The Sun.
London, England, 1865-08-31 00:00:00

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Haymarket Theatre.

The production of a new and original five-act
tragedy is not a matter nowadays to be passed
over without attention ; accordingly last night a
very crowded audience assembled to witness the
first representation of " Fra Angelo," by Mr. W.
C. Russell (a son of ➢Zr. Henry Russell, the musical
composer.) We may as well at once say that the
tragedy is, like most of the modern productions,
faulty to a degree—it is devoid of interest, slow of
action, intensely disagreeable, and full of common-
place similes. The plot is related we presume by
the author, as we extract the following " argument"
from the play-bill :

The drama opens with an interview between the Duke
de Cerreto and his son Lorenzo. The duke, proud of a
name venerable for its antiquity and renowned for its
splendour, is anxious to see these honours perpetuated in
his son ; and therefore discloses to him this secret of his
heart, at the same time commending to his notice, as one
by birth and position eminently adapted for the furtherance
of these views, Leonora, the only daughter of the Mar-
quis de Volgenza. This hint, however, is received with
every token of dissent by Lorenzo, who, after pointing
out to his father the defects in the character of Volgenza,
declares himself to be already in love.
Fra Angelo, an elder brother of the Marquis, a hunch-
back, has been debarred from enjoying the rights of his
seniority by a capricious and strange law of his ancestry,
which forbids all offspring

Deform'd, unfinish'd, sent before their time
Into this breathing world, scarce half made up,
from representing the house of Volgenza, unless an only
child. Infuriated at the loss of his birthright, and mad-
dened at the lasting horror of his misfortunes, he meditates
endless crimes against mankind, that by wreaking his ven-
geance on those who are innocent he may assuage the burn-
ing passions of his soul. The better to achieve his demo-
hiacal purposes, he masks his feelings beneath a religious
aspect, a character so well assumed that he is universally
recognised as a good and pious man ; he is treated with all
the respect due to virtue, and, in the spirit of the times, he
receives the pruenomen of Fra, by which title to both high
and low he is generally known.
Leonora, whose love for Lorenzo, although unrequited,
has grown with her growth and increased with her
years, is acquainted by Fra Angelo of the desire expressed
by the Duke of seeing her united to his son ; but he adds that
Lorenzo has no love for her; that his affection is entirely
bestowed upon another; and subsequently proves to her
the truth of his story by showing her the spot where they
meet. Shortly after Marina and Lorenzo enter, and, hidden
from their view, Leonora hears him swear that Marina
alone possesses his love.
By a series of progressive exertions Fra Angelo first per-
suades the Marquis to sanction the murder of Marina, and
then succeeds in inducing Leonora to acquiesce in the
same terrible appro7al. But the agony of remorse over-
powering the determination of love, Leonora hurriedly writes
to Lorenzo, acquaints him of the scheme aimed against
Marina's life, and bids him haste to her rescue ere it be too
late. Saved by the timely entrance of her beloved, Marina
watches with horror the dying agonies of the wretch when
the potion he has prepared for another he is compelled to
swallow himself. The Marquis, impatiently waiting for
the return of Fra Angelo, is terrified at the sudden entry
of the Duke, Lorenzo, and Marina. Seeing that all is lost,
with a sarcastic allusion to the vicissitudes of life, he is
about to stab himself, when his arm is arrested by Lo-
renzo, and at the same time Leonora enters, pale and dying
from the effects of a poison she has taken, resolved rather
to perish than to submit to the humiliation of being pitied
by the world and hated by herself. Her death, the sorrow
of her surrounding friends, and the mental agony of the
repentant marquis terminate the drama.
It will at once be seen that the horrible element
predominates, and that the moral sought to be in-
culcated is, that those deformed in body must be
treacherous, detestable, and irretrievably bad.
With all respect for the author, and giving him the
full benefit of dramatic licence, we must be allowed
to differ with him. The character of Fra Angelo
is a monstrosity—in fact (he must pardon us for
saying it) an utter absurdity—such an one that only
the fertile brain of Mr. Russell could conjure up.
Then, with respect to the " sensation" portions of
the tragedy, they also went beyond " the modesty
of nature," and that which the author intended to
be tremendously effective merely proved a pro-
vocative to mirth. Not only did " the unskilful
laugh," but the whole audience joined in an
irrepressible titter when the lady Leonora, the
daughter of the Marquis de Volgenza, went
plump down upon her knees before Lorenzo, and,
point blank, asked him to love her Then, again,
another incident that caused much merriment was
the great scene of the tragedy, in which Fra Angelo
is about to administer poison to Marina. Here the
lady's lover, Lorenzo, rushes in, seizes the diabolical
Fra, and, just as a determined parent administers
brimstone and treacle to a troublesome child, so
does he force the deadly potion down the throat of
Angelo, who, of course, kicks and splutters, but to
no purpose, as all that is left him to do is to take
the dose and die. The audience laughed outright,
and certainly there was just cause for their hilarity.
As far as the acting was concerned, Mr. Mont-
gomery made the most of the very conventional part
of Lorenzo, while Miss Katharine Rodgers, as Leo-
nora, although slightly imitatingthe statuesque style
of Miss Bateman, threw considerable force and pas-
sion into the character. It was her first appearance
in London, but the part was not one calculated
to enable her to do full justice to her
abilities. She has a fine expressive face, a
graceful bearing, and an agreeable voice,
and doubtless she will be an acquisition to the
metropolitan stage. Miss Louisa Moore enacted
the part of Marina with much feeling, but Mrs.
Marston's Emilia was the most artistic impersona-
tion of the piece. Mr. Vollaire raged and ranted
throughout the part of Fra Angelo in the most ap-
proved Victoria style, and Mr. Fernandez was as stiff
and as awkward as could be desired as the cowardly,
cool, and revengeful Marquis.
The tragedy has been mounted with the utmost
care. The scenery and appointments were really
beautiful, and we can only regret that they had not
to illustrate a more successful play.
It is but just to say there was considerable
applause at the termination of the play, and that
the principal performers were called before the
curtain, the ladies being honoured with a shower of
bouquets.

On Saturday week, we believe, Mr. Montgomery's
season terminates, but before the time we are pro-
mised a new historical play by Mr. M. F. Tupper,
entitled " Alfred the Great," which we honestly
and heartily wish may prove more successful than
Fra Angelo."