taylor--his
son's distress at it--the honest rusticity of _Frank Oatland_--the
baseness, vanity and folly of _Vortex_ the nabob--the insolence and
amorousness of _Miss Vortex_ his daughter, and the whimsical incidents
arising from their various designs, mistakes, detections and
disappointments, form altogether a _melange_ of pleasantry highly
provocative of laughter, yet by no means so low as to reduce the piece
to the rank of farce, which some austere critics in London have
assigned it.
Of the performance generally, we repeat that it was good. Young Rapid
afforded criticism much satisfaction in the person of Mr. Wood, who in
many parts persuaded us that he had seen Mr. Lewis in that character,
and seen him with profit. Mr. Wood's walk is not unlike that of the
great original in London--a nasal tone of voice too is common to both.
These, if they did not create, certainly increased the resemblance
between those two gentlemen, which, however remote, was yet discernible.
In _Sir Hubert Stanley_, as in every other character in which we have
seen him, Mr. M'Kenzie deserved warm applause--he was dignified,
pathetic and interesting. Mr. Francis gave a strong colouring to Vortex;
and to say that Frank Oatland was all that the author could wish, we
need only to state that he fell to the share of Mr. Jefferson. After
all, we are doubtful whether old Rapid was not as well off in the hands
of Mr. Warren as any other character in the play.
We were greatly interested and indeed delighted by Mrs. Wood in Jesse
Oatland. Mrs. Francis was abundantly droll in Mrs. Vortex; and Mrs.
Seymour was entitled to the marks of approbation she received.
_November 22._
PIZARRO and the Review composed the bill of fare for this evening.
Although in the attack and defence of Pizarro criticism has worn down
the edges of its weapons to very dulness, we cannot forbear taking this
opportunity of recording our opinions of that extraordinary production.
No play that has appeared during the last century, possesses the power
of agitating the passions, and interesting the feelings in an equal
degree to Pizarro. From a child of the brain of Kotzebue, trained and
corrected by Sheridan, much might be expected. And the piece before us
is worthy of the talents of such men.
In any contest between _oppressed_ and _oppressors_ the heart takes in
an instant, a decided and a warm part. If the crime of _oppression_ is
aggravated by other guilt in the _oppr
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