Five Little Plays

The scene opens in a snug, tastefully appointed flat on Shaftesbury Avenue, its modest furnishings softened by fresh flowers and well‑chosen pictures. A crackling fireplace, a baby‑grand piano, and a cluttered card‑table set the stage for an intimate evening, while the kitchen door reveals a bustling dinner‑table. The atmosphere feels lived‑in, a comfortable domestic backdrop that hints at the social circles of early‑twentieth‑century London.

Within this setting, Hector Allen, a weary reader of plays, vents his frustration over a job that has become a “dog’s life,” juggling endless new scripts and nightly performances. His friend Walter Cozens, the dandy‑like dabbler, offers comic relief, while Betty, Hector’s poised companion, moves quietly between rooms. Their banter reveals a sharp satire of theatrical conventions—especially the tired love‑triangle plots of French adaptations—setting up a lively clash between artistic ambition and the mundane realities of daily life.