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THEATRICAL RETROSPECT ror FEBRUARY, 1800, 

NEW mufical after-piece, entitled 
Of Age To-morrow, was performed 
on the aft of this month, at Drury-lane 
Theatre. It is taken from a comedy in 
three acts, by Kotzebue, entitled, Der 
Wildfang. The fubjeét has been often 
handled on the ftage. It confifts of the 
difguifes and tricks of a lover to get into 
the prefence of his miftrefs. Notwith- 
ftanding this defect, the piece is far from 
creating difguft in the fpeétator. The bu- 
finefs is airy, and rapid in its movements ; 
and the characters humorous, though with- 
out novelty. The acting in this piece de- 
ferves tobe feen. Mifs de Camp, inthe part 
of a lady’s maid, is uncommonly gay and 
fpirited ; Mr. Bannifter, jun. in the cha- 
racter of the lover; Mr. Wewitzer, in 
that of an old maimed foldier ; and Mr. 
Suet, as a fportfman, are all excellent. 
The mufic, compofed by Mr. Kelly, is 
peculiarly pleafine. This afterzpiece is 
a favourite with the public ; and really 
has more pretenfions to favour than moft 
of the recent productions of the fame 
kind. | 
The comedy, written by Mr. Moreton, 
entitled Speed the Plough, was performed, 
for the firft time, on the 8th of this month, 
at Covent Garden Theatre. This play 
is conftruéted on the German model ; but, 
in offending by the blemifhes of the Ger- 
man dramatic writers, itdoes not compen- 
fate with the excellencies of Kotzebue, 
and one or two more of thofe writers. 
Kotzebue, who feems to have occafioned a 
{fpecies of revolutionon our ftage, abounds 
with affecting incidents and delightful ex- 
preflions of paffion; but with thofe beau- 
ties which are of the higher order, ‘he falls 
infinitely fhort of the tafte and refinement 
of the moft polifhed of our dramatic wri- 
ters. His beft pieces are disfigured with 
the defects of an art in its infancy: he is 
often extravagant, irregular, and uncouth. 
If he begets delight or aftonifhment by 
fomething beautiful or gigantic, in the 
fame work he difgufts with fomething de- 
fpicable for its infignificance, or ridiculous 
. for its want of propriety. If the Englith 
ftage was growing dull, it was not amifs 
to go to Germany for paffion, and its con- 
fequent force. But there was no neceffity, in 
the nature of the traffic, to bring from 
Germany the abfurdities of a ftage—-com- 
paratively barbarous. 
Speed the Plough is partly comic and 
partly ferious. One of the characters fup~ 
pofes himfelf to be the murderer of his 
brother.——What is to be faid of fuch a 
circumftance in a comedy ? or a play; for 
the writer may be allowed the benefit of 
that name? The fuppofed murderer ftalke 
about with a phrenzy that may very well 
fiand for a burlefque on fuch fort of com- 
pofition. ‘The fcenes here alluded to are 
capable enough of pleafing the vulgar. 
They fympathize with the appearance of 
forrow or anguifh, however inartificially 
the tale is told. They are like a favage 
who, for the firft time fees a ftatue, and 
who would be delighted with the work of 
the moft clumfy carver in wood.. But it 
is the bufinefs of the {tage to improve the 
talte of every part of the audience. The 
actual employment of the writers, who 
run to Germany for their models, is ftili 
further to corrupt and injure the feeling 
and judgment of the multitude; nor is 1% 
true, that they are obliged to lower them- 
felves to the level of their audiences: there 
is this important diftinction to be made,—= 
the moft ignorant are quick in perceiving 
faithful and ftrong exhibitions of nature ; 
in the worft picture there is a refemblance 
of the original, and it is the refemblance 
the populace admire ; the ignorance theree 
fore that prevents the difcovery of faul's, 
is not fuch as to exclude the {pectator from 
feeling part at leafl of the charms of maf- 
terly imitation. Let thofe who queftion 
the truth of this opinion’ refort to fact; 
let then watch an audience on the firft 
night of a piece; they will find, that in’ — 
all paflages remarkable for the truth of 
their delineation, applaufe as often {prings 
from the gallery as any part of the houfe, 
But although Mr. Mereton’s play is 
faulty, and even monftrous, in the greater 
part of the ferious incidents ; it has many 
beauties both of chara€ter and fituation. 
The whole character of farmer A/hjield is 
delightfully drawn: it has the two quali- 
ties, dificult to combine, fof vigour and: 
chaftenefs. The part of Henry, though in 
another ftyle, has the fame excellencies. 
The fituation of the Farmer, when his» 
landlord requires him to turn FHegry out - 
of his houf:, Henry the object of his pro- 
tection and love, is exquifitely beautiful, 
and is even, perhaps, without defect. 
There are other beauiies in the piece 3 but 
they are, for the moft part, either faint, 
orare copiesof other works.~—Indeed the 
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