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[Act II. Recruiting Officer. Sc.1.]
[Taylor ad viv del. Publishd Sept 2d. 1776 by T. Lowndes and Partners. Walker Sc.]
[Mr. Smith in the Character of Plume. What think you now of a Purse of French Gold out of a Monsieurs pocket, after you have dah'd out his Brains with the But-End of your Firelock? eh?]
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239.
[a very merry and excellent Swiss dance on stilts ten feet hight, which created a great deal of fun and laughter.
Master Sweet rode very well without saddle or bridle. Hunter was now confined principally to the tight-rope. "The Miller's Frolic" and [?] farces, in which Cowell often appeared, generally concluded the performances.
Mr. Kinloch, from Astley's, London, was director of the spectacle, and made his first appearance on the 4th of June. "The Secret Mine" was then brought out for the first time, the dresses having been brought.
On the 9th, "Meg Murnoch," an English piece, was brought out.
On the 19th was played for the first time "The Mysterious Stranger, or, The Revenge," a romantic drama.
Thus was Cowell and his circus establishment under full sail in the summer of 1827, when in June Simpson announced to Cowell, at this place, the arrival at New York of his agent, John Hallam, and his new corps from England, all in good health and condition, and safely lodged at Charley Irish's "Hotel Restaurant," in Park Row.
The importation consisited of the following persons: - Mr. Thomas Grierson, Mr. William Henry Smth, Mr. John Sefton, Mr. Michell, Mr. Wells, Mesdames Hallam, Michell, Lane and her talented young daughter, Miss Louisa Lane, Miss Rachel Stannard, Mrs. Michell, Mr. and Miss Wells, (brother and sister,) who were dancers.
Thus, before F.C. Wemyss (who sailed on the 20th of June) arrived at Liverpool in pursuit of similar novelties for Mr. Warren, Hallam returned with his recruits at the Walnut street house, and before the 4th of July his new levies were in active service and happy.
Cowell's native corps, recruited here, were C. Porter, John Greene, Meer, Lindsley, Blakely, and Kelly, (of "coal-black Rose" memory,) Geo. Hernizen, Roper, prompter, &c. The ladies were Mrs. Cowell, Mrs. Greene, Mrs. Roper, Mrs. Meer, Miss Grear and others.
Cowell presented thus a respectable array to begin a hot campaign with. It formed an excellent nucleus to illustrate and aid the starring system, then growing into favor.
It would have been a wise course in Warren & Wood had they retained the lease of the Walnut Circus after their Chesnut house had been rebuilt, for that old house was a nest egg, which hatched their downfall. They fell asleep over legitimacy.
The new people made their debuts in America as follows:
June 25th, Mr. Wm. Henry Smith, from Theatre Royal, Liverpool, as Jeremy Diddler.
June 26th, Mrs. Lane, (now Mrs. Kinloch,) from the theatres Royal, Brighton and Liverpool, as Margaretta, ("No Song No Supper,") with the song, "Is there a heart that never loved?"
June 27th, Miss Rachel Stannard, from the Theatres Royal, York and Lincoln, as Edmond, in "The Blind Boy;" Oberto, Mr. Michell, from Theatres Royal, York and Edinburg; Kulig, Mr. Jervis, from the Park Theatre, New York.
June 28th, Mr. John Sefton, form the Theatre Royal, Dublin, as Rolla.
June 30th, Mr. and Miss Wells, in the ballet, "Love in a Mist."
Amongst this importation by Cowell, (maugre the prophecies to the contrary, of "sage grave men,") there proved a great deal of individual talent. To quote Mr. Cowell's words thereon, "My lot of actors had never been heard of out of their own little circle, with the exception of my principal man, Grierson; Hallam prided himself on having secured the original Duke of Wellington, in 'The Battle of Waterloo,' at Stley's Amphitheatre." We should say that Grierson looked very unlike the "Iron Duke" in the face, at all events. This newly imported tragedian of the Astley school was full six feet two inches in stature, a round set of features, all small in proportion to his large bulk of figure, a face of rather a feminine cast, not tragic at all, but pleasing in expression, evincing good nature, which spirit of good humor was in him predominant. Grierson was courteously received, as a stranger, and passed, but of course he made no impression at all favorable. Mrs. Michell appeared on that night as Cora. The forte of Hallam's reinforcements was decidedly in comedy, and there they soon gained approbation.
