The Sun.
London, England, 1813-08-20 00:00:00

CHAkACTEIM

.I‘lr. Gerrard
;Ur. Paris, 'or NlpnAieor Park. s
!\lr..taines Formul or Don .1")iogo
I I ippolita Formai's I)inntlitStr) ..... • Miss IsIBLLY•
Caution (nsrmars Sister)
Prue

This drama is avowedly an alteration, as we
have before stated, of llTYcitztii,Y's Comedy of
The; Gentlerna4 Danein- llcaster, Originally repre-
sented in 1673, at the Doke' (afterwards James
11,d) Theatre in Dorset Gardens.—lt was the
worst of WYCHEat.Y'sfour Comedies, not in point
of licentiousness, hat itt wit and humour. In-
deed .it is so much beneath the other works
of that vigorous but profligate writer, that it
,seeins to have bseen the production of necessity rit.
titer than of inclination. It has, however, sonic
diverting situations, though more suited to farce
than- legitimate comedy. One of these situations
BICKEIiSTAFP has introdneed into his Love in a
iii the scene with the fusiiee, Deborah,
Lziebida, and Eustace. The altetation of last night
consists chiefly of omissions, as the dialogue in
its originat state was too .prurient for the present
refinement of public taste ; and ai.its licentious-
ness scented to pervade the whole structure of
the eomedy, it required some skill and dexte-
rity to adapt it to the itnproved manners of the
We know nut who has performed this task,
but report aSsigus it to Mr. AalloLo It is need-,
less for us to enter into, any detail of the plot, as
the works of WYcnttaty must be so well known
to all dramatic readers It is suffitient to say,
that the play has been judiciously pruned idto-
gether,.thorigh we conceive that the author
• with• .propriety and -effect, have` glanced, more
frequently at the current follies of the day. For
' instance, .the fashion of the Wait:, whieh gives
the title to the: piece, demanded a mi.re serious re-
' probation, for, like the (ierman drama, however
simple and innocent it may he deemed where it
ecaiF iltveuted, it is, in :its tende‘try, seductive and
pernieinus ' And here, by the way, it may be oh-
served that .Dun Diego, Avith all the austerity of
Spanish manner S, howeVer he might be to
let his daughter learn to dance, ran never be sup.
posed'to tolerate str free anti futnil;ar a diversion
as the Tratz. Upon the whole,- .the. Opera may
be ,considered as a very unitising farce of throe
'acts. It, afforded_ much entertaiument last night,
as well from :-ome of the ;,,4or*ous strokes of sa-
tire :old kiioa ledge .of li,Ce which it contains, and
;is !ivuermis d,;(l,,v,tees and situations, as front the
general merit of the acting. Some p tssages,
iii-
'reed, excited a eousiderable share of disapproba7
tiOh, but they were directed against weak and
trifling, parts, not agantst any of ait immoral ten-
dency, copsequeety those parts are easily omit-
ted: if not so easily strengthened. The act-
ing of Miss KELLY wits admirable, and so was
that of /4"ToN. LoviwttoYP. • male aas mitch
of his ch.tracter .as it adwitted, but it afforded
little scope for his burnout.. Mrs. LisTON made
Ift'r finit appearance- at. this theatre, awl was
very well received. Intero",4 sung a parody
Prai Coori!,e'...ia .so hat he
Wit (Niged to sin it Harare., Pktiwes also tad
quitted himself very ably as an actor and a singer.
The overture, and most of the songs, were coat,
posed by lirittikre, ; they d splay taste as well as
knOwledgel and the. ands, trim, &c. evince no
small degree of science mid
LtsTost came to itIllOttIlet! the Piece for
repetition this evening-, there taut a strong party
oldivsentients, but very manifestly much inferior
in Milo her to tlifose in favour of it, as the ayes
t du/1110M by a considerable tuajority..---The house
was eroweded in all parts. .