Hearts and clubs : A comedy in three acts

In a breezy seaside hotel, Mrs. Alljoy laments the familiar ache in her side and the throbbing headache that keeps her from joining her husband’s nightly outings. Mr. Alljoy, ever the oblivious club‑goer, tries to coax her into the lounge with promises of music, only to retreat after a sarcastic remark about his newspaper. Their banter, peppered with sighs and dramatic faint‑play, sets a lighthearted tone that sketches both the fragility of the “invalid” wife and the well‑meaning but clueless husband.

The arrival of the spirited Mrs. Frisk turns the scene into a comic showcase of the early‑20th‑century fitness craze. She flaunts a new gown earned by “physical culture,” demonstrating clumsy yet earnest exercises with Indian clubs and rope jumps, and urges the Alljoys to join the eccentric X.Y.Z. Club of lady‑athletes. The clash between conventional domestic expectations and the emerging zeal for health creates a bustling, witty tableau that promises plenty of laughs as the characters navigate romance, rivalry, and the oddities of fashionable self‑improvement.