Event Comment: Tragedy never acted. By
James Thomson. Characters
New Dress'd. But as it is ra
ther more fashionable to run mad about Mr Thomsons's play, I will change my
theme and talk to you of Tancred. I want much to know how you like it, at this distance I would lay any wager you do not like it so well as your sister does, who certainly cannot be your sister and not have been to see it long ago. Everybody agrees that no play was ever so much improved in acting, at least since
the Booths and
Bettertons. That first scene expecially, where
Siffredi discovers to
Tancred who he is, pleased me almost beyond anything I ever saw, indeed even before I saw it, that scene was my favourite. But what do you think of
the story, and what of
the style?-
A Series of Letters between Mrs Elizabeth Carter and Miss Catherine Talbot, I, 60 (dated strangely 2 March). [On 26 April,
the Daily Post published a letter by
Bellario on
Tancred and Sigismunda, discussing
the kind of support it received]: A very remarkable
new Lord of the Treasury was proud of appearing its Foster Fa
ther, and attended at
the public rehearsals;
the first night of
the performance this celebrated person and his friends in
the Box with him (all very lately most flaming Patriots) were seen clapping
their hands at
the following remarkable speech: First of You All...To Quit Mistakes. [
The letter also discussed political aspects of
the play,
then
the poetry of
the lines.
The author heard that three hundred lines were cut out after
the first performance, and was of opinion that double that amount would have been beneficial.
Performances
Mainpiece Title: Tancred And Sigismunda