Bird in hand : a play in one act

In a sun‑lit study filled with specimen cases, a towering microscope, and a bewildering array of papers, the eminent Professor Braintree wrestles with the ordinary and the uncanny. His day begins with a clumsy bout at a typewriter, a broken bowl of “Benger’s Food,” and a strained conversation through a speaking‑tube, setting a tone of meticulous routine interrupted by small, comic mishaps.

Enter Miss Tuckey, his efficient secretary, whose calm demeanor masks the tension of keeping pace with the professor’s exacting demands. Alongside a curious granddaughter, Elfrida, and an enigmatic “bird‑in‑hand” that seems to embody a deeper mystery, the scene hints at a clash between scientific certainty and the elusive nature of truth. Listeners are drawn into a world where scholarly order meets the unpredictable, promising a witty exploration of intellect, obligation, and the strange objects that challenge even the most methodical mind.