First performed in 1914, the play is set during the First World War and tells the story of a group of German spies in South East England and the British agent who thwarts their undercover operation.
However it soon becomes clear to the audience that he is actually a British secret agent attempting to uncover a group of German spies, based in the hotel, who are sending information to Germany using a wireless machine hidden in the fireplace.
The Australian premiere was at the Theatre Royal, Sydney on 1 May 1915 where its war theme gained particular relevance due to news of the Gallipoli landings which began less than a week earlier.
[12] The play, which starred Frank Harvey in the title role,[13] is considered to have been a major influence on the Australian film Within Our Gates (1915).
[13] The play toured Canada, being performed at the Princess Theatre, Montreal, in 1915 with a cast that included Grace Hampton and Wyndham Standing,[17] and in Toronto at the Royal Alexandra, where in March 1916, it returned for a third time in less than a year.