The Sun.
London, England, 1845-01-28 00:00:00

THE THEATRES.

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COVENT-GARDEN.
Anew play was produced at this theatre last night ;
The author
it is in five acts, and its title is honesty.
it not unknown to fame. We remember reading, not
wield Alt pleasure, a drama from his pen, called the
Aassd ofEffinghant, and, if we mistake not, the play
now produced, thcugh new to the stage,. has al-
TeadY issued from the press ; the adaptation what
call therefore, was somewhat of an experiment,
o which
the syncretics call the " unacted drama,' of
also
be there is too much that
ue called unactahle. Of the faults of that
wants
14001 Honesty partakes largely; .
tin con-
clearness in conception, and closeness 1. e
%traction ; it is dim and hazy, and even hi i th
strictest attention it is difficult to comprehend t e
uptl oot ._
6 five acts follow, but do not seem to grow o r
each other. These defects, the ability of the per-
andes-- on this occasion they exerted themselves
to the utmost—do not compensate, and the result
is
vague, indefinite, and confusing, which is not cleared
r
aP even at last. ' So much for the drama itself.
itl is
the manner in which it was put on ths stae, .
excellent, and
worthy of all praise; the scenery was
.itmay
the dresses new and appropriate; of the acting,
safely be said that it say( d the play, but throughout
the performers had to struggle with unfavourablean_
Materials. The play opens with a scene in the n?.
whose
aka of Douglas; Trafford (Mr. Vandenhoff),"h _
fallil'ersants, with the instinct of the rats who fly from, a
ilng house, see the ruin of their master approacn-
, and pay themselves by pocketing
rafford enters with his steward, Fairfax
the plate.
trildsleenarns the
.full extent of his emb(aLr‘riars.sßmaesns)t,
of se of which is increased
.by the appearance
ay,,t a bevy of creditors with their demands, backed
"3' the insolence of Master Deverill,
the
exeeedingly a money-lender,
well played by Mr. Rogers.
and
e midst of hi d'ii lties he resolves to woo 1 .
hNN4lffn)ll,l3 c?%in, Ls adylL Juliaeu Lancaster (Miss Van( en 55,..., .as it appears, partly at least for the sake of her
t4lth' and Puts off his creditors for the pres• nt waietth, scrtes. So ends the first act. In the secondt
As,,
. sulia appears surrounded by a crowd o lovers
sttg,"lere a, wit
of walking gentlemen. as ever trod the
--and with good reason, is exceedingly coldadavnod.
in
to them all ; among them is a
cate, Francis Gage (Jr. Vining),
the
r ; it
authorwhomyoung
prey,
EL3 an honest and scrupulous law 'terse: ,110 surprise, therefore, to find that, tirss'ilented, he is very poor. On this occasion he
se the
sar.s his suit with such warmth as to rouse c
R`e'lll"n of Trafford, who is one among mobtheidin_ 't
rod-
t`olll`eraen,4 arid he strikes him with
r this
the lady, who
deigns and a refusal from
ach, - not a word of reply to the. young
asiacsate's pleading, and he returns
.disaPeihrteeadt
def. ", esPerate to his home. At this point t g
in ei,' ef the [slay is manifested. The third act o-?leeniss
pre I.llleis Gage's miserable chamber,
Illoriparing Is
"3' night some documents for D."e'_verrill,the
444 etbfle‘ader, whose tenant he
.happens to be. Love
I)._e
.e areams of love retard his labours, and, when
Ill's; rill calls for the papers they are not reacir. A
and dis-
appealln3nes, Deverill is struck to the groundl INith i'' /owing revenge, but returns short
hit, thw_o
slicers to turn Gage and his young
ti. e for arrears of rent At this
..juncture a
afterwards
brother
tiZento_enters to retain Gage to defend an individual
eii vsli Charged with murder. He refuses,
"443 I d ' lawyer's debt, and
11, is
~ a rea
,y discharged thebut the
tt, retained' irrevocably, though he looks on the
ssa4ll3l3?llution. It turns out that the
_murdered
Nit 1; Sir
PhiliP Lancaster, the father of Jdueelial,yanind
love Julia herself, with whom he i
"s so
hedp him
by p' .13 suspected of having dispatched penis °n. , The moral scruples of the younghe lawyer
having '
sott, lana he undertakes her defence, s
144 atone Solicit his advocacy.
