Act I, Scene I

The play begins with Mr. Dangle, the critic, at breakfast with his wife. Dangle finds the morning newspapers too full of irritating news about politics; he therefore turns to the Morning Chronicle to find news of the theatrical world that interests him as a man with great passions for the stage. After Dangle remarks that his friend Puff's tragedy, The Spanish Armada, is being rehearsed at Drury Lane, Dangle's wife scolds him for taking no interest in affairs of state; Dangle counters her argument by pointing out that his various powers as "the head of a band of critics" make him an important man. Mrs. Dangle remains unimpressed.

Sneer, a fellow critic and friend of Dangle, arrives with two plays and asks Dangle to persuade one of the theatre managers to accept them for performance. The three discuss the faults of the modern theatre...