Thomas Grierson was a very good-hearted and unassuming young man, cool and reflective in most things, except in being possessed by a furore for acting tragedy. Therein he discovered the usual weakness of stage professors. His tallness was ungainly, and, like most overgrown persons, he was awkward in posturing, in which he was ever redundant. He was very near-sighted, and on the very night of his first appearance made a very ludicrous mistake, that was near making a farce of the tragedy. Little Charley Lee was playing one of the Spanish officers; and in the scene where Alonzo's child is brought in and rescued by Rolla, in the animation and energy of his acting Grierson seized little Lee by the neck and shoulders, and when in the act of throwing him over his left shoulder, and slashingly using his sword-arm in defence, the soldier ran to him, "Here is the child, Mr. Grierson - you have got Lee instead!" The mistake was funny, and so obvious to the audience, that a general titter ran around the boxes. It would seem that Grierson suggested, at rehearsal in the morning, that the child should be placed as near him as possible, so that he could fully discern it, alleging his imperfect sight. In playing this same character in Reading, during the summer of 1828, he crossed the tree bridge (as it is usually set in "Pizarro") with the child in his arms, but the senery of siad stage being hung very low, Greirson's face was entirely hid by what is called the sky borders. This was too much for poor Tom's tragedy ambition, so he leaped down into the waters, wherein he stood knee-deep, and thus cut away the bridge with his sword, when he received with repeated shouts of applause, as a piece of new and effective business, when in fact, Greirson only jumped into the artificial waters from a desire that his face should be seen by the audience. Like all the English actors, he was accurate and diligent in attention to reahearsals and business. He had served under Mr. Manly, a provincial manager in England, of some repute. He was a native of Liverpool, and soon returned to England, where we have heard he inherited some property from his mother, which rendered him comfortable. he is since dead. He was a very clever, well-behaved gentleman.
Miss Rachel Stannard - "Sister Stannard," as she was familiarly called by her family - was a fine, healthy dash-a-way actress, with prominent features of a rosy hue. She was of a useful nature ready for the interesting juveniles, or the sentimental ladies of comedy, or the facetious soubrettes, and was au fait at a broad-sword hornpipe, or as the Coumrine, &c. She has long since retired fromt he profession, and resides in Kentucky, with her sister, Mrs. Michell, who played the old women in this company. Although Mrs. Michell aspired to the passions of the tragic muse, yet she had the good sense, when Cowell offered to double her salary to play the old women, to at once accept the terms, notwithstanding she had a handsome face. It was a line of business which she filled with credit, and one, from its being unprofitable to the actress, which is generally very hard to fill. There seems a repugnance to the line of antique dames by the ladies of the stage, until they get too old to play them with vigor. It may seem paradoxical, but it requires more strength to play old folks than the characters of the youthful role.
Mrs. Lane, subsequently Mrs. Kinloch, was a very neat and pretty looking actress, and of great utility in the general range of the business. She possessed very respectable vocal abilities. she made her debut with very warm approbation. She was, during the season, well received in Diana Veronon, in"Rob Roy, " and in characters on that operatic species was deemed a model representative, as not violating their truth and beauty of conception and modest execution. Mrs. Kinloch was recently attached to the Arch Street company but we learn, has retired from the stage, and resides with her daughter, Mrs. John Drew. We recollect with pleasure a very pretty little ballad, under the title of the "Indian Maid," which she used to sing when she first came out at the Walnut.
Mr. John Sefton - a name quite familiar in our more recent theatrical annals, he being the present stage manager of the Walnut Street Theatre - was at this time not more than twenty-one or twenty-two years of age - a very stripling in appearance. We recollect that he was very thin in figure. Like the rest of this sneered-at corps, he came to us without any renown. He made his debut without exciting much sensation, although it was clearly seen that Sefton possessed all the force of a peculiar vis comica. It was thought that he would only be good in "mere sketches of character." If we refer to his morceaux of character, we shall therein see much original manner to commend, and queer illustration to amuse and laugh at. His comic coloring richly portrays the biting sarcasm of racy caricature. Yet we may readily grant to this comedian the meed of excellence in broad farce and burlesque vaudeville of the French school. He is certainly au fait in the comic parts of melo-drama. In these he soon rose on the public altar of admiration as an established favorite. His talent is various; at least [?] may be applied to all the humors of Thalia, the songs of Erato, or the movements of Terpsichore. Sefton rose gradually in estimation by many skillful performances, viz: the Marquis, in the "Cabinet," and others. Mr. Cowell increased his salary from £2 10 to $20 per week. We remember well the merriment and pleasure derived from his really comic representation of Sergeant Drill. "Oh, yes!" all must remember this vivid sketch of the Sergeant - so quaint and droll in all points. It would seem that he lost sight of the more legitimate drama in the love of eccentric persona tion - a species of dramatic portrait which at this period was coming into popular favor. That Sefton's Jemmy Twitcher, in the "Golden Farmer," was a most unparalleled performance of low life -]