1826.J 



Monthly Theatrical Review. 



307 



one of the reasons Iioing (as the rumour 

 goes), tliat tlie nainef^iven by tlie author to 

 his liero happens to l)e borne by a certiiin 

 noble family in France. Whatever may 

 have been the causes wliich occasioned the 

 i • censor's doubts, the manager, much to his 

 credit, has contrived to remove or overcome 

 them, and the play lias been |)crforinc(l. 



It is French all over — French in its cha- 

 racters — French in the larji^e proi>ortion 

 which dialogue bears to incident — French 

 in the length of some of the speeches, and 

 in the minute descriptions which they give 

 of the speaker's feelings — and French, too, 

 in a very anxious regard to the unity of 

 l)lace, and in certain little awkwardnesses 

 which thisdeference to French rules usually 

 gives rise to. It has been rather hardly 

 dealt with by the critics ; and yet, notwitli- 

 standing some obvious blcuiisiies, wc do not 

 hesitate to say, that it is a drama of very 

 considerable power. The tribunal to which 

 I managers and authors look most anxiously, 

 I has jjronounced favourably on its merits, 

 for it has brought, during "a pretty fair 

 run," which still continues, a succession of 

 crowded houses. 



The plot may be shortly told. The Duke 

 lie Rouyemont (called, originally, it is said, 

 the Duke de Riche'ieuJ, combining two 

 characters which not unfrequently keep 

 company in France, those of an intriguer 

 in love and an intriguer in politics,— suc- 

 ceeds in winning the alfeccions of tlie 

 youthfid wife of Dorival, a Pari.-ian citizen 

 rather beyond her in years. But, though 

 Madame Dori\al is captivated by the graces 

 of the Duke (who first makes his approaches 

 in the character of Lamutte, his own ser- 

 vant), her virtue is proof against all his 

 arts; and he at length employs violence to 

 gratify his infamous passion. Hence arise 

 the sufferings of this wretched lady, upon 

 whose fate and misfortunes the interest of 

 the play chiefly turns. She fears to disclose 

 to her husband the som'ce of an anguish 

 that rapidly undermines her health ; the 

 Duke, having been absent on a military 

 exi)edition, returns and renews his perse- 

 cutions ; he manages, by the agency of his 

 valet and pander, the real Lamotte, to have 

 her conveyed to his palace— from which, 

 however, she escapes : he follows her to 

 her husband's house, where she appears to 

 him sinking under accumulated distresses ; 

 and the Libertine is at last brought to a 

 dreadfid sense of his crimes, by witnessing 

 the death of his victim. 



Tiie character of the Duke is boldly 



drawn : he is represented as a man of great 

 talents and accomplishments (of whicli, by 

 the way, he talks a little too largely), not 

 naturally quite destitute of feeling, but ren- 

 dered habitually reckless, and it would 

 appear rather sceptical of the miscliief he 

 occasions in the prosecution of his intrigues. 

 For the purpose of exliibiting these quali- 

 ties, the author employs a CounL-ss de 

 Henri/, enamoured of the Duke, whom she 

 vainly hopes to wheedle into matrimony ; 

 a certain cynical secretary to his Grace, 

 named Dubois, a very honest person, mucii 

 given to pithy moral speeches ; and a cox- 

 comb of a servant, the aforesaid Lamotte, 

 well-dressed, impertinent, and for the most 

 part rather vapid. Some of the dialogues 

 between the Duke and the Countess, and 

 the Duke and Dubois, are well executed; 

 and. if a little more strength had Iteen in- 

 fused into the part of the wretched IMadamc 

 Dorival, the play might have ranked pretty 

 high among modern dramas. As It is, the 

 part of the Duke gives considerable scope 

 for the actor's powers, and to Mr. C. Kein- 

 ble's performance of it, chiefly, must be 

 asciibed the popularity which the play ha.s 

 certainly gained. 



We must be excused for not saying much 

 of Nurah, or the Girl of Erin. So many 

 have already tried their hands at the plot, 

 that an author must be very inattentive to 

 the numerous afterpieces which are the 

 models of excellence in this department, 

 if he failed in an attempt to work with the 

 commonest and best known materials. A 

 female child (the fruit of a clandestine mar- 

 riage), lost or abandoned in consequence of 

 its grandpapa's cruelty, growing up in due 

 time to woman's estate — inspiring a cousin, 

 w hose relationship is unknown, with a vio- 

 lent passion — ultimately recognized by re- 

 lations of all degrees, and married to the 

 devoted cousin, — must surely be capable of 

 becoming the heroine of a very pathetical 

 and comical comedy in two acts, and be 

 well received upon the stage, even though 

 she did not appear in the person of Miss 

 Goward. 



The Oratorios (on Wednesdays and Fri- 

 days since Lent began) have been, as usual, 

 well got up at this theatre : a great part of 

 the vocal strength of the metropolis has been 

 collected. There have been some debuts, 

 and Miss Stephens, Miss Paton, Mr. Bra- 

 ham, and Mr. Phillips are among the old 

 favourites engaged. The \i'liole is undei 

 the direction of Sir George Smart. 



NEAV MUSIC. 



The Seauties of H Crociato in Egitto, 

 with English and lialinn Words, composed bi/ 

 Maycrhesr. \os. Willis and Co. — This 

 beautiful opera has already passed the or- 



deal of criticism triumphantly ; therefore 

 our notice will extend to little more than 

 the edition and translation. We perfectly 

 coincide in the general opinion, as to the 

 2 R 2 



