Charles Frohman produced this four-act Edward E. Rose play at the Empire Theatre, where it opened on 28 December 1896 for 216 performances. Rose's play was adapted from a Stanley Weyman novel and premiered successfully in London before a New York production starring William Faversham as Gil de Be-rault, who defies Cardinal Richelieu's ban on dueling. As punishment, the Cardinal cruelly gives Berault the choice of either losing his life or betraying the trust of the brother of his lover, Renée de Cochefort, played by Viola Allen. Outwitting the Cardinal, Berault is reunited with Renée. Three motion picture versions appeared (1915, 1923, 1937) and it was adapted into a 1928 musical, The Red Robe.
The Historical Dictionary of the American Theater. James Fisher.