The Tenth Man: A Tragic Comedy in Three Acts

A sharp‑witted tragic comedy opens in the elegant drawing‑room of Lord and Lady Francis Etchingham, an upper‑class couple whose polished façade hides a growing sense of financial strain. The Etchingham’s personalities are sketched with affection: he is affable yet nervously eager to keep everything running smoothly, while she balances good‑humoured scorn with a sturdy, commanding presence. Their banter, brisk and full of ironic affection, sets a tone that is both light‑hearted and subtly uneasy.

The calm is shattered when their daughter Kate arrives at midnight, barely clothed and clearly having fled from her husband. The couple’s frantic attempts to understand the scandal – from complaints about an unexplained toothbrush to bewildered questions about her future plans – reveal the clash between rigid social expectations and personal turmoil. Their dialogue crackles with humor, yet the undercurrents of worry hint at deeper consequences.

As servants and acquaintances begin to surface, the Etchingham household teeters on the brink of chaos, promising a blend of farce and pathos that will test family loyalties and societal pretenses throughout the three acts.