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Horace Shipp, The English Review, vol.34, 1922

“Ferrand, as depicted in The Pigeon (and splendidly acted by Ernest Thesiger) would have moulded institutions; he is a strong man in a play wherein Galsworthy’s penchant for portraying weakness becomes an active fault.”

Sketch of Ernest as Ferrand by Rudolf Helmut Sauter, John Galsworthy's nephew.

The Nation and Athenaeum, March 11, 1922

“The most striking performance, howver, is that of Mr. Ernest Thesiger as Ferrand, faultlessly French and deeply pathetic.”

“Ferrand, the French outcast, is more credible.  He has the philosophy of the Latin mind, though his outbursts of gaiety are forced to the point of pessimism.  Mr. Ernest Thesiger is picturesque and sincere; he reads the parts, however, on Russian lines.  He suggests the brooding Slav rather than a vagabond of the boulevard; there is no sign that Ferrand belongs to the company of vagrants once captained by Villon.  As a phantasy - the label affixed to the play on its original production - it lacks illusion; as a picture of life it is out of drawing.”

The New Witness, March 3, 1922