The National Register.
London, England, 1819-02-21 00:00:00

COVENT GARDEN.

A new tragedy was onWelnesday week pranced at
this Theatre, under the title of Evader, or, the Statue-
The plot is as follows :
Ludorico (Mr. Macready), Chief Minister and fa-
vourite of a of Naples (Mr. Abbott), conceives
the design of destroying his master's life, and raising
himself to the throne. With this view he begins by
racking in the King a guilty passion for fralic Miss
()'Neill), sister of Colima (Mr. Young), a Nobleman
of Naples ; and engages hit promise that the brother
hmself shall consent to the sister's shame. The trai-
tor himself has no intention of sacrificing &ado!,
'whom he secretly loves, to the king; but sets tre
plot in movement to destroy the King, by Cothaa's hand.
It is further necessary that, to obtain Evadne, her
lover, Vincentio (Mr. C. Kenthle), should be disposed
of, by marriage, to Olivia (Mrs. Faucit), 4dovico's
ktnswoman, who loves him. lincentio is recalled from
threign emba.ssay ; and, upon his return, is told by
La hive° that Et;arbre was 615 e, aid had become the
taistrets of the Ke'n.T. l'inecntio is persuaded to be- '
sieve his mistress thit'hless, on the evidence of a letter
wriuen by Evadne, containing the most passionate
avowal of tenderness, really intended for Vineentio
but, by the change of name, contrived by Ludovico
to appear addressed to the King. Vincentio meets I
&ruble ; reproaches her with her falsehood ; iv half
persuaded by her protestations of her innocence ;
asks, as the last moans of removin„,, his suspi-
cions, that she should let him soe whether she still
wore round her neck this picture, whi'h he had given
aer at his departure. She is overjoyed ; produces the
i:;:ture, and gives it to him : it proves, lowever, to be
the picture of the King.. Vineentio now becomes to-
rums and inexarahle,. Colonna enters, insults, and
-..htdlenges Vinectitio, and they go out to fight. Olivia
r,mes in, and confesses to Evalne, that she had eon-
:r.ved the Em se letter, and sobstitoted the pi. lure of the
.!(ing for tints, of Vintxtitio round Evadne's neck, at the
.astgation of I.udovico, who engaged to reward her by
nr:ting Vincentio her husband. .Colonna and Viacentio
tight ; the latter is supoo,sail dead, and the sorrier con.:
fumed in a • dungeon. f.iolcwiro visits him, gives him
his freedom—telly him that the King do ounaed his
Tiger's shame, and his own nequieseenee, as the price
of his pardon—and perstiatles :tim, by arttuily working
°llhis feolings, to give a seeming consent ; to :nvite
the King to his Palace, and at the montcnt when he
expects the • brother's base sacrifice of the shi'rr's ho•
nour, to murder hiM. The King is invited and teat.
ed by Colons The'hour of rest approaches, and
.he King retires to his chamber. Colouna enters an
adjoining apartment, and proceeds to the doer of that
-n which he was waiting the coming of Evadne. He
4n6henths the dagger, and is about to open the door
when he hears a voice. It is Evadtie—+he knew
Purpose, and persuades him to Jet her meet the

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

King. He consents ; but, suspecting her weakness,
conceals himself so as to overhear what passes. The
King enters, and fiats Evadne--she evades his disho-
nourable propositions, by calling his attention, with
mysterious and solemn pathos, to the statues of her fa-
mily, which stood in the chamber. At length she
comes to one statue, ani asks the King Wile knew it.
t was her father's, who had been the King's tutor,
and did by a strike aimed at the King in battle. She
embraces the statue, and invokes the spirit of her father.
The King is moved, abandons his base wishes—Co/ow:a
comes forth, embraces his sitcor, and is reconciled to the
King. Ludovico is approachim, —Colonna places the
King behind the statues, and Cvnine retires. Ludovico
enters, and is told by Colonna that the King is dead.
II is joy and ambition burst forth' tumultuously. He
tells Colonna he shall die the death of a murderer, and
orders his guards to advance and seize him ; when sud.
denly the King appears before him ; Ludovico is con-
thunded—recovers himself—and tries the success of hy-
pocrisy. Ho is spurned by the K g—is roused to the
vengeance of despair, makes an attempt to kill the King,
and is himself killed by Colmina, and the Play concludes.
The seene is at Naples ; and the time, without any ex-
press historic fact in the text, appears to have been
about the 16th century, from the tone of character and
sentiment of the Piece.

