For a great number of our actor-managers, the frankly French play, or even the play with a French atmosphere, has a certain fascination. Perhaps the attraction lies In the change of treatment, the passion, or the human sentiment; perhaps it is because the play is French. It is not easy to put the finger on a certain spot and say "That is why!"
Mr. H. B. Irving is not proof against the charms of the work of our friends across the Channel, and for this instance I think he has judged rightly. The moral of the play is to judge not, but I've risked it. The play was obviously written as a protest against the inhuman practice of French police methods, and is remarkable for its cleverness.
A magistrate examines the suspected murderer of a judge, in the manner adopted in France. He is subjected to a fierce cross examination. It has been found by letters in the dead judge's coat that the supposed criminal's wife was on terms of the utmost intimacy with the murdered man. The magistrate assumes that the accused wretch murdered the judge from motives of jealousy. He also examines the woman, who, while admitting her guilty relations with the judge, denies her husband's knowledge of her conduct. It is discovered, however, by the woman's solicitor, that the evidence points to the examining magistrate as the unconscious murderer of the judge.
He is apparently suffering from a terrible mental disorder, and in one of the lapses into which the disease has thrown him he is proved to have murdered his friend the judge. When the horrible truth is brought home to him the magistrate falls in a fit and the curtain drops, leaving the audience to suppose that the rest of the poor fellow's life must be spent in a criminal asylum.
If you have been sufficiently patient to read the above, for which many thanks - you will have arrived at the conclusion that "Judge Not -" is a sad play. It is. It's dismal. But it's strong and interesting. Mr. Irving gives another of his clever, intense, performances. The soul of the magistrate, writhing in agony as the truth is unfolded, as if to burst from the body, is convincingly played. It's a "shuddery" spectacle. The work of Mr. Eille Norwood as the suspected man, and Miss Edyth Olive as the wife, was distinctive and full of humanity. The other characters were well sustained.
It is more than twenty years ago since Sir Henry Irving put "Robert Macaire" on the Lyceum boards. It was referred to in those days as old-fashioned. Mr. H. B. Irving's representation is referred to in the same way to-day. Murder and burlesque, villainy and virtue, are strangely mixed up in this strong, melodramatic play. Mr. Irving's grasp of the ruffianly Macaire differs slightly from that of his father's - and one must draw comparisons. He has not thrown aside the "business" in vogue in the old Lyceum days, which is a pity. Mr. Tom Reynolds and Mr. Frank Tyars, who are such well known members of Mr. Irving's company, scored successes in their respective parts.
"Robert Macaire" offers scope for good acting in every part, and no member of the company fails to take advantage of the opportunity.
The Playgoer and Society Illustrated, Volume 2 No. 9.