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

HAYMARKE•T THEATRE

A new five act comedy, entitled, Look before you Leap ;
or, Wooing? 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 Sacrce, tragedies
which, on their production, were deservedly receivei
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. Perron), an eccentric old bachelor, who
prides himself upon his knowledge of human nature,
and upon never being led or deceived, has three
wards of marriageable age ; Claribel (Miss Fortescue),
a satirical, chattering young 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 rattling 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,
while she loves Brandon as a brother, prefers the rattling,
song-singing, story-telling Jack Spriggs (Mr. Webster),
clerk to Messrs. Quill and Co., her father's lawyers, as a
husband. Old Oddington, to whom De Vere and Rash-
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
ylove Brandon,
for E iwn
oh called eat upon
the s
same
eod timed Oddington,
gstaoyns,
danecalatroeMs hairsylo
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. lie 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
may kiss me now," and Brandon imprints a kiss upon her
forehead. Old Hardman enters at this moment, accuses
Brandon of an attempt to seduce his daughter, and on
his refusal to marry her, turns him out into the streets
pennyless. He, at the same time, hires Jack Spriggs to
traduce Brandon's charact..r, 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 love 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
hserpriasgdgesspcoermaeteslyinaysearyn
gh to libel the character
convince every body,
of
flroduul
nftreekal oabdns su:nt offasl6ol
still3i n
ehgc
fee nel fallincst
uslooa vbl in
leer y
from Oddington's house. Spriggs, on his return
save Elinor, that he is a villain, and to procure his ex-
elusionwl
eoa
nvt
oeh
u. 0
s t
to Hardman, is rewarded with 51. 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 anny, long entertained the design cf making her
Mrs. Spriggs, it is not wonderful that he counterplots
against old Hardman, and succeeds in carrying off
Fanny. Return we to the Oddingtons. The lovers have
each become disgusted with their choice, and the ladies
are equally disgusted with their respective lovers ; an
incident however arises, which prevents an open rupture.
They discover Oddington engaged in a tender conversa-
tion with Miss Brown, and actually entrap him into a
promise of marriage. De Vcre 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 antagonist. The ladies
are as disgusted with their choice as the gentle-
change lovers if they could.
has more than connived at her introducing him
who has married Fanny,
Emleinn'orainsdstiwllou faithful ithgfulalat Brandon, and old Oddington
gladly
into the house. Spriggs,
produces a deed, which proves that Brandon is
the lawful owner of immense estates, and that Hardman
who has levanted in consequence of divers piceadilloes,
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 Brow
h a former flame, mar-
ries her, notwithstanding his aversion to women in
general, and to widows in particular ,
bY-the-by, who has assumed the Miss, the better to re-