La Joie Fait Peur

La Joie Fait Peur ("joy causes fear") is a one act French play in 23 scenes by Mme Émile de Girardin (Delphine de Girardin, 1804-1855)[].

The original text

First performed in Paris, at the Théâtre-Français on 25 February, 1854, and published by Callmann-Lévy, Paris.

Translations and adaptations

Translated into English as The Joy that Causes Fear by Tennyson Smith, published and performed in Australia in 1888 by Tessero's French Comedy Company [1]

Adapted into English as a one act play called Night and Morning by Dion Boucault ()[]. The play was also apparently known as Kerry, after the leading character, originally played by Boucicault himself.

Performance history in South Africa

1903: Performed as Kerry by the Edward Terry and his company in the Good Hope Theatre, Cape Town, on 6 April, along with The Passport (Stephenson and Yardley).

Sources

Transcript version of the original French text, Théâtre-documentation.com[2]

Facsimile version of the Callmann-Lévy edition, Gallica[3]

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Boucicault,_Dion_(DNB01)

Facsimile version of the 1888 Programme and text of The Joy that Causes Fear, Trove[4]

D.C. Boonzaier, 1923. "My playgoing days – 30 years in the history of the Cape Town stage", in SA Review, 9 March and 24 August 1932. (Reprinted in Bosman 1980: pp. 374-439.)

F.C.L. Bosman. 1980. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1912. Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik: p.414.

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