Jessie Bateman (1877-1940)

"The Whip"
By Cecil Raleigh and Henry Hamilton.
Revived at Drury Lane Theatre on 26th March, 1910.

Messrs, Vincent Clive, Basil Gill, George Barrett, Cyril Keightley, Charles Rod, Alfred Bucklaw, Cecil Cameron, Austin G. Melford, Charles Blackall, and Misses Jessie Bateman, Fanny Brough, Nancy Price, Madge Fabian, May Warley, and others.

Wickedness and Virtue, and the constant, struggle between them, have been revived at Drury Lane in "The Whip." Playgoers are doubtless familiar with the story of "The Whip's" success; they remember how the callous William Sartorys turns the accident which befalls the Earl of Brancaster to his own wicked use. The hero's loss of memory through the accident is taken advantage of by the bad woman of the piece, Mrs. D' Aquila, at the instigation of the villain. Instead of turning her wicked head away with "Oh! fie!" or "How cruel," she says, "Yes! yes!" and forthwith consents to swear that Brancaster married her before he lost his memory. Poor Brancaster spends all he has on the lawyers who try to get him out of this trouble, and his last hope of success is the winning of the Marquis of Beverley's race-horse, "The Whip," in the Two Thousand Guineas. Then the fun starts. The villain tries to wreck the horse-box and succeeds in doing it - but the horse has been saved. He next endeavours to get the jockey arrested just as he is about to ride but Brancaster rushes the detectives and the crowd hold them prisoners until the race ends. Of course "The Whip" wins, and we see the downfall of wickedness and the triumph of virtue. No wonder the audience roared approval. The race scene is certainly one of the most realistic pieces of work ever put on the boards. The railway accident and the motor disaster have their thrills. The presence of real horses and real hounds on the stage meets with great appreciation from those in front, and the whole production has lost none of the humanity or the compelling interest in its revival.

It would be difficult to find a sweeter Lady Diana Sartorys than Miss Jessie Bateman, a more practical Mrs. Beamish than Miss Fanny Brough, a more heroic hero than Mr. Vincent Clive, a colder-blooded Sartorys than Mr. Cyril Keightley, or a more earnest parson than Mr. Basil Gill, while we can only be thankful that Miss Nancy Price in real life is a delightful contrast to the character she portrays in "The Whip." Mr. George Barrett makes a breezy old sportsman of Tom Lambert, and the Joe Kelly of Mr. Charles Roch is a really clever piece of work.

Playgoer and Society Illustrated, Vol II No 7,April 1910.