The Sun.
London, England, 1840-10-14 00:00:00

COVENT-GARDEN THES'rit.E.

Beaumont's and Fletcher's corned of the Span-
Curatc was revived last night,(tVith alterations,
at this Theatre. It is a rcmarkibly lively play
contains two or three well-defili\dd characters;
abounds in stirring incidents, tho'figh somewhat
loosely strung together ; and is enlivened with.much
sprightly repartee, expressed in the tersest and the
neatest manner. The plot of the comedy—as is
often the case with the plots of these fertile drama-
tists—is sadly complicated ; but, as well as we could
make it out, is something to the following effect :
Leandro, a young Spanish nobleman (Mr. C. Ma-
thews), is in love with Amaranta (Madame Vestris)
the ward of a sly, unscrupulous old lawyer, Barto-
lus (Mr. Bartley), and not knowing how to obtain
an interview with her, so closely is she watched by
her jealous guardian, lie has recourse to Lopez, the
Spanish Curate (Mr. Farrell), who being a neigh-
bour and acquaintance of the lawyer, is in-
duced by certain weighty pecuniary constdcra•
tions, to introduce Leandro to Bartolus, as
a shy, quiet young man, who is anxious
to study the law. Deceived by his apparent sim-
plicity of manner, the lawyer takes him as a pupil ;
when of course the young man makes the most of
his time ; seeks an interview with Amaranta—a
second—a third—and which last succeeds in making
such a favourable impression on her, that she agrees
to elope with, and marry him ; which she accord-
ingly does, while hersKtoegreyuleag:
Keeley),
guardian's st ai
yet teeLanorti :cis; t
and
pur-
ply
ens
request
si
seoxsteo n d v
Diegot cd
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ra.
of some of Leandro's friends. This story, which
Is invented merely to give the lovers time to effect
their escape, regards Diego, who is brought into
the lawyers house, as a rich man to all appearance
in the last stage of decay, and requests him to draw
up his last will and testament, by which he
leaves Bartolus his sole executor, with a handsome

legacy by way of compensation for his trouble. The
lawyer highly delighted with this legacy, is busy
writing down the particulars, after the usual legal
fashion, when Diego, having been privately in-
formed by one of the parties to the hoax that
the lovers have made their escape, at once avows
the trick, greatly to the imEgnation of Bartolus,
who finds himself deprived of his ward and his

legacy, and heartily laughed at into the bargain.
This is the main plot, but there is another subordi.
nate one, wherein the lawyer is also an agent, which
respects an action brought by one brother against
another, but who are finally reconciled to each.
other, on which occasion old Bartolus's roguery ;s
again made manifest. The chief fault of this lively
comedy is that its incidents are too desultory and
unconnected. They are not sufficiently dove-tailed
one into another, so as to excite a continuous in-
terest ; but are broken up, as it were, into detached

fragments. Some of the scenes are exceedingly ,
effective ; and amongst the best we may instance
the first dialogue between the half-starved Curate
and his equally destitute sexton, when they crack
melancholy jokes upon their crippled exchequer;
and on the misery of being compelled to officiate
in a parish where the people refuse to dies
or be married, and consequently where there are
scarcely any burial, or wedding fees. Another
still inure effective scene, was that of the hoax
upon the lawyer, and his subsequeut indignation
at its discovery. This kept the audience in a roar

of laughter. It was followed by one or two very
languid scenes, where action was sacrificed to a
desire, on tire pait of the dramatists, to make their
smart and laboured points tell. Farren was admir-
able as the Curate : though he should have been a
little more oily and unctuous in his manners
and kept under that hard, dry style of acting
peculiar to him. Keeley, as the Sexton, played as
well as it was possible to do, and appeared tho—
roughly to relish his part. Bartley, as the lawyer,
was rather too elaborate : a little more ease ci man-

ner would have greatly improved his petformance,
Air. Anderson, as Don Juan, a young Spanish noble-
man, showed feeling and good sense; and will be
a still more efficient actor, when he gets rid of his.
imitation of Macready, which at present amounts
almost to the servile. The scenery was splendid ;
and the comedy received with much applause.