The National Register.
London, England, 1815-12-03 00:00:00

773

TtlE NATIONAL PEGISTER.

DRAMATIC REGISTER,.

COVENT-(7A RDEN.

A new Farce called " Whats a Man of Fashion "1" was
yroduced on Monday last, and has since maintained ifs
around at this Theatre. If it not teem with wit, it
abounds with buqle and comic Situations, and therefore
answers the chief purpose of a thing. of this nature, amuse-
Trent. The extravagance of the plot is too great to require
that we should follow all its complicated windings. A
short sketch of the plot is all that is nect-,s,ary to give an
idea of the whole. Sent by Isis father (Old Project). to di-
rect a country Bank, a young spendthrift wastes inpleasore
the money destined to support the concern. Ash3nwd to
let his father know his situation, he obtains reli4 fromlfs
amcie, a good humoured old Admiral ; who after 110.44',
ut his youth at sea in defeating. tlre-en, tides of hi' cunt“.
fly, passes the evening.of his-life in el, ariu4 her fields from
foxes and other 'Mental foes. In order to raise his nephew
above his difficulties he procures him an introduction to a
young utnnarricd lady!with.a fortune of _1'30,000. and sup-
plit s him with the means of appearing. a man of •faShibn fatal
fortune, until he has secured the.hand of the- lady. • The
young many fully answt rs his uncle's wishes, throws open
his house, fills it with company ; and as such com'uct was
likely to occasion, he is immediately considered as one of
e greatest men in the country. Amidst the hosts of in-
tt rested frit nds who start up at once to court his patro-
wLe, is his own father, who requests an introduction to the
Nabob, ignorant that it was his son, and only claiming the
honour of lying his namesake. This incident leads to a
most ludic; ott situation, and complete expogure.; -The
rest of tea I.ieceis-reordered amusing by the efforts .41114 V
by the friends of the 'lady. to preveht 'her from throwing
herself and her fortune away on Young Project, but her
heart is on his side : and with her good will, and the skill
and agility of the old Admiral and his nephew, who leap
out of, and i:et in at, windows, to putih force a marriage
licence, the Ydne of which expires at twelve o'clock ; love
is at last triumphant, and fortune becomes its rt ward:—

This hustling plot,carrivd into action and enlivened by the

comic powers of Fawcett, J►►nes, Blanchard, a!td 11.11ss
Matthews, could not to please. The songs were much
applauded, though the music ditl nut display more than or-
dinary taste, and the. %hole obtain. d a must hearty recep..

tiOn.
()TWAY'S tragedy of the Orpkal was revived la..t night
in a mariner that re-called.anal equall«l the finest days of
theatrical excellence.- Miss O'Ntti. assumed of course,
the part of Monimia. .11.1 r. You-NG appeared in Chathont,
and the twobrothers Cast.. Lio and Po'sdcre were entrusted to
the rival abilities of Messrs. C. Kern:de and Con ,tay. Such
au arrangement in itself deserves the hi,ht st praise. It
brings forth at once thy whole strength of the company in
the most effective manner. To enter at, the late hour at
which the phry ended, into a detaled examination of Miss
O'Neil's excellencies in this new chr.racter, as it could.not
be done on a sufficiently extended scale, would he only
committing an act of injustice. She displayed her usual
command over the passions in all its encr.q. The softness

of love; the dignity of a noble heart insulted by the expres-
sion of an unworthy passion, the melting effusions of woe,
the horror when Monimia learns the invulua-
tary crime she has committed, aid the settled and almost
silt nt despair which follows when she tears herself from all
that she loved on earth, were aievcr expressed with more

DEC.

truth and sensibility than by Miss O'Neil, last night. The
loud applause which attended her pkidurniance Was but a
weak testimony of whit wHs feltbylvcrowded audience.
Mr. Young rose in the part of Clunsant to a still higher
degree of eXcellerice than any he had. hitherto attained. In
the scene in which he reproaches father with the
injury done to his sister, he equalled, if he did net. excel,
in dignity, force and nature, any_perforipance we have ever
witnessed on tin stage. The
.redouble 4 peals of applause
and shouts of bravo which crowned Lis efforts, however
abundant, were-only justice done ,to his merits by a dis.
cerning public. ',Messrs. C.Alemble
.audi Conway also gave
great effect to their respective parts, and-the whole yielded-
so great,. and such universal satisfaCtion, that the tragedy
will by repeated neat Tuesday, and will probably continue
isir a considerable time, to occupy the etage.

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