eti4l:PPears weighed down by remorseln thisfor
someac t T
rr
ea
af -t
wheng or
*her , committed the audience know not
juii afire,l, The fourth act contains the tr.ial of
n'udi-
eistllst' uqore a judge who indulges in very
the and unjudicial prejudice and passion, lbujsing
dil.lsoner in very strong
laalolifie we can pardon for the sake whieh
Juliae!it burst of earnest, abusing
indeed,
d e
tehde,
1%0111,
establishwasspeech Miss Vandenhoff in the very
Ihe
that tragic actresses. We gather from
diipia
,l'at precedes the trial that her advocate has
fail,. yes Passing talent and eloquence, but he
arri-
kle ts',e is sentenced to the death of a
14'1," (1e burned alive ; and all he can do is atP the
f
Nttl,-;°ll.le,nt to claim for her the " wager .
ends L which is. granted by the court, and ther,,
_a_cr.t
forih 3',Julia being re-conducted to prison, lra(') ,
the having thrown down the gauntlet ,4 on behalf I
TO •
videPpseeution," and the lady being as yet utnop the
,citiseNvitil a champion. The fifth act leadsus
:41aYthelti in Which Julia is confined. She is visited
slsjei'°ll-11g, advoeate, and her proud spirit being
dnooew, '
-14,1 ha i -3' imrisonment, she confesses that she
buts
thesh'ed him! An attack is made on the prison
h populace who are persuaded of her innocence,'o
setire.e refuses to escape, anti persuades the people '
is lei• With an affectionate farewell to Francis,n public
Plase,°ll to execution. The last scene is
a
Lit no
ehaibsvvith the stake and lists for the combat,
:appeared.
TrsiToel'an. en behalf of innocence has yet .
,11 ab hrf'..la Present, in a fearful state of agitatioaPtiP, eJul Julia
LO (3-'
10 be •
stake,A hen ,he demands
spssit . chained to the
the 41 with him. It then appears that Trafford is
to rdorer, that his guilt is perfectly
tbsetit eli',. hat that she has kept the secret" well
in
fulfil-
Intted ' vow, which at the time the deed wascotrnhe-
Nol, Trafford has made her make. This is
0.
the 4 we Might say, the fatal error of the piece ;
isr
kses urkier nothing is seen, of the vow aething.
o_
the
at,. till the last moment, and then the motive.e-f
gree inon, and the action itself, appear in the last
will
sot 41,11113045ib1e and unnatural. Still Traffordlii
!tt° the :,hlrself the murderer, and Julia is chained
iter, stake for execution. Then the young advocate
lady, kat the third summons," declares himself the
to do euanipion, and takes battle-axe and shield
to battle on her behalf. Trafford, thoughs
illill'el"1"1 by the consciousness of guilt, i
listed to fight. He is about to enter
1
the-Doge'Da ' N‘'nen he is presented with a cup of wine by
illl who is a disguised Italian lady, Infeht
e,
'lllp si, e has seduced and deserted; she poisons h_
'4 Iris 041 evenge, and by the poison, not by the hand
the iaritoPePee 'lent, Trafford falls, before he dies declaring
The
f4cf4se k nee of Julia, Thus ends the play.
