The National Register.
London, England, 1812-02-09 00:00:00

FEW 9

A new play from the prolific pen of Mr. REYNOLDS, has been
produced at this Theatre, founded on the Incas of MARMON r xi., and
the Death of Rolla, by KoTzeaue. The play which Mr. REYNOLDS
has furnished from these sources, is called the Virgin of ths Sun. Its
subject is the adventures of Cora and Alonzo, preceding those which
ate given in the play of Pizarro. The whole plot may be given in
a few words: Cora, who Lad previously rejected Rolla, to dedicate
her days to the service of the Peruvian Deity, as a Virgin of the
Temple of the Sun, happens to see Alonzo, and falls in love with
him. He comes to her assistance at a moment, when the Temple of the
Sun, rent by the shock of an earthquake, and partly fallen, seems on the
eve of becoming nothing more than a mighty ruin-. She accepts of his.
protection, and is soon persuaded to become hie wife. In consequence of
this, not wily her own life, and the life of Alonzo are forfeited to the
laws of Peru, but also the lives of her father and brother. Alonzo and
Tel .1 SCO (her father) are sentenced to be burnt, and Cora to be buried
alive. The sentence is about to be carried into effect, when Rolla, who
had become the friend of Cora and of Alonzo, comes forward with
an armed force to save them from destruction, and succeeds in getting
the law which doomed them to death abolished.
This play has been said to be the best produced this season, and so
perhaps it is, but this, by the bye, is not saying a great deal in its favour.
1 must confess, that to me it appears more bearable 'in representation,
than any piece recently produced ; with the single exceigion of the
" White Cat." The splendour of the scenery, the pleasing effect of the
music, the great exertions of Mr. YOUNG and Miss SMITH, and the
vocal powers of Mr. SINCLAIR, make it pass off very well, and seem
likely to bestow on it a transient popularity.
But little of the praise it pine, hoWever, belongs of right to Mr.
REYNOLDS. The persons employed to light the lamps of the Theatre
on the nights of its performance, have almost as great a claim to the
plaudits which the representation of " The Virgin of the Sun" calls
forth, as it is possible for Mr. REYNOLDS rationally to advance. Strip
this drama of its music and scenery, and from the sum total of applause
bestowed, deduct that proportion, which is due to Messrs. MARMON TEL
and KOTZ SHOE, and Mr. REYNOLDS, I fancy, will have little reason to
be proud of that which falls to his share.
It is not, however, my wish- to deprive him of that which he really
has a right to take to himself. in several of the serious scenes he ac-
quitted himself in a tolerably creditable manner, and here some applause
wit due to him. Still, however, the general arrangement of the play is
bed. The comic scenes are very poor, and a want of interest is gene-
rally complained of in its progress. Of the songs I can hardly bring
myself to speak at all, as they are so eminently wretched, that bet to
mention them must be to wound the feelings of the Author's friends.
If I were at all the enemy of Mr. REY N 0 Los,-I would gratify my spleen
on the present occasion by quoting several songs from the Virgin of
the San. Without any feeling of this sort, I must, however,• say of
them that they are so silly, and so miserably pointless, that they seem
more like the incoherent strains of a lunatic, tharrthe sober productions
of a favourite dramatist. The following four lines may give some idea
of the general merits of the poetry—
" Banish now gloomy days,
Age rejoice as well as youth,
Cura's love let us praise,
Rolla's and inoiras truth."
There's sense !—here's harmony! one would almost imagine the Au-
thor was lost in a fig, when he made his characters propose to barlAi
gloomy days. What is such rhitne better, I would ask, than the dog-
grel used by children in their plays? such as--
" Dockery, dickery, dock,
A mouse ran up the clock,"
Or—" 0, U, T, spells out,
• With a black hand and a white snout."
The lines of Mr. REYNOLDS have almost as little meaning and
little conneelon as either of the couplets above Tiered. He appears to
have Ear down to write every song in his piece without knowing what
to write about, and without power to generate an idea worth embody
in; even in poetry like his.
In taking leave of this Play it would be illiberal not to observe that
the scenery of it is unprecedentedly splendid. The earthquake, in the
early part of the performance is finely managed; :Ind the dec...ratioie
throughout are executed with ability well correspont:tiiii; with the mac
lificence of the design. G.