" The Mask of Virrae." At the Mercury.
THE THEATRE
Tins play is a dramatisation by a Mr. Stemheim, who died recently, of the story Jacques le Fataliste, by Diderot, and the English version is by Ashley Dukes, who has revised the original Sternheim version produced in 1935 at the Ambassadors and has restcred Diderot's own ending. Much of Diderot's story is in dialogue form, so that the play is a pretty faithful reflection of the original. In its way it is a real masterpiece and makes one curious to read Diderot's dramatic criticism. The man who wrote " the first step towards philosophy is incredulity " was certainly able to create a character in Henriette Duquesnoy in whom we can believe ; and this is no mean feat, for her beginnings are extremely unpropitious and the author has to draw her in firm and unmistakeable lines, so that we get the impress of a strong and remarkable personality at her first interview with Madame de la Pommeraye in Scene I. It is the story of a jealous woman's ingenious but unsuccessful revenge on her faithless lover ; but the main interest is in the character of the young girl into whose arms she throws him. The situation is unlikely, but just possibie ; the character drawing, however, is so firm and clear, and the dialogue so excellent, that our interest is consistently held and the co:'rse of the action remains suspended in doubt until its very end. As the jealous mistress Janet Burnell gave a convincing performance, while Julian Somers was plausible and sufficiently likeable as the faithless lover. It was, however, Renee Ascherson as Henriette who was chiefly responsible for the success of this delight- ful and original play, which ought to fiE the Mercury Theatre for
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