" FRA DIAVOLO" METAMORPHOSED.
Fra Diavolo was born at Paris, about a twelvemonth since ; the joint offspring of Messrs. SCRIBE and AUBER. Its birth-place was the Op6ra Comique ; and it speedily grew into great favour with the Parisians. Its removal to England was to be anticipated ; and to Drury Lane especially, where WALLACK, the brigand par excellence, presides. But we were not prepared for the garbled and mutilated version of it which was brought out on Tuesday night under the following title—" The Devil's Brother, a new melo- dramatic opera; the music selected from the Fra Diavolo of AUBER, and adapted to the English stage by Mr. A. LEE." In this announcement there are certain omissions, which wt shall endeavour to supply. Some of the best pieces in AUBER'S opera are altogether left out, such as the very effective Quintett, and the Robber's Trio ; and of the songs we could not recognize one as the composition of AUBER. Whose they are, we know not: certain it is, that more than half the music is interpolated, and of a very inferior character. We conjecture these additions to be the compositions of the Manager himself. We think they have his mark upon them; and, having an eye to the.shop, he may regard a few paltry ballads, sung by Mrs. WAYLETT and Mr. SINCLAIR, as a more saleable commodity with his customers in the Quadrant than the music of AUBER. We are not very outrageous in our admiration of the Frenchman, but, comparing him with the author of the compositions in question, he rises into a MozAar or a WEBER.
The hero of the piece is a sort of dandy Rugantino ; a polished rascal, who takes snuff with an air, makes love to ladies, and apes the manners of high life. Sir Gregory Goslington (HARLEY) is a Norfolk magistrate, who is robbed by Fra Diavolo's gang, and threatens to make a state affair of his spoliation. His wife (Mrs. ORGER) is a silly coquette. Bandits, peasants, and soldiers make up the rest of the dramatis person. The story is dull, and the incidents are few, commonplace, and uninteresting. In the situa- tions and the scenery some cleverness is displayed, and the cho- ruses were very well got up. The overture is marzialissimo : the stringed instruments were entirely drowned in the din of drums of all sorts, cymbals, triangles, and such like barbarian instruments,
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