).411 orc'eLs full, the applause was frequent, and at the
m'llcl the eartain Mr. and Miss. Vandenhoff were
de I called
sere- r
for —a eompliment they
I„ltesti•
p, °r their exertions, sometimes awakening
s`Q' pl °,,"l,,and ab,vays inducing forbearance, carried
s
'liana". "'Nigh. But it wants vitality. Trafford
's
Without strength and purpose; the audience
410,wliRaerith.e.r from the action that he is the murderer,
them
It. tint is knovvn there seems to be no motive
4.-" e tna ,Vr't is a stern' adherence to a vow to conceal
.or thesr"er of a father calculated to raise sympathy
\vas eyPrineipal female character. No effective drama
ithoZ Yet. founded on guilt without passion, crime
sr a
eau Motiv, and sorrow without apparent cause,
mot4(}ll have 4,12 a? inaperfectly and so tardily developed ase
uld ti,)°,
,ati.uence on the action of thed piece. We
alpVo .
t'llisei toLv_rint to state that Mr. Van
'tit nt the 't
and the audience for the ineffi-
*as s s,anner in which he had performed his part ; he
fli ulierin
IPos't• g, as he has for some time been, from itn.--
e. 1,1 'Lc)°, which, indeed, was several times perephie
4'14%;
alivie,,aUthor was called for, but he was not in t
Q did not appear.
Ts PPENr -------------._
'S
under-ais theatre -ll PLAYS.—ST. JAMES •
opened last evening for the season,
IL,: the able direction of Mr. Mitchell, to whom
billvias.l'gning public are under great obligations, for.
4.41r0° 'von them thatwhich no other metropolis in
\,,ii Pe is without
kr, reMetnher the i
aregu ar _ wench.
I Theatre. We
fortri Mitchell's first
tneer of incredulity with with which
of these per-
4404titIleis, some four vaenaarsousinncceelnewrias received. The
teaker3"vever proved a successful one; but still the
sesd were not silenced—the thing would not sacs_
a W6O the '
th third novelty wore off; but a second and
nits ,42 aseh followed, each more successful
"' c° prose until now the Prsncla plays are
Psr,.. vletelY naturalised among us as the Italian
ti ' si an'
4Paatisi,
(4, w,'e look forward with quite as much anti-
th '')ii of 'f
to the commencement of the
w.'it af the
car of these delightful amusements as to
tile f' 'lr. We live already given an account
444 general arras . '
hist we ss,p, rangements for the ensuing season,
a night, therefore proceed to the peformancss of
thelidiTtsie l‘lnns.l4. font, of the Theatre des Varietes,
je r t,, athalie, of the Theatre du Gymnaae, made
ellsNS:'' The ranee before an English audience last
geville e Pisces chosen for their debut were the
Is tlit_seps,4).7l°ef Le /liar?: -
itrti
first
pieae%li!,hreaftnt edy
la Ville et la Femme a
of Pierre le Rouge.
try '4O artist , , n sustains the part of Lam-
OAtinder the'' vam, having left his wife in the coun-
47is
.Pieture._ pretence of going a tour in search of
,1•I
inn's`”?, is enjoying himself as a bachelor in
svi'f,i s,
IN`4,,ite, who has heard that he has broken his
41°,0104 itzerland, coroes to Paris to pass her
ket,4 /clan
ofrl`, hears everywhere of Lamberti
se,o a Gil, r! bonnes fortunes. She at length
asap Rnises",`, of the celebrated lady-killer, at once
tiritlkriation"hA, and writes to him, appointing an
11k, %%ith V-le liaB not seen her, but an assigna-
vviir, she a 'Marne Jurigney (for that is the
ts f 4 her s, ssunies), who has set half Paris mad
assigne-
d c,,t,allt.Y, is too delightful an appointment not
t',4!. lie sand accordingly Lamberti is true to his
tint. (4. usnda there not Madame but his_ friend
Tour a 3 k klellis becharn t) t
izli‘i44e(.4
raliking
iopve , 0 sdvlllorse_sistehr he him thel!ar tic,', an old beau, both an s . Dau onne Id
so -..es s ,of whom have receive
re "`I.Y Elpi) '°lll Mad
Nsis ars t ame Jurigney. At length
Opt
kie,
Crh , o the confusion of Lamberti, who
knout at a glance. She however, feigns
hltri. ' 4114 Carries on a Mali-
_
. -.....
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