Covent-Garden Theatre.
The Times, 1824-03-12T00:00:00

-. A. new-co womeyith nlusc, entitled Pridt. shall h4v a Fep , .waS brgughtout last-right at Covent-garden Theatre. It should have been. got into threeapets, if possible, instead of five; and it runs over withPMns, andextravegabdes, and improbable events; butit-has astrongvein,nevertheless., of farce-sometlhingehastened towards co- medy-about ItN and. certainly deserves to have a.run. The story -of- the -viedo- ds- Sicilian, and amounts to very little. The scene opens -meh the return of Lorenzo (an officer of hussars) from Iloroeoo 46.P2kftno where he looks to be married to Victor-ia,-7th61Ftlghter -o? a wealthy merchant. Duiing the captain?s:absenc4 "ehowever, the trader' has succeeded to a title; and the young lady- is tormented by -her father and mother into reiectnghimh,:.-nrevenge, Loretizo, and his brother officers, conceiv?3thle- idea (fromr Moliere's Precieuses Rilicules) of im- posing at-flotman upon thepae-venues for a man of rank and fortune; and inmsearching-through the public gaol to find a rogue suited to their purpose, they fall-iupon To-rent4, a young scapegrace con- fined for debt end due], who happens to be the private sweetheart of Vic'toria's sister, Lconora. Torrczto is the baracter into which the author has.thrown his strength. He is a fortune-lhunter withj ust honesty enough to make him not unpleasing, clever, fearless, comical, well- looking, anid a soldier.Tlre scene in the gaol,where this genius makes a speech to Itis brother prisoners, is as broad almost as pantominme ; bu t it tells, and there is humour in it. EventuaUly (for his own purposes) he closes with the, proposal of the conspirators ; and proceeds as . Prince Pindemnonte, of a vast revenue, to the palace of Cou nt Ventoso. Here the plot begins to hang, because Pindentonic's -arrival tells the, whole story; but there is some equivoque, and a great deal of broad joke, and a little poetry still to keep up -the ball. . Lorenzo, who, though in a passion, cannot see harm appen to Iiis mistress, comes to Ventoso's housc, and tells him that he is imposed upon. Torrento, who has accepted the offer of the plotters, believing the lady implicated to be Lconora. is .eonfounded at being introduced to lVictoria-.not knowing that a second daughterin the family existetd. A quarrel ensues at the Count's palace between Lorenzo and Torrento, in which the latter asserts his real rank, in defiance of the assurances that he is only a vulgar ruffian; and in this he is aided by the production of a letter from Lorenzo himself, which is addressed to hni under the name and title of Prince of.Pindentonte. A variety of strange incidents and blundters then occur, which occupy the audience through the third act and part of the fourth; and in the end, Lorenzo and Torrento are united to the twosisters..the first gentleman turning out to be son to the Viceroy of Sicily; andl the other real heir to the very titte and estate iwhich is wrongfuUy assumied by Count e7entoso. IR the denouenzent of his play, as well as in the incidents and arrangemient, the author seems to have caught some of the spi- rit, and with it a good deal of the licence of the It3lian comedy. Much of tle business is unintelligible; a great deal of it (ifexamsin- ed) unsatisfactory; but the thing keeps moving, (which is the great point). The punsare eternal, and some of them stale; but some are new, and some very good. The scenes between the three officers- Mlessrs.;Yates, Abbott, and Connor-are lively and effective. Mr. Abbott is aColonel; Mlr. Connor, an Irlsh Captain; aiud Mr. Yates, a dandy Cornet, but who is witty himself, as weU as the cause of wit in other men. Then the music is pleasant, and Miss Paton and Mliss Love are both delightful. Indeed, the wvhole has the advantage ofsplendid getting uip, and excellent acting. The dresses are extremely rich and tasteful.tlse scenerv equal to the reputation of Coveut- garden. There is a game at billiards played upon the stage_a whim- sical, but entirely new feature. Jones acts admirably; Charles hemb1c gives force anld dignity to a part which is not at all %sothy of his powers; and Farren, Yates, and MlIrs. Davenport, aU dojustice to themselves and to the author. Upon the whole, the piece went off with spirit andapplause ; and the writer has given proof, that withcaTe he can write that which wili be better. The prologue was spoken by Mr. Connor, in the haracter of Th Iristh Tuitr. It is decidedly the worst (evenofprologues) that we ever heaid. The epilogue has littleclaim to favoir on the score of composition; but with the as- sistance of M3r. Yates's linitations, it was good humouredly received. MIr. George Soane is the author of the piece. -. . COVENT.GRDEB THEATBRE.