all , ' annihilate comparison .

Mrs . Jordan ' s name is , ot itself , a ' tower-ot strength ; nor can any actress be thrown into the opposite scale . . It is true , w d ° not admire her Op helia or her Juliet ; nor is her Lady Teazle exactly the thing ; but her Angela , in the Castle Spectre , is the very apex of exquisite acting . On her comedy all observations would be superfluous . The comic force of Drury-lane is excellentbutin poiptof

num-, , bers , it cannot cope with that of Covent-Garden . They have Messrs . Bannister , Suett , King , and R . Palmer ; Mesdames Pope , De CariipV Biggs , Goodall , Mellon , Stuart , and Wajcott ; but they have lost Parsons , Baddeley , Moody , Pgdd , Palmer , and Miss Fallen , without a single reinforcement to compensate . Covent-Garden

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