2-888-558 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Scene from the New Play of "The Templar", at the Princess' Theatre, [London], 1850. 'Mr. Kean, with unwonted generosity, resigned the part of the hero to Mr. Belton, a young and rising actor; assuming to himself a second role...Such noble conduct as this will ensure the success of the theatre, as well as of the dramas entrusted to its stage. Mr. Kean's acting in La Marche was indeed powerful and natural...Mrs. Kean, in Isoline, moreover, was an exceedingly picturesque representation of the pure-minded and innocent maiden, with a heart of nobleness and a soul capable of sublime devotion. The piece was throughout triumphant; not a single scene, we may say, not a single speech flagged from the first to the fifth act...The house was crowded; and Mr. and Mrs. Kean, with the author, were summoned to receive the well-deserved honours of the evening.' From "Illustrated London News", 1850.