The Pie and the Tart - Hugh Chesterman

Jean and Pierre are beggars. As the play opens, they pity themselves for not having taken food for the past few days. Pierre and Jean are roaming in the street because they do not have a house. They both talk about their troubles. Pierre says that he was arrested for begging and the judge did not consider him as a human being. They both plan to get some food by begging.

They both decide to go to different streets and beg. Jean goes to Gaultier’s bakery shop and knocks the door. Gaultier scolds him and shuts the door. On the other street, Jean knocks the back door of the bakery and Marion, Gaultier’s wife, scolds him. Gaultier comes out of the house with Marion and says that he is going to dine with the Mayor. He says that he would send a person to take the eel pie from the shop for dinning. Gaultier says that the person would kiss her hand to get the pie. Marion agrees for the plan.

Jean hears their plan. He asks Pierre to kiss Marion’s hand and get the pie. Pierre goes to the bakery and says that Gaultier sends him and he tries to kiss her hand. Marion believes him and gives him the pie. Both Jean and Pierre enjoy eating the pie. They both like the pie very much. Pierre says that he say a tart in their house and asks Jean to get the tart as he got the pie.

In the meanwhile, Gaultier comes home angrily and says that the mayor is not home. He asks Marion to give the eel pie. Marion says that she has given it to a person. Gaultier scolds her for being a stupid. At this time, Jean comes to the door asking for the tart. Gaultier beats and asks for the pie. Jean says that Pierre got the pie. He also brings Pierre to Gaultier.

Pierre comes there and says that he gave the pie to the mayor, who came home just then. He says that the mayor asked for the tart. Gaultier feels happy. He is cheated by giving the tart to Pierre.

The Boy Comes Home – A.A. Milne

The play takes place in the hall at Uncle James home. As the play opens, we find Philip who has come away from Army life and he is now staying with his uncle. He is demanding for breakfast but Mary (servant) refused to give him breakfast and said, as per uncle James schedule the time is 8 o’clock and she must get permission from Mrs. Higgins (cook) to give breakfast after 8 o’clock. Just then, Aunt Emily enters and enquires about Philip work and whether he had breakfast or not. He complains about Mrs. Higgins refusal for breakfast. When Mrs. Higgins enters, Philip argues with her and finally he tares the cheque of 45 pounds and offers to Mrs. Higgins and asks her to leave from the job. This gives a shock to her and she says that she won’t leave the job and will do whatever he needs.

Uncle James enters and starts scolding Philip for his laziness. Then he warns Philip, not to smoke before him and threatens him to be punctual. There starts an argument between them about his future. Philip wants to study Architect but his uncle forces him to join his Jam business. Philip demands for money to stay out and also demands for his property. Uncle James advices him that he will get his property when he will become 25years old and he also advices him that it is not a right age to study instead it is better to join into business. Philip gets angry and suddenly takes of his Pistol and points to his uncle James head. Uncle James gets scar about his activity. Next day, he says to Philip to study what he likes. Finally Philip gets realize and says to his uncle what ready to join in Jam business. When Philip was in Army, he was punctual and discipline but comes to home he changes his attitude like lazy. Finally his uncle James changed him to be punctual and obeyed.

The Dear Departed - Stanley Houghton

Stanley in his one act play tries to bring out the qualities of the two daughters called Mrs. Slater & Mrs. Jordan towards their father. The author tries to show how the sisters are interested in the property of their father rather than to show true care and affection towards their father. The play begins with Mrs. Slater who is dressed in black demands her husband Henry and her daughter to be in black dresses as a symbol of mourning. The hero of the play Abel who is sick and bedridden is taken as a dead person and she starts dividing the properties of her father.

The three things Mrs. Slater takes from his father’s property, first she took his Slippers and asks her husband Henry Slater to wear it. Second is Clock, it was in the upstair in his room, and then it has been shifted to her ground floor and third one is Bureau. After all arrangement and shifting, her sister Mrs. Jordan and her husband Ben Jordan enter there for Mr. Abel’s mourning. Mrs. Slater asks them to have something like coffee or tea before seeing their father’s dead body and they start to discuss about the property of his father. Mrs. Jordan asks to her sister about Bureau and Clock to be there. Mrs. Slater tells her, it has been gifted by her father, before his death.

They plan to see the will, so Victoria Slater goes to get the Bureau key in the upstair her Grandfather’s room and she tells, he is alive and coming. Abel asks them about their black dress and shifted things. Mrs. Jordan explains to him all what happened. Then Able understands about their interest to get his property and he says, going to marry a woman who take care him up to end. He says, three things going to do on next day. First he has to change his property to his new wife and should pay the premium in Insurance office and last he has to go St. Philip’s Church to marry Mrs. John Shorrock who is a widow and living in Ring-O- Bells place. Finally Abel says thanks to Mrs. Slater for shifted the Bureau down because that will be easy to carry to Ring-O-Bells and the dear departed from there.

Refund - Fritz Karinthy

The play refund is full of humour which deals with an extraordinarily ludicrous situation. The main character in the play is Wasserkopf. He is forty years old. He could not get any employment and wherever he went the people told him that he is fit for nothing and nothing worth while he has learnt when he was studying.
One day he met a Lederer and asked him about his business. When the Lederer told him about foreign exchange and Hungarian money, he was not able to understand anything and started asking questions about foreign exchange to the Lederer. For which the Lederer said when you don’t know the silly thing what have you studied, you better go to your school and get your tuition fees back. Wasserkopf who was jobless and didn’t have any finance, this idea sounded something beneficial to him and so he went to the school where he studied once.
When he asks for the refund of his tuition fees, the principal is shocked because after eighteen years he has come to the school thinking that he has learnt nothing worthwhile and so he can get his tuition fees back.
The principal is in a peculiar situation now and he calls for an urgent meeting with all other staff members. They decided to keep a re-examination for Wasserkopf and agreed that whatever answers he gives weather it is right or wrong they will prove him right. One by one each teacher questions him and justified his wrong answer to be correct one and they mark him excellent. Though Wasserkopf gives wrong answers and use abuse words to each teacher, they don’t show their anger because they have to prove him as an excellent student to chuck him out.
At least the mathematics master asks him a difficult question and an easy question. For the easy question he gives wrong answer and the master gets angry and says that he has failed on his examination so he should be given his tuition fees back. The master says that we have decided to give you your tuition fees back and now can you tell as the exact amount which we have to give you. Wasserkopf without knowing that he is going to fall into their trap gives them the list of exact amount. So the mathematics master says that was my difficult question to give the exact amount of your tuition fees for which you gave the right answer.
Now he is proved excellent in the entire subject and they throw him out without allowing him to say anything further. The play is full of humour and full of ludicrous situation. It also shows the ability of the teachers to manage the situation and how they tackle Wasserkopf without spoiling the reputation of their school.