New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-10-02
THE SPY" IN LONDON
Adaptation from the French at
the st. James'S Theatre.
REMARKABLY GOOD CAST
PLAY, Produced Under the Name
of 1.-THE Turning Point"
Wins Great Applause.
fBy Cable 10 The Tribune. ]


London, Oct. 1.-Sir George Alex
ander produced tonight at the st.
James's Theatre THE Turning Point
play which Charles Frohman VIII
later present In New. York under the
title Of 1.-THE Spy" The story Of the
play, already fully told in the Tribune
cable dispatches. raises two entirely
different questions, viz, % now far
murder may be justified by patriotism,
and (2) whether the strictest possible
divorce laws are not advisable, both
from the point Of view Of morality and
OF the ultimate happiness Of both the
so-called victims.
The story is that OF French officer
who has become deeply involved In
debt. partly through his lavish devotion
TO his wife, who really loves him,
though they have been estranged on ac-
count of his overbearing temperament.
The wife has entered on a friendship
with a brilliant lawyer and ex-Cabinet
minister, who proposes to marry her If
she can get a divorce, but she Is
Catholic and the Church refuses its
sanction to divorce.
The officer, who Is now colonel, Is
inspecting a frontier fort, when he
finds himself In the power Of pre-
tended banker, who Is really spy and
who has bought up the coloners debts.
The spy threatens TO ruin the colonel
unless the latter turns over the plans
OF the fort. The colonel blazes up, and
i'm a spirit Of patriotic fury kills the
spy. Then at midnight he goes to his
wife's room, where she is expecting her
lawyer lover, tells her Of the murder.
and instead OF speaking 10 her in his
former d!ctatorial way. he makes
simple appeal for protection. Con-
fronted by the terrible situation in
which her husband has placed her, the
wife realizes she loves him.
1t only remains to say that The play
well deserves the praise given II, both
by critics and by Sir George Alexander
himself. In explaining his choice of this
play for the opening Of his season. IL
IL not likely, however. to arouse the
discussion In London that II did in
Paris. where the two points especially
brought out caused widespread argu-
ment, unless the argument Is forced
here by artificial means.
The interest and popularity OF the
play in London probably lie in the
power and excellence OF its acting. In
the English adaptation certain meas
ure Of commonplaceness in the lines,
which too frequently descend TO the
level Of the old fashioned tank drama.
is rather noticeable but the nigh level
which the play reaches as piece Of
dramatic writing easily carries this
fault.
The most intense moment Of the play
comes in the second act In fact 1t Is
not a moment. but the entire act, the
whole OF which Is given TO the scene In
which the estranged husband and wife
are brought together by the patriotic
murder committed by the husband.
The interest did not flag after this
however, but was sustained 10 the fnal
curtain. when the disappointed admirer
OF the wife becomes the husbands de-
fender before the courts.
In the presentation praise must 30 In
equal measure to all the actors. Sir
George Alexander. Of course, played
Colonel Felt, the principal part; but.
excellent AS was his work, It was no
better than that OF Godfrey Tearle as
Marcel Beaucourt, the wife's sutton; OF
Miss Ethel Irving as the wife or j. ID.
Beyeridge as Monseigneur Jussy, the
priest who refused to sanction the d.
vorce.
The play was received with great en-
thusiasm and Sir George Alexander
was called upon to speak