The Sun.
London, England, 1846-10-30 00:00:00

HAYMARKET THEATRE

A new five act comedy, entitled, Look before you Leap ;
or, Wooings and Weddings, was produced here last
evening. It is from the pen of Mr. Lovell, the author of
the Provost of Bruges, and Love's Sacrifice, tragedies
which, on their production, were deservedly received
with much applause, but which, from fortuitous circum-
stances, had not that run to which their merits certainly
entitled them. In the present instance, Mr. Lovell has
wooed the sister muse most successfully, and Thalia may
be proud to reckon him among her votaries. The fol-
lowing is a sketch of the plot of this comedy. Mr. Od-
dington (Mr.W. Farren), an eccentric old bachelor, who
prides himself upon his knowledge of human nature,
and upon' 'never -being led or deceived, has three
awasardtisrioefai,meahrartitaegreianbg yoleaugng.e
; Claribel (Miss Fortescue),
lady; Mary (Miss P. Hor-
ton), a staid and steady young lady, and Elinor (Mrs.
Edwin Yarrold), a sentimental young lady. Claribel
and Mary have fortunes, Elinor has not a penny. Mr.
Rashleigh (Mr. Hudson), a rattlins, young gentleman, is
the suitor of Claribel, Mr. De Vere (Mr. H. Holl), a
common-place young gentleman, is the suitor of Mary,
and Mr. Brandon (Mr. Howe), the virtuous and inde-
pendent man of the play, is the suitor of Elinor. Bran-
don has teen brought up by a certain .Mr. Hardman
(Mr. Rogers), who bestows upon him an excellent
education, gives him a domicile in his own
house, and supplies him with money; but Hardman
is a hard, harsh tutor, who treats him with coldness,
and never answers any inquiries as to who and what he
is. Hardman has a daughter, Fanny (Miss Julia Ben-
nett), to whom he wishes to marry Brandon, but who,
l andl ng
Co., Jackh Spriggser
father's Mlra.lll7Veerbs t
ae rs a
),
while she loves Brandon as a brother, prefers the rattling,
song singing, story-telling
i
Messrs.
QOddington, to whom De Vere and Rash-
chluesrhkatn od. ol
leigh have applied for his consent to their respective
suits, warns them against rash matrimonial engage-
ments, inculcates on them that they should look before
they leap, declares that he himself will never
marry, that a widow is his favourite aversion,
and finally binds them in 5,0001. each to marry within
two months after they have made an offer to Claribel
and to Mary. Brandon, when called upon by Oddington,
declares his love for Elinor, but at the same time says
that he will never marry her until, by his own exertions,
he has made himself independent of the world. This
ends the first act. In the second we find old Hardman
plotting to bring about a match between his daughter
and Brandon. He leaves them together, and they soon
find out that each loves another—in love, as Fanny
expresses, although as children brought up together,
they are attached to each other as brother and sister.
" As you are not in love with me," says Fanny, " you
his Brandon
refusal o
may kiss me now," and Brandon imprints a kiss upon her
forehead. Old Hardman enters at this moment, accuses
of an
nmaatrtrey hmp et rto seduce his daughter, and on
turns him out into the streets
pennyless. lie, at the same time, hires Jack Spriggs to
traduce Brandon's character, so as to drive him
back again a peninent. We are then introduced
to Mr. Oddington's house, and we find the two
lovers making desperate lore to their respective
mistresses, each after his own fashion. A certain Miss
Brown, (Mrs. Glover), arrives from America with a
letter of introduction to old Oddington, and, without
leave asked, locates herself in his house. At first he
is offended, but gradually he becomes amused with her
excessive impudence, and ends by being excessively
polite, and falling in love with her as desperately as an
old fellow of 63 can fall in love. Spriggs
drunk, but still he is sober enough to lib& comes in very
the character
of Brandon so effectually as to convince every body,
save Elinor, that he is a villain, and to procure his ex-
clusion from Oddington's house. Spriggs, on his return
to Hardman, is rewarded with 5/. for his services—a re-
ward
which he thinks miserably below his deserts ;
and, at the same time, learns that Hardman's
design is to force Brandon into a marriage with Fanny.
Now, seeing that Spriggs himself has, with the consent
of Fanny, long entertained the design of making her
Mrs. Spriggs, it is not wonderful that he counterplots
against old Hardman, and succeeds in carrying off
Fanny. Re turn we to t
heo ddlingtroenssp.
respective
ee loversievers h; a
an
each become disgusted with their choice, and the ladies
are equally disgusted with their r tiv
incident however arises, which prevents an open rupture.
They discover Oddington gaged in a tender conversa- '
lion with Miss Brown, an end
actually entrap him into a
promise of marriage. De Vere and Rashleigh are left
alone, and each expresses his envy of the other's fate.
The one complains that his lady's tongue is perpetually
running like a mill-clack, the other that his is as dull as
a duck-pond. Each fires up at these insults to their
respective ladies, and a duel is the consequence,
each combatant appearing as the champion of
the affianced of his tagonist. The ladies
are as disgusted with their choice as the gentle-
men, and would gladly change lovers if they could.
Elinor is still faithful to Brandon, and old Oddington
ho has
into the house. SPriggsr w married Fanny,
has more than connived at her introducing him
produces a deed, which proves that Brandon is
the lawful owner of immense estates, and that Hardman
who has levanted in consequence of divers piccadilloes,
is only his guardian. Tom Tilley, (capitally acted by
Buckstone), Oddington's servant, brings in the
news of the duel and its causes. Mary and
Claribel change, lovers ; old Oddington having re-
cognised in Miss Brown a former flame, mar-
ries her, notwithstanding his aversion to women in
general, and to widows in particular ; she is a widow,
by-the-by, who has assumed the Miss, the bettor to re-