The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-13
UNDER FIRE. FIRST
WAR PLAY OF YEAR
Roi Cooper Mcgruc's Latest Of
fcring Is Seen at the
Hudson Theatre.
COURTENAY HEADS CAST

The first OF the new seasons war
olays was seen last evening when Sell
vyn & Co. presented nj the Hudson
Theatre Under Fire. by Roi Cooper
M.grue. Mr.. Megrue had already writ
ten several successful plays. among
which is Under Cover recently seen
At the Cort Theatre. He was also CO.
author OF 1T Pays to Advertise and
q, A number Of other pieces Of merit.
This was his frst attempt at n strictly
var play.
Three varieties OF this kind OF drama
eraoed the New York stage last winter
in The Hyphen." The White Feather
and inside the Lines" all of which
with the exception Of the hrst men,
toned attained to more or less financial
and artistic success. Under Fire" Is
another bid for popularity In this re-
spect.
william Courtenay had the leading
role las, night and was the featured
member of the company. Opposite him
was Violet Hemlng. n OF the promis-
ing OF the younger generation OF act
resses. They appeared together last
season. Mckay Morris. Phoebe Foster,
Felix Krembs. Henry Stephenson
Frank Craven. Robert Fischer and
Dorothy Abbott made up a part Of the
cast OF Under Fire"
Intrigue n the Outset.
Under Fire" opens In the tranquil
and i~ncredulous London Of the few
days preceding the beginning of the war,
developing the fact that Ethel WI
-xA M
sta1 In the homo of her father, SIR
George WdpstaD, has been intrigued
into secret marriage with one Henry
streetmar, calling himaelf an agent OF
the French secret service. She Is In
fact spying on Sr George at the demand
Of her husband.
The rumor of war had brought back
10 London n to Ethel Capt. Laurence
Redmond, who 10 In love with the girl.
He asks her TO marry him and hears
Of her marriage. In the casual passing
OF remarks Capt. Redmond unwittingly
reveals to Ethel that her husband.
Streetmdn, Is = spy In the German SER
vice. She at nee starts a programme
which will array her against her hus-
band In the war game n promises aid
to Redmond in the English service.
As the scene shifts to Belgium the
German invasion has begun. increasing
In both strategy and force. till at the
'rd, after the fortunes Of war have
swung a full cycle n S~treetmaw has
been killed ard his peridies ended by
the ~aeroplane destruction OF the trench
In which he Is Matching n new series
o rlllalnies. Redmond and Ethel md
each other in a field hospital some
Where in northern France"
Plenty Of stirring Action.
Mr. Megrue has written one OF the
most ambitious war plays yet produced.
a. the same time the choice OF a war
subject in time OF war Is always open
TO serious question. In Under Fire
there is perhaps a little too much blood
ana thunder though there Ia plenty OF
stirring action Of another sort, which at
times nearly brought the audience to ia
ieet William Courtenay ~ the soldier
nero acted In his usual graceful and
finished style. Chief honors, however,
fel TO Miss Heming. Possessed OF ex-
tremeiy o o looks. together with q
charming manner. she used all to good
advantage.
In the play is n character that gives
Q relieving color to the sombreness OF
war This is the American newspaper
reporter played by Frank Craven He
appears first in SIR George Wa9sta1's
nome In London, next at the wrecked Inn
In Belgium and finally In a British
trench. where he finds an amusing poker
game In progress. counts the stars In
the sky, which is all he can see from
the trench, and then learns with amaze
ment that he Is under IRE"
Under Fire" Is well written, we'll
acted and well staged.