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Covered in blood, Nancy makes a terrible sight for anyone with bad nerves or stomach trouble.
Ross and Rankin have chosen to tell a story of Dickens' description of "Nancy Sykes" and her death. Fagin (Robert Lawler) tells Nancy of his intention to make a thief of Oliver Twist. When Bill arrives she mixes a sleeping potion into his drink to enable her to slip out and inform the police. He slips into sleep and she works alone for a while. Bill explains his dream, taking his devoted Nancy into an adjoining room. After beating her with his bludgeon, he returns to the stage to watch her crawl out and die.
If one likes the gruesome kind of vaudeville, "Nancy Skyes" will please. To a mixed audience, the sketch will only partially please, which is exactly what happened Monday evening.
Rankin portrayed the murderous Bill Sykes excellently, while Miss Ross portrays the careworn wife to the letter. What there is to the story is told plainly and well.
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Variety 24:12 (11/25/1911)