After the Trial
Examiner of Plays' Summary:
There is a note to this Play that 'the characters are purely fictitious.' It was suggested, I think, by the Malcolm case, but it is too remote from the facts of that cause célèbre to have any bearing on it. Mrs Andrews, Iris, has just been acquitted of the murder of one Livsky, a blackmailing adventurer, the evidence being that though he was shot with her revolver in her room (at a friend's bungalow) the deed was done by a burglar - Livsky having come to her assistance on her crying out. After some conversation with two light-minded friends at an hotel, her husband arrives and in an interview with her alone tells her that he was the burglar: he was informed that she was intriguing with Livsky and had concealed himself in her room and had seen her shoot him. Iris says that Livsky never was her lover though she was near eloping with him when he demanded money and threatened her with exposure, whereupon she shot him. The upshot is that she consents to give up her friends and live in Devonshire while her husband is abroad and that they will take up life together when he returned. The theme is not pleasant but there is no harm in it and it is a well written little play. Recommended for Licence. G. S. Street
Researcher's Summary:
The ‘Malcolm case’ mentioned by the Examiner of Plays, and hinted at in The Era, 23 January 1918, refers to the case of Lieutenant Douglas Malcolm who, while home on leave from the Western Front in 1917, had confronted, shot and killed his wife’s lover, and was tried for murder and acquitted. Two week’s performances have been found, in January 1918, as part of variety bills. The review in The Era alludes to the vulnerable position of women whose husbands were away at the war, a theme addressed directly in some other plays of the period.
Licensed On: 4 Jan 1918
License Number: 1332
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British Library Reference: LCP1918/1
British Library Classmark: Add MS 66183 I
Performances
| Date | Theatre | Type | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Jan 1918 | Euston Palace, London | Unknown | Licensed Performance |
| 14 Jan 1918 | Euston Palace, London | Professional |
Read Narrative
The Stage, 17 January 1918, page 12, reviewed After The Trial, “a timely one-act play” by Laura Leycester, produced on a bill with variety acts at The Euston on Monday 14 January 1918. The cast was: Capt. Stephen Andrews, Percy Rhodes; Iris, Laura Leycester; Mrs B……, Mildred Cotell; XXX Jackson, Willox Cadogan; [a maid], Dorothy Smith. Much of the review is illegible on the British Newspaper Archive (mostly an account of the plot). It begins: ‘Described as “a moral of the moment” …’ and there are references to ‘the intense dramatic value of the dialogue’ and ‘the earnestness and point of its(?) interpretation in the hands of the capable players’. Then follows an account of the plot and the review concludes: ‘Capitally staged and dressed, “After the Trial” is certainly worthy of presentation before West End audiences. Laura Leycester invests the part of Iris with sincerity. The long interview between husband and wife is artistically and powerfully handled, Percy Rhodes sharing with her the honours as Stephen. The wife’s friends are consistently played by Mildred Cotell and Willox Cadogan, while Dorothy Smith makes a capital maid. Altogether a capital little play, well played by all concerned’.
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| 21 Jan 1918 | Empress, Brixton | Professional |
Read Narrative
‘The right to kill, of which we are accustomed to speak euphemistically as the unwritten law, is the subject of a strong little sketch at the Brixton Empire this week. Why it is billed as a "timely one-act play” I am not quite sure; perhaps we are expected to recall a certain recent much-discussed criminal case, or perhaps we are meant to understand that the protracted absence of husbands in this war may lead to many tragedies for which forgiveness is the only healing balm. “A Moral of the Moment,” further announces the programme. But morals apart, Miss Laura Leycester may be congratulated on having written an effective little stage drama, and on having obtained an admirable little company to interpret it’. The review mentions ‘an excellently acted scene between Miss Laura Leycester and Mr. Percy Rhodes. There is also a very accomplished little performance by Miss Mildred Cotell as the wife’s girl pal, and altogether the sketch is worth its hire (whatever the hire may be)’. The Era, 23 January 1918.
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