Scene 1 Summary

The play opens in a fancy hotel in Havana, Cuba. Two bellboys struggle to move a coffin into the bedroom of the hotel room. As they carry it, the handles break off and the coffin falls on the ground. The bellboys are horrified. Madame Rosepettle scolds the young men as her son Jonathan follows her around the room.

The nervous bellboys do not know exactly what to do with the coffin. Madame Rosepettle continues to berate them. A third bellboy arrives with a Dictaphone that also needs to be properly placed in the room. Madame Rosepettle will not be satisfied with the bellboys. Finally, the third bellboy stands up for himself. He is a lieutenant bellboy and does not appreciate being yelled at by Madame Rosepettle.

Madame Rosepettle refers to her son by different names each time she speaks to him. He hesitantly...