Today's the Day [Suzette]

Examiner of Plays' Summary:

The plot of this play is in part an elaboration of 'Zuzu', which was read last August. There was some trouble about the latter play, which was for Mlle Gaby Deslys, but happily the dubious elements of that - the bedroom scene and so forth - is absent, and the present play is quite an innocent entertainment. The first act passes in a girls' school in France, where the heroine Suzette, in love with Bobby Keith, an American, desires to escape from Gaston, her fiancé. But Willard a villain, persuades her to pose as the drowned love of an American Millionaire, whom she exactly resembles: this was the main plot of 'Zuzu'. She escapes to England with a maid and the gardener, Tibbs, the 'comedian' of the piece. In Act I Tibbs poses as the American millionaire and he and Suzette play a trick on Willard, so that the latter, thinking to get the millionaire's rewards, parts with £5000. He discovers the cheat and threatens to call the police, and Suette, asleep on the sofa - not in bed - dreams that Bobby discards her as a criminal. All comes right at 'The Charity Fete'. Willard, exposed as himself a scoundrel, is made to give the £5000 to Charity, Gaston releases Suzette and she comes to Bobby's arms. Gaston is a ridiculous type of Frenchman, by the way, but happily the French are too intelligent to be offended by that sort of fun. Some of the dialogue is on the vulgar - a legacy from 'Zuzu' but nothing to trouble about, the tone of the piece as a whole being innocent enough. I have marked a verse in a song - Act I opposite page 31 - about King Constantine, but I should not think it matters. Recommended for Licence G. S. Street NEW SCENE. In this scene Suzette has a different dream which is enacted. A servant, leaving the room, drops a fork and this is the keynote of the scheme. Gaston comes in, tears off her dress, makes her put on a peasant's dress and forces on to a couch in order to embrace her. She calls on Bobby, who comes to the rescue, but gaston gets him down and is on the point of throttling him dead when Suzette seizes the fork and stabs him in the neck. He dies, the police arrive and arrest Suzette - and then she wakes up and Bobby comes in naturally. Provided that the violent scene between Gaston and Suzette is not made too shockingly violent, there is no harm but the danger should be pointed out. Recommended for Licence G. S. Street