THEATRICALS—FA \V( :Im'S FAREWELL.
COVENT GARDEN had a leave-taking on Thursday night ; bluff JACK FAWCETT has retired. Mr. FAWCETT has been long, and not undeservedly, a favourite with the public. As a stage ma- nager, his abilities \yore doubtful, but as an actor lie had unques- tionable merit ; yet for all the crowding round and clapping of the old man on the back, we believe that there was little anxiety on any side to delay his departure. There is a mighty store of twaddle in all these cases. Though FAWCETT was sixty-two, he was a hale, hearty fellow, and might have gone on without difficulty for half a dozen of seasons more. We do not know that we should find fault with him for the bad taste of his farewell speech. The blame of these things rests with the friend who supplies them. The rhetorical flourishes about trials and juries, and summoning of witnesses, were excessively cold and commonplace ; and the appeal to the audience about his private character was eminently ridiculous. The allusion to the parts which he had successfully played was vilely made, but the vanity of it was pardonable enough. FAWCETT, of whom we may now speak as of one de- parted, was never a great actor—there was little mind in his per- formances ; but he was always up to his part, if lie was not above it : he never ran before his author, but lie seldom lagged behind him. He was a mannerist, and not of the best school. There was no illusion in his playing ; whatever mask he wore, the fea- tures of JACK FAWCETT were seen distinctly peeping from behind it. Yet a man who does most things well, and some things ex- cellently, is no every-day commodity ; and, looking to the decline in the public taste for theatrical amusements, and the consequent decline of encouragement to performers, we cannot expect to see the blank that FAWCETT'S removal has left, very speedily filled up. The chronicle hopes " that Miss KEMBLE will, in her approach- ing tour through the provinces, find somebody worthy of her talents, and be the means of transplanting him to the metropolis." Our contemporary is facetious with Miss KEMBLE. If she do transplant a hero from the provinces, we hope she will, for her own sake, select one who can act a young man's part.
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