Star.
London, England, 1802-11-01 00:00:00

COVENT GARDEN THEATRE..

On Saturday a new Comedy, (as it is called),
from the prolific pen of Mr. RZYNOLDS, intitled
Delay: and Blunder:, was performed at this Thea-
tre for the firft time.—The following are its prin-
cipal Dramatic Perfona and Rory

Henry Sapling - Mr. Lawn.
Sapling - Mr. MUNDZN.
Paul Poitpone Mr. FAWCITT.
LICIM St. OrMC Mr. SIDDONS.
Sir Edward Delauny - Mr. MURRAY.
Privilege - - Mr. SIMMONS.
Lord Orlando De Courcy Matter BYRNE.
Robert Grange - - Mr. Ems ERY.
Honoria - - Mrs. H. Jos NSTON.
Mrs. St. Orme - MTS. LITCHISILD.

Lauretta St. Orme
Mrs. Sapling .

- Itirs. H. &MOONS.
Mn. MATTOCKS.

Lieutenant St. Orme, againft the confent of Sir
Frederic Dela uny,married Amelia, his only daugh-
ter, and fled with her to America ; where, being
involved in diftrefs, Mrs. St. Orme returned to
England, to folicit the affiftance of her father.—
Sir Frederic, waiting to feparate her from her huf-
hand, invented (tortes of her falfehood ; and foon
after informed St. Orme by letter, that Amelia
had detected his intrigues, and, maddening at
his bafenefs, was fevered to delirium—was infane.
St. Orme haftily anfwered, ‘, I charge you to con-
fine her : if the efcapes, my mifery is everlafting;"
—and, with his daughter Lauretta, flew to his
unhappy wife's relief. On his arrival Sir Frederic
refilled to let him fee her. St. Orme, followed by
Lauretta, rufhed into his prefence, and demanded
falisfaelion. Sir Frederic declined the meeting :
S . Orme prefented him a piftol, and, on Sir Fre-
deric's grafping it to five his life, St. Orme con-
ceived it an acceptance of the challenge, and fired.
Sir Frederic fell, and Tome time afterwards ex-
,pired, bequeathing (in the cafe of her recovery),
his whole eftate to his daughter ; but, dreading
(till her hutband's interference, he named his fuc-
ceffor her truftee, who profecutes St. Orme for the
murder; and confines Amelia after her recovery,
in order to keep poffeflion of the property. He
likewife thews Amelia St. Orme's letter, defiring
that the may be confined, and thus makes her be-
lieve that he is her enemy and tyrant.

The Play opens with Lauretta coming from her
retreat on the mountains, to vifit the county gaol
where her father is confined for the murder. She
perfuades the gaoler to deliver to him a fmall
wicker baiket,and receives in return the following
written anfwer :=" Retire to your retreat, and
never forget that you alone were prefent at the
murder, and that there's no other witnefs to con.
via me." She obeys him inftantly ; but is after-
wards difcovered, and feized by the profecutor
Sir Edward ;—when Henry Sapling refcues her,
and to fecure her efcape, places her in a farm
houfe, where the meets her mother. St. Orme is
acquitted by the delay: and Wender: of Paul Poft-
pone ; and Lauretta reconciles him to her mother
by means of a tranfparency of the Veftal buried
alive; while Sir Edward in contrition, declares,
that Sir Frederic had died a natural death, and
not as was fuppofed immediately by the hand of
Sr Orme.

There is a fort of underplot, in which Honoria,
the ward of Old Sapling, is united to her lover,
young Sapling, a naval officer, after many delays,
alfo occafioned by blunders and miaakes, which
produce much jealoufy between Old Sapling and
his wife, and alto lead Honoria to furpea the fide-
lity of her lover.
Such are the materials of which Mr. REYNOLDS,
in his ufual way, has conftrutied a Drama that in
tome parts is truly diverting, as it exhibits cari-
cature 'ketches not fo outre but that they are re-
cognifable in our general walks in fociety.—Henty
Sapling, perfonated by LEWIS, is a very well drawn
portrait of a naval officer of a warm heart, but of
little worldly experience, made the dupe of mere-
tricious fentiment. The blundering lawyer, ad-
mirably performed by FAWCETT, is the molt pro-
minent charther of the piece.—The introduaion
of his diminutive Lordfhip, Orlando & Courcy, gave
Tome offence, and indeed we advife Mr. REYNOLDS
to cafhier him altogether, inffead of whom we
could have walled Lady Senfitive had been intro-
duced, if it had only been for a few minutes.

Of the ferious part of the play we cannot fpeak
greatly in approbation. The Story is too much of
the German texture to fuit the genuine tattle of a
Britifh audience,and the language is too pompous
and inflated. A piece called a Comedy, opening
with a view of a prifon, in which a perfon is con-
fined for murder, makes, at the moment, rather a
queeriffi impreffion upon an audience ufed to the
legitimate produaions of a Comoaiv r, a HOADLY,
and a SH ERIDAN ; but to fuch as relifh fuch Gothic
nonfenfe, we have only to obferve—De non
elifputandum.
The performers of Saturday night were all ex-
tremely perfea in their parts, and their efforts
were crowned with univerfal approbation. Lrwt
on his entrance, in confideration of his late alarm-
ing indifpofition, was received with a triple burft
orapplaufe. Musings was uncommonly happy in
Sapling, though it is a part rather ont of his ufual
walk. But the moft chafe :Laing of the evening
was Ex ELY'S Yorkfhire Clown.

The Prologue and Epilogue, fpoken by BRUN-
TON, and MrS.MATTOCIS, were both very languid
produaions ; the latter in particular, though from
a tip-top manufaaory ( that of Mr. Au Dams ), and
delivered by fo excellent an aarefs, failed in all
its intended points : but no wonder, the exhaufted
&Nat was that of Air Balloons, and Cockney
trips to Calais ; of which John Bull has fome rea-
fon to be attained. The play was given out by
Mr. Lewis with general applaufe. In the After-
piece Mifs Itstvit appeared, for the firft time, in
Rena, the fongs of which charaaer the fung with
con(iderable area. The Houfe was uncommonly
crowded.

The manner in which the Comedy is brought
forward relied' great credit on the managemet of
Mr. HARRIS. All the fcenes are new, and the
dreffes teftify his tale and liberality.