Such are the materials which constitute this bantling
of the Poet's fancy. The author is, we unders'and Mr.
Shell, a Gentleman of the sister kingdom, well known
in the theatrical world as the author of the .•Ipostale,
Be!bemire!, and some other pieces. The production of
last night, like every former production of this author,
abounds is situations of of horror : his style is lofty, ant:
ab.)uads in imagery, studied comparisons, and similie►
His allusions to the person and charms of his heroine
are, in more than one instance, too glowing and warns
to be consistent with that delicacy which suits the fe-
male part of the audience. In this, a••d in all the for-
mer productions of Mr. Shiel's pen, the scenes of horror
are worke.l up to such a pitch as to become painful in
the extreme to the audience. The reiterated acts of
diabolical villainy on the part of Ludovic.), and the ag-
gravatcd misery which they draw down on the heads
of his devoted victims, Ey:dee, her brother, and Lcr
lover, follow each other so rapidly that they leave no
point on which the attention of the a-idience can rest
a m:Enent or to relax and refresh tself.

The performers exerted themselves to the utmost for
their author. Of the acting of Miss O'Neill, Messrs,
Mac.ceavy and C. Ke- inble, too much cannot be
said. Mrs. Faucit. as Olivia and air. Abbott as tie
King, made as much of the characters, as the characters
themselves admitted of. The Prologue and Epilogue
contain some good paints ; and the la:ter, in particu-
lar, was well delivered by Mrs. Faucit. The House
was extremely full ; and the Piece was given out for
repetition to night, mast gem:rid approbation.
A new Farce, in one act, entitled Pllce-hunlers,
was produced on Friday week, and rather favourably
receive.l. The principal character, indeed the only
acne of any importance, .was given to Mr. Liston ; to
whose exertions, full as much as to any merit of its
own, the piece was indebted fer its success. The scene
lies in raft of the public offices, to which a Mr. Fortin-
bras I lopestock, a descendant of some Norway King,
• resorts, among other applicants, with his petition ; the
obiect.of which is to get a place under Government.
His expedients to obtain an audience create the chief
interest. Having succeeded in pact by taling up the
breakfast of the Secretary, he accomplishes the rest by
personating an old man, who had previously talked
himself' to sleep, and who was to be admitted to an
audience. Hopesaock makes free with his • wig and
cloak, is introduced into the presence of the great men
to Is boat he presents what he suppcncs to he his own
petition. It turns out, however, to be the petition of
a young clerk in the ofEce, a very trifling personage,
and (pate unworthy of the powers of Mr. Abbot, to
whom it was assigned. The petition succeeds ; but poor
Hopestock soon discovers his error, and is disapp,intecl.
A Mrs. Oroonoko is also introduced, bat with so little
pretensions to effect, that Mrs. Davenport could ituike
nothing of the character. The whole thing was evident..
ly intended for Liston alone ; but even all his exertions
were insufficient to save Cie piece.. The tea3ult and
dimpprobation grew so loud ut its terrninatio.n.. that .
the announcement for repetition could not be heard.—.
The Farce, howcver, in the bills o£
.!.,:aturday was an-
nounced as completely soccessfal ; and porfcrined, or
attempted to be performed, n seam .1 time on Saturday
night. The hissiug.commetteed with the sceoad act;
the players walked through their respectire pacts : but
scarceley a wordof the dial'gnc nulled the eurs of the
audience ; and when the curtain fell, an eti,:e.:.t tle-
tem:nation appeared to crush the piece, tied extinguish
the hopes of the author. At least half the company
kept their places ; the tumult grew ouiversal; and the
Manager was culled for to rece-ve the sentence of. the
house. After a few minutes, Mr. Abbot came forts ard,
and hariog with difficulty procured attention, begged
most repecifillly to annoirnee, that the Farce, on the
first nie;!at. had been completely successful. This as-.
section was jeually. contradicted (we cannot, intked,
1.,;;t feel a.;rrtisci that it should have been tu.olc),. anti

61

tha call for the Manager became every moment louder
and more impetuous. Mr. Abbot then explained, that
the Manager, relying on the success of the piece, had
left the house; but that he could venture to assure the'
company, if their objections were insurnsountable, that
the proprietors, whose most anxious wkh, as well as
interest, it was to bow to the opinion of the roblie,
would withdraw it. This declaration satisfied the mal-
contents, and all separated peaceably. It has since
been modelled anew, and was on Tuesday brought
forward as an interlude, under the title of How to get
Place. The principal alteration consists in taking out
the character played by Miss Beaumont, in shortening
the second and last scenes, and in snaking Liston sus-
cesZul in his object. In this form the piece passed off
without opposition, but does not appear likely to Lewin,
a lasting attraction.