Palace, Gloucester

‘When any country is engaged in warfare, it follows as a matter of course that a number of patriotic plays must inevitably result, and the play that is being presented at the Palace this week is no exception this rule. Entitled “Remember Belgium,” is indeed a play that appeals to the martial instincts of the public. Very little new incident is put forward, the main theme being that of the spy peril. The hero, George Grant, has conceived the idea that he is an absolute coward, whereas in reality lying dormant within him are great capabilities. He joins the Army, and after a series of exciting incidents he is mistaken for a spy and narrowly escapes being shot. He is saved by a Red Cross nurse, and the inevitable results' (Gloucestershire Chronicle, 25 September 1915). ‘That the war would produce war-plays was inevitable, and “Remember Belgium,” which is staged at the Palace Theatre this week belongs to that category. Besides being of the patriotic type it is out and out melodrama. There is nothing fresh in the way of incident, and of course it concerns the spy peril. While, however, it deals with the physical possibilities of life it also touches upon its deeper psychological problems. The hero believes himself a coward, resigning his commission at the outbreak of war, as Harry Feversham does in A. E. W. Mason’s famous novel, but he finds himself, in the end, and ultimately proves that the reverse is the case. There is plenty of fun, too, which does not help forward the story one little bit, but that does not matter; and taking the play as a whole, it provides an exciting and thrilling entertainment' (Gloucester Journal, 25 September 1915).

Previewed in the Gloucester Journal, 25 October 1919: ‘the strong cast includes Miss Doris Kendal, Miss Mary Griffith, Mr. F. Fuller [sic – P. Fuller], Mr. Eric Fane, Mr. Harold Payton, Mr. George Polson, and Mr. J. Edward Pearce’. ‘“Nurse Benson,” the comedy visiting the Palace Theatre this week for the first time, belongs to the category of entertainments which, if they do not actually renew a right spirit within us they at least put us in fresh and improved temper. The piece comes direct from the Globe Theatre, London, and in the hands of the Taylor Platt Company provides two and a half hours’ first-rate comedy. It not a farce after the order of “Charley’s Aunt,” but it is redolent with good, honest laughter nevertheless; and though it begins quietly enough, as the plot thickens and the tangle grows, so does the merriment become more absorbing. There is just that vein of love and sentiment running through the piece which gives it sweetness and cohesion' (Gloucester Journal, 1 November 1919).