Cymbeline - eTheses Repository - University of Birmingham

"failed to come across"; the performance seems to have
had little attraction save for the admirers of Miss Poote.
On May 23, 1828, Macready appeared once again as
Posthumus, with Cooper as lachiino, and Miss Poote as
Imogen. This was "Mr. Macready's Night and his Last
Appearance this Season" but, as before, the performance
vras overshadowed by the proximity of another, more important
production of the play. In 1823 Kean and Young had
played Posthumus and lachimo, and in 1827 (with one performance
in 1828, on June 12) Charles "edible had appeared
as Posthumus with Young's lachimo. These two productions
appear to have established themselves as the account of
the play for the twenties. 1 ^
In 1833, Macready again essayed Posthumus, with Cooper
as lachimo, and Ellen Tree as Imogen. (Miss Tree had
played the part in 1826 with Cooper and Bennett as Posthumus
and lachimo) Macready wrote in his diary:
Lay late in bed, thinking over characters;
and busied myself in chambers during the
short interval before rehearsal. Attended
a verj tedious rehearsal of Cymbeline in the
course of v.-hich I went over to the Garrick
olub to dine and read the papers, l\rs. Sloman
seems a complete failure, and certainly she
communicates no pleasure to me in her acting -
not one tone or look of truth have I yet witnessed
from her. Our rehearsals are more like
country ones then those of a patent theatre.
Acted part ox' Pesthumun with freedom, energy
and truth, but there must have been observable
an absence of all finish. 1 5
This performance was advertised c,s Hiss Tree's "Second
Appearance at this Theatre these Five Years''.
83,