Act 1 Summary

It is 11:15 P.M. in London. People are running for cover from the rain, and cab whistles are echoing throughout the area. A woman and her daughter have found cover under the overhang of a church in Covent Gardens. The daughter introduces readers/audiences to her brother Freddie who has been gone some time looking for a cab. The daughter does not have much faith in her brother, but her mother defends the missing child. Someone nearby comments that a cab will be hard to find; most cabs have already gone to theatergoers.

Freddy, a young man of twenty joins his family and informs them that it is impossible to find a cab. He says that he had been to stations in two directions in search of a cab and could not find one. His sister questions how much effort he actually gave...