J8:>G.] 



Monthly Theatrical Reviexv. 



79 



schemes of Don Cesar, was full of spiritcit 

 banter ; and Mr. Farren made tlie most of 

 his wretched part — the blemish of the 

 piece — a silly, garrulous, amorous, scorned 

 old man, who, with his servant, endowed 

 with the most ravenous " pest of hunger " 

 we ever witnessed on the stage, will, we 

 trust, be banished from the drama they dis- 

 figiu'e, before its reappearance after the 

 holidays. 



Another piece in five acts, called " TVit- 

 Three Strangers," has been produced at 

 this theatre. It is called " a play " ui 

 tl>e bills, by which term, doubtless, is usu- 

 ally meant something neither tragedy nor 

 comedy, but like the ceiitaiu's of aucient 

 fable — a coin])ound of two things of most 

 opposite natures. The union in the pre- 

 sent case was not ha])py, though the drama 

 is a composition which displays no ordiuary 

 power. It is founded on the " German's 

 Tale," one of a collection of stories pub- 

 lished some years ago by the Misses Lee, 

 and the groundwork of Lord Byron's 

 dramatic poom of Werner. I'he plot dif- 

 fers little from that of the original tale, or 

 from Lord Cyron's version of it. Kruitz- 

 ner, son of the Count Seigen'lorf, whose un- 

 appeasable anger he has excited by a course 

 of disgraceful extravagance, and by a clan- 

 destine marriage, lias been for many years 

 an exile from the parental home. His 

 eldest son was given up at an early age to 

 the old Count, to be educated as his heir. 

 The play opens when Kruitzner (who lias 

 assumed that name to conceal his rank), 

 is sojourning, with his wife Josephine, in 

 great poverty, in the decayed wing of au 

 ancient palace, granted him as a temporar)' 

 residence by tlie intendant of a nobleman, 

 its owner. Kruitzner is aware that he is 

 pursued by the Baron Stralenlieint, a pow- 

 erful noble, wlio seeks to deprive him and 

 his son of their inheritance. A violent 

 storm has laid the whole country under 

 water, and three strangers arrive at the 

 village where the palace is situated in which 

 Kruitzner has obtained a temporary refuge. 

 One of the strangers is the Baron Stralen- 

 heini; the other two have just saved him 

 from drowning, and rescued a casket con- 

 taining some valuable property. One of 

 these last is a Hungarian ; the other is 

 donrad, Kruitzner's eldest son. Both are 

 unknown to the Baron, wlio however be- 

 comes apprized of the identity oi Kruitzner, 

 and despatches a messenger to Olmutz 

 for a military force to arrest him. The 

 messenger is compelled by the floods to re- 

 turn, and this alfords the intended victim 

 leisure to take measures for his immediate 

 flight. In the mean time Kruitzner, by an 

 accident, discovers a spring-door, and 

 moving along a secret passage, finds him- 

 self in a chamber where the Baron, alone, 

 is sleeping in a chair, with a large quantity 

 of gold, and the open despatclies containing 

 the order for Kruitzner's arrest, lying on a 

 table before liira. Kruitzner forbears to 



kill the Baron : but he seizes some rouleaux 

 of gold, to aid him in his escape from this 

 mortal foe. He retires, and in a subse- 

 quent scene meets his son, whom he re- 

 cognizes, and informs of their common 

 danger. Conrad apprizes him that the 

 fact of a theft having been committed has 

 trans])ired, and that suspicion has fallen on 

 the Himfrarian, who has disappeared, and 

 is pursued. Kruitzner, more in shame and 

 scorn than in compunction, confesses Lis 

 crime to his son, who leaves him, and soon 

 after returns introducing the Hungarian, 

 who obtains shelter in the apartments of 

 Kruitzner. He is put to sleep in a cham- 

 ber adjoining the secret passage. All is 

 ready for Kruitzner's escai)e, when Conrad 

 enters, informs hiui that the Baron has 

 been murdered, and urges his father to in- 

 stant flight, to avoid the effect of tlie sus- 

 picions that must immediately light on liim. 

 The Hungarian is sought for, but has de- 

 parted — no one can tell how or whither ; 

 and the fourth act closes with the flight of 

 Kruitzner and his wife. In the fifth act 

 Kruitzner appciirs as the Count Seiyendorf, 

 in the castle of his fathers, surrounded with 

 all the splendours of a feudiil noble. He 

 orders a solemn mass to be celebrated for 

 the repose of the Baron Stralenheim ,- is 

 horrified at finding, in the crowd that 

 throngs the chapel, the Hungarian, and 

 issues orders for his seizure. While he is 

 in converse with Conrad, urging the de- 

 livery of the Hungarian to justice as the 

 Baron's murderer, from which Conrad en- 

 deavours to dissuade him, the Hungarian 

 suddenly enters accompaiiie<I by a monk, 

 and charges Cairad with the murder. 

 After some high words, during which Con- 

 rad confesses his guilt and offers his sword 

 to the Hungarian — the curtain drops upon 

 tlic group. 



Such is the plot of this piece, which with 

 all its defects shews decided marks of ge- 

 nius. A want of incident, and a conclusion 

 unsatisfactory, even beyond the wonted 

 darkness of German fable, are its chief 

 defects ; and it must be added that there 

 is in the original story but little room for 

 diversity of character, though there is some 

 scope for strong and deep emotion The 

 part of Conrad is far from successful. He 

 wants the bold and decisive villany that in 

 the original tale, and in Lord Byron's Wer- 

 ner, atones in some sort for the unnatural 

 compound of qualities which make up his 

 unaccountable character. There is, how- 

 ever, one considerable improvement upon 

 Lord Byron's version ; the scene in the. 

 Baron's chamber is acted, not related ; and 

 it certiiinly presents a situation that cannot, 

 and that ought rot to be spared. The pas- 

 sage in which the father and son recognize 

 each other, when the former confesses to 

 the latter that he has stooped to the com- 

 mission of a theft, and the concluding scene, 

 in which Kruitzner discovers that he is the 

 tktlier of an assassin, tire wrought up with 



