THE THEATRE
6. The Sulky Fire." At the Arts Theatre.
THE French playwright M. Jean-Jacques Bernard had made a reputa- tion in this country some time before the war, and several of his plays, including The Sulky Fire, had obtained at least a succes d'estime in London. He has a real but delicate talent ; unfortunately, this early play is not one of his best, and I cannot but think it was a disservice to the author to produce it at the present time. The idea of the play is in itself irritating in its pettiness, and is made more so by the character-drawing of the French soldier who, return- ing from the war of 1914-18, is obsessed with the suspicion that perhaps his wife during his absence at the front has been unfaithful to him with an American soldier billeted upon her. As a matter of fact, we know she has not, and consequently the husband's gloomy and obstinate cross-examining affects the spectator as bordering on mania. The part of the husband is so faithfully acted by Mr. Michael Golden as to be almost unbearably depressing when not simply infuriating. The feeling we are left with is just, " Why does not this gloomy bore stop tormenting his wife and share her happi- ness in his safe return instead of trying to ruin both their lives? " It is impossible to feel any sympathy with M. Bernard's hero, and where sympathy is inadmissible drama is non-existent. Miss Nancy Hornsby gave an admirable performance as the wife, but could not prevent us from wanting her to walk out on her besotted husband,
Previous page
