The Mirror of Taste, and Dramatic Censor, Vol. I, No. 1, January 1810
General
The Mirror of Taste, and Dramatic Censor, Vol. I, No. 1, January 1810
Drama -- Periodicals; Theater -- Periodicals
Mountfort arrives alone, and not knowing Rosenberg
engages him to guard Ella, while he goes to seek a conveyance for her.
Rosenberg now finds the cause of his imprisonment--an interesting
discovery takes place between him and Ella--but he is detected by one of
his pursuers, and is again in the hands of his enemies, when the elector
enters, and obtaining the most perfect conviction of the villany of
Mountfort, disgraces him, restores the young couple to rank and
happiness, and the brave and virtuous old Storm to life, liberty and
joy.
The plot of this melo-drame is wrought up with uncommon skill: the
interest rising by a progressive climax which keeps the heart in a warm
glow of feeling from the first scene to the last. Old Storm is worth a
whole army of what are called heroes, and the elector is a model of
justice and humanity for princes to imitate.
According to the London casting Rosenberg would have fallen to the share
of the first player in the house: but we had no reason to complain of
Mr. Cone. Mr. Warren discharged the high office of elector with dignity;
and Mr. M'Kenzie was an excellent representative of the old
cut-and-thrust-colonel. Such characters as Ella are always interesting
when played by Mrs. Wood.
The tasteful amateur must have been roused and delighted by the music,
particularly the overture.
Ella Rosenberg was followed by one of the most monstrous productions,
the mind of man ever groaned withal. Never did melancholy madman
labouring under the horrors of an inflammation of the brain--never did a
wretch fevered with gluttony and intemperance, and writhing under the
pressure of the night-mare, dream of more horrible circumstances than
those which Mr. Lewis has offered in this prodigious melo-drame, for the
ENTERTAINMENT of the British nation. Where will the taste of England
stop in its descent? Where will the impositions on it by bastard genius
end? Yet since this monster has produced a powerful effect, and is
managed with such perverted skill as to excite a strong interest, and
since whole audiences condescend to club tastes with the scarecrow old
women of the heath and the mountain, and to play "look at the bugabow,"
with the nurselings of the lap, we should be sorry to be deficient in
curtesy, or when so many good and wise people drivel not to drivel a
little too; we bend therefore with stiff and painful obedience to our
duty, and offer our readers a short summary of the fable.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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