Mrs. Partridge Presents

About the show

Act I (Living room of Maisie Partridge's Washington Square apartment. Morning of an October day.) At curtain rise, Ellen speaks with Philip Partridge who is sketching. Her slight malapropism and his inattention gives the introductory exposition an off-kilter flavor. Ellen has him wake Delight, who had late rehearsals for a vaudeville sketch. Delight is anxious about Sydney Armitage calling, but when the doorbell rings it is Stephen Applegate. He is flustered by a trade paper's announcement that Mrs. Partridge will present hats by Madame La Fleur come the spring, derailing a real estate deal he setup for her. When Maisie arrives, she is amused by Stephen's discomfiture, and pays more attention to Philip's sketches than his complaints. But Maisie grows alarmed at the arrival of Sydney Armitage; her plans for Delight's acting career precludes any romance. Having been married at 17, and widowed a few years later, Maisie is against marriage for Delight. Maisie deliberately calls Sydney by various last names, and finally reveals Delight is an actress, something the girl had kept secret from him. Upset, Sydney decides to go with Delight and Maisie to the afternoon rehearsal. (Curtain) Act II (The same. The following April, an afternoon.) Katy calls on Delight with a message from Sydney. She is their go-between, since Maisie forbade Delight to see him anymore. Sydney is expecting her to meet him, so they can elope. Maisie returns home unexpectedly from her shop. She insists Delight must go audition for a part in a Broadway production. Delight tries to beg off, but Maisie insists. She tells Delight the unhappy story of her own marriage, how she wanted to act and paint but couldn't once she had wed. Stay independent she urges Delight, do not get married. Delight confronts her mother over always standing out, from her name to the custom dresses Maisie designed for her. She wanted to wear Peter Thomsons like other girls. Sydney, growing impatient, comes up to the apartment with Charlie Ludlow. Philip wants to go to Spain with Charlie to work on building a bridge. Maisie is astonished to find Sydney there and tries to throw him out. She quarrels with Delight who in turn quarrels with Sydney. Finally Sydney and Delight both storm out. Maisie begs Stephen to resurrect the real estate deal, but its too late... Madame La Fleur has already set sail for New York and needs the property for her hat shop. Maisie confesses that she invested all her money in the Broadway show to secure the "audition" for Delight; she needs to sell the property to keep operating. Stephen promises to secure a bank loan for her, though she turns down his proposal. But Delight phones... she went to the producer and took the part after all. (Curtain) Act III (The new and as yet unopened hat shop. A week later.) Katy pops into the closed hat shop to annoy Miss Hamilton with her inane chatter. Knowing Katy is wealthy and an easy sales target, Miss Hamilton directs Clementine to steer her back to the dress shop next door. Maisie arrives, worried both by Madame La Fleur's imminent arrival and by Delight's dress rehearsal. Stephen tells her that Madame La Fleur has arrived a day early and will soon be at the shop. Maisie is petulant when Philip tells her he is going to Spain for six months, but will keep up his sketching. She would rather he drop art altogether if he will not work at it fulltime. Worse news is coming; Delight drops by to tell Maisie she is married to Sydney, and quitting the show. She insists the understudy is better than her anyway, and she would rather be a wife and mother. Left alone with Stephen, Maisie laments her double betrayal, while he reminds her they have lives of their own to live. She is disconsolate, yet bucks up when Madame La Fleur comes into the shop, and welcomes her as a fellow professional. (Curtain)