The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-08-20 00:00:00

ENGLISH OPERA MIVSE.

A new musical drania, esititicd, Thi Brown. Man,
1, . lot night performed. The principal charm.
to, were thus filled :
sseaor Bernardo, aims litorr:t.rala Mr. DOW_
W.
signor Franevat Mr. Itowaoskii.
Patti
opeds Mr T. P. Coal.
Shying/hi
Sonora Mira Miss Otos*.
• Ciiriir ......
From the title of this piece we had expecteat at
mere transcript of The Green ibion—sa tangle tffis.
which has, for two venous, amused the
con,
crowded audience, of the Haymarket Theatre.
But we were almost completely mistaken. It is
true that the Brown Man, the hero of the new
tirama, is very authoritative, sod is also the steer
relative of one of the most elevated ittilividusls
amongst the drastasis personal. In these two
points alone the sew drama resembles the old
th . 1
The former is altogether comic, the latter,
wi
Lute exception, deeply serious. The Brown Man
la brother to fraticosi, the possessor of r large estate
in Italy. At an early period he has been obliged
to leave his native country, and, in the course of
tiorty years, he has amassed • Isrge fortune. During
1114 period. he married a endow, who, by her
previous union, had a son, named thiturfredi--
13 pruretnnots, a alio, in perforinstice. a very
.diner. With him the Brown Man, who is so demo-
ani..ated, front his attire. being formed altogether
of brown cloth, arrives on the estates of his fathers.
He fiords his brother. Froneeni, steeply in debt,
and he negoristes with him, under the assumed
ichsracter of Bernardi,. for the sale all his ro-
perty. His offers are accepted—heof becomesp the
purchaser of the estate. Clara, the daughter of
frumeorti, is the object of Alarrfreties desire. She has,
Jour; before, been betrothed to Lead. a young and
gallant officer, the nephew of Frassioni. who time.
tioned their mutual mission. Bat the debts of fruit.
un:i. incurred by becoming bail for a builders friend,
lire too large to be defrayed, even by the purchase-
money of his estate; and. as the only mean by
si..cla ruin call be averted. he resolves to give the
hand of Clara to Manfredi. The Brown Aka gets
mess slop of a letter, addressed by Clara to Lanai,
sti which she bids him an eternal 'Amu, and ex-
p • her determilialisu to bow implicitly to the
mandrte of her father. The Brown Was, who
bads long beets convinced of the hypocrisy and
villainy of Manfredi, commands him to think
no more of Clara. The disappointed Manfredi
tirtermilies, in consequence, to murder him whom
Ise should have reverenced as a father. He en-
r..ntn, erg Leop,i, after the Brawn Mars has di.
t evieil hits to give up all thoughts of Clara, mid
receives a challenge from the young officer, who
pr,sents him with a case of pistol., loaded only
with powder. Leiria hands him s brace of balls.
directing hint to idiom them its their proper sites-
lino, sod then to choose which pistol he pleases.
Minifrede refuses the offer—returns the pistols, but
rr tines the balls. A shooting match has been pro-
iaohefi Isi honour of the retuets of Leoni—the Brown
Maii is to be of the party—and Manfredi artier-
wines, in the course of the day, to eveassimite him—
for which purpose he loath his piece with one of the
bullets he hail received-float Leone iss the 'looming.
44iNtipitsits the brown Mon to Wont him with
paper fat wadding. and, for that purpose, he receives
a pros of the lore-letter which had discovered to
thet smarting philanthrtipst the affect. of Leoni
roof Chow. The shooting match proceeds—but ine-
fortuoinely in the courier of the sptrt, Ffsuicolli falls
into a pond—anti, on being rescued from his peri.
lima aiteation, he putt on a suit of the Brown
Nata's clothes. Manfiedi mistakes him for his
step-tather, fires at. and wounds him. All is con-
fusion. Manfredi and the Breaux Mars are arrested
a. the ;simmers such perpetrators of the deed.
Tory are, however, both suffered to go at large,
en their parole. The Brows Mon, who rightly
divines that the shot was intended for him, elicit,
from his vile relation a tacit confession of hats guilt.
lle presto's him wills a casket, and desires him to
fly, in order to avoid the punishment which his
crime nterite. Manfredi opens the casket. and
mitred of a quantity of diamonds, finds a bolded
polo!, and a written paper—the latter directing
Imo to commit suicide, in order to escape
the mania. He is about to destroy himself—
when i.eurti appears—states that the wound of
In. uveir hits been probed, that the hall extracted
wis similar to those with which he had that morn.
Ina presented hint, and calls on hint to produce
them. One only can he found ! But the de-
ci,ive proof of his guilt is the wadding' of the
foating-niece. which, on being examined, proves
to be a pert of the letter handed to him by
the Brown Max! His guilt is evident—but
LeJni generously determines not to punish! his
writ.nny. aim and Leoni are of course united.
Tfwie is a greet deal of incident in this drama—
in the dialogue there are molly well-turned points
—aqui, iii the mantigentent of the denouement, much
ingenuity is displayed.. It it ouly necessary to
re-model-one or two scener, towards the end of
the J..,iece, to render it a great favourite. The
advice of the Brown Mast to his near relative
to commit suicide—although not at variance
with the supposed feelings of the character—was
decidedly at issue with the real feelings of the au-
thence, and excited almost tin the disapprobution
which was heard during the eve .. i.. g. There sv
tio necessity to retain the few passages which
touch on that subject. The examiusitost scene
may also be amended. The person accused and
the Judge ought not, at least according to our
English notions, to sit together for the purpose of
discussing, in an amicable manner, the ciretim-
stioces of an assassination. To the performers
every praise is due. Mr. DoWToS, in the ac.
eipatiutt scene, evinced great powers, as a se.
nous actor. Mr. WRENCH wall a lively officer.
Alr. flaasest, as usual, a very merry domestic.
Alms Cram, or Chsruoang extremely well. Her
hest ap, ill the rotufeas' style, which was itseeted,
.he executed admirably. Miss KELLY was a very
lively and sa very musical waiting-woman.
The new music, by Mr. BEETS, is entitled' to

Hraur,

114
rho

---
A good deal of opposition was manifested. when
Mr. Down)* announced the piece for repetition—
hut, with a very little alteration, we think it will
have s considerable run.