Joy - Sister of Mercy

Examiner of Plays' Summary:

Most of this play is the common form of flatulent melodrama. The villain begins by forging and robbing the Chapel Fund, drugs the heroine, abducts her, marries and ill-treats her, returns to the old home to commit a burglary and, his plunder being restored by his wife, knocks her down and turns her adrift. Other characters are, of course, mixed up in all this - a comic Chinaman and chambermaid, a pair of lovers and so on. In the middle of act II the scene is moved to the front, and the play much improves. A French General comes to the hospital where the heroine is a nurse to have a wound bandaged. His chauffeur is the villain under an alias and (of course) in the pay of the Germans. There is some exciting business over the theft of dispatches, the villain blinding the heroine who tries to stop him. He escapes but after several 'scraps' is caught, tried by Court Martial and shot. Then all ends happily. I do not think there is any harm in the military business, which is well meant and done with some earnestness. One passage, however, I except. Act III, scene III, page 4 (slip) where the heroine bandages the French General. 'she slits sleeve up with scissors, revealing arm bleeding and torn shirt stained with blood' etc. Must be made as realistic as possible to produce requisite effect." I think this realism, making an effect out of a wound, is objectionable and should be cut out. With this exception the play is. Recommended for license. G. S. Street. PS - 'General de Lisle' (French) and 'General Fullerton' are characters. If these are the names of actual generals others should be used.