New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-01-14
THE SPY"
KistemaeCkers'S Play of Patri-
otiSm at the Empire.
HAS RIVETED STRENGTH
Some Interesting, Restrained
Acting by Miss Matthison
in Role of Monique.

Love is a Pilgrim" sings the waltz
song. More often after an evening at
the playhouse IL seems as though love
were an old overcoat that is put on,
thrown off laid away in moth balls. con-
signed to the dust heap and finally re-
stored TO proud usage as the wearer's
best garment
In the first act OF The Spy the wife
Monique Felt il quite convincing in Aer
statement that love for her husband is
| dead. dead and buried. There are
smcudering embers of hate over the
grave and that always gives disquiet
ing feeling that the corpse beneath was
not dead enough to bury. StIll she has
fallen, apparently with great sincerity,
into love with Marcel Beaucourt, and is
| planning with him to divorce her hus-
band. when 10, at quarter before
O'Clock Of still night her husband kills
spy and rtshes to his wife's rooms as
| "A fugitive. Colonel Felt was also heavily
! i'm debt to the spy and the debt had be
come due. But the murderer explains to
! his wife that he killed the man because
he was SOY. not becarse he was
creditor.
In a fash. Monique accepts this view, is
again possessed OF the love that was
dead and buried and fights with her hus-
hand TO cover up the murder for the sake
OF their love and their little son.
IN the third act Marcel Beaucourt, who
besides being In love with Monique is
government official takes charge Of the
| case, suspects the murderer. and Is about
| TO denoulce hin. Colonel Felt explains
to his rival that the murder was com
mittcd for "our country" Beaucourt
bows his head. forpives the murderer and
promises TO hush the matter up. so that
Felt may go on with his valuable services
TO the government
Murder as 4 means of reconciliation be-
tween estranged husbands and wives is
novel suggestion. II gives the old saving
that everything is for the best quite
an unusual note Of sincerity.
Although the play is artificial in its
material the working out OF IL lis done
with smoothness and skill and without
waste Of words. II moves. in fact, like
an interesting machine. with great self
confidence and precision. II has a num-
Der Of agreeable features. For Instance.
principal characters are on the stage
They are gathered in the salon in the
lamplight ENJOYING their hostess play
ing Of the piano and looking az an en-
chanting view Of the lighted city lying
I'm the valley beyond the windows A
short conversation begins. and in a
twiuklinC all the characters are placed.
The same brief simplicity Of dialogue
continues throughout and the double
theme Of love and Notwithstanding az
instrument the husband who Is trying 10
win back his wlfe's love and also to serve
his country-is worked out without coun-
ter themes or complexities OF any kind.
Tho Spy is we'll set and there is
pleasing lack OF distractng and unneces-
sary details both in furnishing and
stage business
The most interesting acting Of the even
ing was done hy Edith Wynno Matthison
IN the role of tho wife. Tho part OF
Moniduc provides what would be 10 many
tempting opportunity 10 Indulge in big
sccncs"-to step down front and sing
arias 50 to speak. Instead. Miss Matthi-
son followed the French uaturaistic
school moro nearly than any English Or
American player vet seen has attempted
in A part OF the Kind The only dinercnc"
was that she did not express excitement
I'm the staccato Gallo way, but in the
slower and less artIcuatc Anglo-Saxon
way. And this slowness Of tempo in the
expression Of emotion suggests what
seems at first glance fault in Miss
Matthisons rendering Of the part II
was not spirited enough. \ mature
woman who loved and hated and loved
again I'm the pfd succession practised by
Nonidue must have been a person VINO
responded TO impulse In n quick and merry
WAY. Miss Matthlson. on the other hand, |
PLAYED the calm. sane and commanding
personallty neither moody nor impulsiFe'
CyrH Kcightly. az the husband patriot
and murderer, played with sincerity ana
some force. hut INDUCED IN mannerisms
NJ walking and standing that robbed the
mart Of seriousness Julian l. EstranSe
plaved the lover I'm his usual direct ana
earnest manner.
The play, which was written ny the
Belgian dramatist. Henry kistemaeck-
ers. under the title La F1ambee' and
produced in Paris successfully last sea-
son was satisfactorily adapted by Peter
lie Marchant.
The Spy" has interest rather for It's
method than its ideas. and although
nothing new In the way OF piaymaking' u
a well rivetcd piece Of construction
CAST OF THE SPY