The Sun.
London, England, 1826-05-22 00:00:00

COVENT GARDEN THEATRE.

A new Play, 'in five acts, entitled Woonwroce, was on
Saturday night produced at Covent Garden.
The cutter-down of a work by the Great Unknown, ha. a de-
licate And somewhat perplexing task to perform. In a Novel
and a Drama, the general character of the component parts, differs
as essentially as does the arrangement of those parts.
The spirit and meaning of three volumew of a novel can 310 more
be compressed into the five acts of a play by the mere exercise of a
pair of scissors, than the King of Brolnlignae's trowsers, by being
cut off at the bottoms, could be made to fit him as inexpreasibles.
It is, under these circumstances, to the advantage of the
drama, that the audience, from a previous knowledge of the plot,
are enabled to connect any break which may occur in the thread
of the story. Independently of such assistance, a play of this
kind could, in fact have little more effect than the repetition of
one of the Chancellor's Speeches, giving such points only as have
drawn down the cheers of the House. SO well known as the
novel is, and with all failings deserves to be, it would be super-
fluout to go farther into the plot of the play than simply to state
that it commences with the meeting in Woodstock-park, of Tom-
king and Sir Henry Lee, and 'ends with the arrival of Cromwell
after Charles has departed. The politician seems to he tolerably well
performed ;- the attention is kept well awakened ; and there are some
partswhich displayconsiderable ability in the management of the dia-
logue—we allude particularly to that scene between Everard awl
Sir Henry Lie, where he refuses his daughter; and to the ren-
contre between Charles and Everard in the forest. The cha-
racters that mske up the body of -basilicas in Woodstock Out
play), are Sir Henry Lee, and Colonel Everard, and Mistress
Alice, and Mr Wildrake—who are not the personages' about
whom the curiosity of the audience is particularly awakened.
King Charles has little to do—at least little that is to the
purpose : the scene only, in which he is disguised as the
Seotchman ' • and the scene afterwards (an effective one)
in which he gives up the lady. The female attire is left
out, as well as the meeting with Alice at the well, with-
out much disparagement to the piece from the omis-
sion ; and, though the exceeding rusticity of Master Louis
Kerneguy becomes laughable in the representation, 'Scotch
Noblemen must have been very odd people when their sons were
used to wear such a guise, and employ such demeanour. Crom-
well, whom every body looks to, appears only three times in the
Vey, and to produce very little sensation. He starts at the King's
picture (at'very short notice) in his first scene; squabbles with
Roger Wildrake, not too naturally or decorously, in the second ;
and orders half a dozen people to be hanged one minute, and par-
dons them in the next—his long nap being necessarily left out. •
Mr. Cooper delivered a Prologue, and Mrs. Chatterley au Epi-
logue, both miserable performances.
The play was received favourably throughout, and, at the con-
clusion, announced foe repetition amid general applause.

The accounts of Saturday from Liverpool, Man-
chester, Leeds, and other places, are favourable, as
regards an improvement in trade, anti an increasing
demand for goods. 'No hear, too, that large orders
have been transmitted to Leeds from London for the
manufacture of cloth, which, being chiefly of the coarser
kinds, will necessarily give employment to an immerse
number of poor persona.
We suspect the Courier $ account on Saturday of
the Manchester Races was merely a Ruff guess