The Sun.
London, England, 1828-05-28 00:00:00

SURREY THEATRE.

The new piece, called the " Incbcape Bell,"
which was produced for the first time on Monday
evening, is really one of the best melodramas we have
seen for some time at the other side of the water.
The plot is interesting, the scenery very beautiful,
and the acting such rtA would do no discredit to any
of the larger houses. What further is to be desired
we know not in a melodrama, and of this opinion
appeared to be our worthy neighbours at the other
side of the water, who flocked as eagerly and as
numerously to witness the second representation last
evening, as even the managers themselves could have
desired. The story of the piece is briefly this :
Guy Ruthven, the outcast (Mr. Rayner), the natural
son of Sir John Trevanly, driven almost to despair
by the recollection of the wrongs of his mother, who
died of pier at the neglect and ill-treatment of her
seducer, leads the Captain and crew of a pirate ves-
sel, by a secret pass, to the castle, which they plun-
der, taking with them the Lady Trevanly and her
child, a dumb boy. The lady, in despair, has
only
plunged from a rock, and is destroyed ; but the boy
is taken on board. After the lapse of many years,
the ship returns to the coast, and Guy Ruthven
having acquainted his father with the whole
story, and finding him penitent, determines to
restore his cow from the hands of the pirates,
in which he eventually succeeds. Upon his efforts
to effect this, the chief incidents of the piece depend;
and i3 but justice to the author to sav, that all of
managed, and many are
themde ar
The piece is from the pen of the
author ®f the
eply extremelyaefectiug. well
" Pilot;" and for scenic effect the
closingileshapee
ene equals any thing we have witnessed in
t
of a wreck in a storm. As we have
before stated, the character of " Guy Ruthven"
s
was performed by Mr. Rayner; and while we admit,
in accordance with our cotemporaries, and, indeed,,
in accordance with all we have ever said of him,
that he is a most excellent actor, we cannot help re-
markinff,that in many instances last night he grievously
disappointed us. In some of the scenes we almost
doubted that we had not before us Mr. 11. Kemble,

that very Prince of ranters, and our doubts were
only removed by some subsequent passage given
with a degree of feeling and force (not rant) as true
to nature as any thing we have ever witnessed on
the stage. Is it not strange that a man who has
talent to act well, has not also sufficient judgment to
keep him from acting execrably ? It ought not to be
necessary to caution an actor of such experience
against that bane of all good acting—rant; but,
lest Mr. Rayner should imagine that certain por-
tions of his acting was good, because it was ap-
plauded by the " gods," we feel it necessary to give
him this hint, and we hope he will take it as
kindly a it is mrtmt, Mr. Osbaldistort's Hans fig-

' tock was a very, creditable performance. The new
operetta, "Die Nacht;rl ~,l der Rabe," followed,
and, now that the littlo are quite perfect
and at ease in their several parts, is heard with in-
creased effect. The amusetnews of the evening
concluded with " The Talisman," which has been
much improved in many scenes since its last repre-
sentation.