The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1836-03-15 00:00:00

TIIEATRE4iOYAL.

This theatre Opened yesterday evening for the PIA time fu;
the season. TWo pieces of an interesting (dial
rieter. never represented in Liverpool -before, were prodiiceo;
'the first was, Balfe's splendid Opera Of the "Siege of
and the other, the popular grand operatic drama of
ess." The opera of the " Siege of itpchelle" was well received
Tue singing in -the opera was, for the most part; good, stud
was discriminatingly applauded. The orchestra, • hoit6;erj.
did not appear to us sufficiently effective. Mr. Wilsori
and Miss Betta' the principal singers, are each well knowii
to the public. Mr. Wilson has a fine mellow, tenor voicei
which is exceedingly sweet ; Miss Betts has a very
erftil voice, with considerable execution, though rather harsh
in tone. The quartette of " The Matin Bell;" incident. to ttil
piece, was deservedly applauded, as were also the chorus of" `'ice
le Roi," and several duet's between Mr. Wilson and Miss RetiK
The greait attraction of the evening, however, was the" Jewess,",
which has been got up in a style of magnificence and Splendour
rarely witnessed in a Liverpool theatre. The plot of the piece
is as follows:—Leopold, a.Roman prince, in disguise as a your;
and pdor Jew, who, in this garb, wins the affections of Rachel, the,
daughter of Eleazar, (Mr. Stuart,) a rich Jewish goldsmith. The
scene then opens by a grand procession of the Cardinal; solemti
proclamation having been made that it shall be bept it holy day;
In the midst of it is heard the hammer of the goldsmith at wori4
and he is dragged before the Cart/it/eV; his daughter (MrK
Yates) rushes out and hangs on his neck to save bin: • both'itili
then in danger of being immolated, when they are defended 0$
the bravery of Reuben, who wins the good-Will of the father by
this act. They afterwards receive the pardon of the Cardinal;
A. grand procession and pageant then followed by the Car:
dinal, with train-bearers,, cross-bowmen, warriors in Steel
armour, mitres, flags, &c. &c., who parade round a temporary
stage erected round the orchestra. The splendour of this scene
is greatly increased by a number of horses richly caparisoned;
now joining the cavaicade, mounted by men in Steel amour. In
tla ,s scene one of the horses became frightened, reared, and
threw his rider with a heavy fall, and, we are afraid, seriously iu
jured hart, which suddenly closed the pageant, and the scene
dropped amidst some, confusion, which caused a delay of se-
veral minutes ; the audience growing impatient, Mr. Yatc
made his appearance and apologiSed. Reuben afterwards leayea
Rachel,' who follows him to his court, and enters into the se' liee
of the Princess EadCcia,(Mrs. Stanley,) his wife, and in the midst
of a grand entertainment given in honour of his return, publiSheS
his infidelity to his princess, and his breach of the law by asso-
ciating with herself,- a Jewess, for which he is condeinUeir to
be burnt, but is saved by Rachel recanting what She had said;
who is in her turn condemned to the stake for this charge. Elea.
zar, the Jew, when she is ascending the stake, proclaims her chi
daughter of the Cardinal, and she is saved, and the scene drnps
Mr. Stuart's acting; as the Jew, -was-deserOdly applauded; his
picture of the strong feelings of a father and of the bitterness of
revenge caused by continued wrong was as perfect apiece o(
acting as we ever witnessed. Mrs. 'Yates sustained her difficult
part admirably: there is little room for criticism.
The house was well tilled, and both performances appeared.;
if we may judge from the applause which they elicited, to 'give
considerable satisfaction. They are to be repeated every night
this week, and We doubt nut will be in further requisition fat
some time afterwards.