ABSTRACT
Using opposites can really bring out meaning and add a lot of comedy, as this start to Noël Coward’s play Present Laughter shows. At curtain up a pretty girl dressed in pyjamas enters a famous actor’s drawing room:
Garry Essendine’s studio in London. The furnishing is comfortable, if a trifle eccentric. When the curtain rises it is 10:30 a.m. The studio is rather dim as the curtains are drawn. Daphne Stillington comes out of the spare room. She is a pretty girl of about twenty-three or four. She is wearing a man’s dressing gown and pyjamas. She wanders about until she finds the telephone and then, almost furtively, dials a number.
DAPHNEHallo—hallo! Is that you Saunders? Can I speak to Miss Cynthia? … all right I’ll hold on … hallo … Cynthia darling, it’s Daphne … yes … are you alone? Listen I’m you know where … Yes I did … No he isn’t awake yet … There’s nobody about at all … No, in the spare room, I’ve only just got up I’m not dressed or anything … I can’t go on about it now someone might come in … If anybody rings up from home will you swear to say that I stayed with you … Darling you promised … In that case say I’m in the bath or something … Yes, as soon as I’m dressed in about an hour I should think … Of course … I can’t wait to tell you … All right.
She puts down the telephone. Miss Erikson enters.
DAPHNE100 [A trifle nervously.] Good morning.
MISS ERIKSON[Betraying no surprise.] Good morning.
