Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1884-12-16

me new comic opera, was given 1T
haverly's Broad street theatre last
evening before crowded house. Over
one hundred persons could get standing
room only down stairs. We publish
the prologue in full, as It makes inter.
csting reading:
ARGUMENT.
ACTI.
An old royalist noble, d ing, bequeaths
TO Charles III. the guardianship Of his
only child Glare. Her royal tutor. Dor.
cd BY the trust and wishing to marry
her of. proposes her hand 70 Rochss Ter,
who had never seen the country heiress.
and who rejects the match.
For this he IL banished the
court. On her side, Clare secretly
loves her cousin Talbot but the King,
chafed by the favorite's refusal, Will
hear Of no other match. In this dilem.
ma, Glare appeals to her foster sister,
Nell Gwynnc, now beginning her sue.
cessful career at the kiug's Theatre,
and In high favor with Charles. Nell
has also q slight TO avenge. Bucking.
ham has written court masQue, In
which the King wishes Nell 70 play
the leading character; but the noble
author 10 pledged to little Moll Davies,
NelPs rival, and declines TO alter his
cast. He Is also ban;shed the court for
his contumacy, and Charles Emporium
Cd by Nell to bestow Glare on her cous-
In, makes 1t q condition Of his assent
that Rochester shall be brought to
Clare's feet, and that Buck ingham
shall accept Nell a. his leading lady.
The actress accepts and her man9u-
vres TO out-trick and cajole Rochester
and Buckingham form the ground wor K
OF the little drama. The action of the
hrst act passes in ham lot Of the New
Forest, where the two exiled lords are
Liayfng At inn. keeping, and max ing
violent love to Jsssamind, niece Of old
Weasel. the village pawn. broker.
The little rustic, however, has her
own loverma strolling player named
Falcon. The village comedy Is compile
ted by the loves OF Beadle ndMariorie.
general drudge In Weasel's house. To
further their conrtship Of JessAmin
and get into her house, the two lords
secretly get disguises Buckingham q
suit OF the Beadle, and Rochester the
dress Of q rat catcher. At this point
two very grand ladies visit the inn,
with q view Of placing two young girls,
poor relations Of their own, In service.
The two lords accept enthusiastically y,
and At the end Of the act, Nell and
IClare (wbo themselves have played the
grand ladies) appear ~ the new ser.
wants, Gillian and Joan, in rustic bod.
dice and kirtle, and with bundle on
shoulder.
ACTII.
II The action Ia now shifted to Weasel q
lSsgins. bop, and Tbs 6Qpisp diYPlh9,Yoe lilo
ranged with her lover Falcon 70 come
and see her, disguised as rat catcher
so that with Rochester similarly dres
sed. there ale two in the field Buck.
ingham, In his beadle suit, is there os-
tensibly TO guard Weasel's prernises
against thieves, and the real Beadle. his
double. comes TO court Marjorie. Jes.
samine, too, resolving TO escape with
her lover, persuades Marjorie TO put on
her dress and take her place until she il
ciear OF the premises. What with two
ratcatchers, two Beadles and two Jes-
sam ines, the mistakes are many and
confusing but Nell, who has penetra.
eeo the Disguise OF Rochester and Buck
lng1am, effectively battles their designs
on JessamiDe, at one time as a cook. Al
another as n gypsey fortune teller, nj
nalIy, Jessamine and Falcon escape.
the two lords make appointments with
Marjorie, surprising her TO be ,Jessa
mine, and the Beadle is seizsd and put
In his own stocks for the pranks really
committed by buckingham.
ACrIII.
glade IN the New Forest. Charles
ana his cours, hunting with hawk and
mound fall in with Nell looking after
her kline, and learning that the denoue.
meht OF the Rochester and buckingham
comedy Ia fast approaching, resolves to |
wait and see 1t, The hunt is resumed.
AND then the inhammable Rochester
thro"s himself at the feet of his pretty
waitress Gillian. little dreaming that it |
~ Ciare Condition number one.
buckingham then has scene with
Joan (otherwise Eell) in which. dis.
covering that she sings and dancesI
charmingly, the mercureal pobleInanl
PUSHES TO the conclusion that he has
found arustic PRODIGY, and actually
proposes to take her TO London and
crush Nell Gwynne. Condition mum.
yer Two. Nothing now remains for tbeI
actress 10 do but turn the two lords iptoI
fiuicuie over the designation with theI
s"Pposeu Jeshainlhe, and then hurryl
away with Clare u share In ,be i'm
parchment Of Rachester and Bucking
nam In this they wer. unwittinglv
assisted by old Weazel and the Beadl.
VINO since the night OF terror where the
mouse OF the one was turned inside out
ana the other was clapped in his own
piIiory. have been wandering dis.
traught IN the woods Com pairing
NOTES They find tina, the fal, . beadle
anu Tue raise rat-catcher were the land
iord ANA waiter of the Dragon. and
the watch they hale Rocb
ester and buckingham before the King
nov the two scamps are COMPOUNDED
0y Nell. how Talbot gets the hand OIL
olare, Falcon that OF Jessamiiie, and
now all ends happily Except perhap,I
,or the amateur innkeepers) need moi
be detailed. " {
you don I want to miss somethipgI
opera. "'o'o