What are the costumes, lighting cues and sound cues in this scene?
SCENE
Morning-room in Algernon’s flat in Half-Moon Street. The room is
luxuriously and artistically furnished. The sound of a piano is heard in the
adjoining room.
[Lane is arranging afternoon tea on the table, and after the music has
ceased, Algernon enters.]
Algernon. Did you hear what I was playing, Lane?
Lane. I didn’t think it polite to listen, sir.
Algernon. I’m sorry for that, for your sake. I don’t play accurately—any one
can play accurately—but I play with wonderful expression. As far as the
piano is concerned, sentiment is my forte. I keep science for Life.
Lane. Yes, sir.
Algernon. And, speaking of the science of Life, have you got the cucumber
sandwiches cut for Lady Bracknell?
Lane. Yes, sir. [Hands them on a salver.]
Algernon. [Inspects them, takes two, and sits down on the sofa.] Oh! . . . by
the way, Lane, I see from your book that on Thursday night, when Lord
Shoreman and Mr. Worthing were dining with me, eight bottles of
champagne are entered as having been consumed.
Lane. Yes, sir; eight bottles and a pint.
Algernon. Why is it that at a bachelor’s establishment the servants
invariably drink the champagne? I ask merely for information.
Lane. I attribute it to the superior quality of the wine, sir. I have often
observed that in married households the champagne is rarely of a first-rate
brand.
Algernon. Good heavens! Is marriage so demoralising as that?
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Lane. I believe it is a very pleasant state, sir. I have had very little
experience of it myself up to the present. I have only been married
once. That was in consequence of a misunderstanding between myself and
a young person.
Algernon. [Languidly.] I don’t know that I am much interested in your
family life, Lane.
Lane. No, sir; it is not a very interesting subject. I never think of it myself.
Algernon. Very natural, I am sure. That will do, Lane, thank you.
Lane. Thank you, sir. [Lane goes out.]
Algernon. Lane’s views on marriage seem somewhat lax. Really, if the
lower orders don’t set us a good example, what on earth is the use of
them? They seem, as a class, to have absolutely no sense of moral
responsibility.
[Enter Lane.]
Lane. Mr. Ernest Worthing.
[Enter Jack.]
[Lane goes out.]
Algernon. How are you, my dear Ernest? What brings you up to town?
Jack. Oh, pleasure, pleasure! What else should bring one anywhere? Eating
as usual, I see, Algy!
Algernon. [Stiffly.] I believe it is customary in good society to take some
slight refreshment at five o’clock. Where have you been since last Thursday?
Jack. [Sitting down on the sofa.] In the country.
Algernon. What on earth do you do there?
Jack. [Pulling off his gloves.] When one is in town one amuses
oneself. When one is in the country one amuses other people. It is
excessively boring.
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Algernon. And who are the people you amuse?
Jack. [Airily.] Oh, neighbours, neighbours.
Algernon. Got nice neighbours in your part of Shropshire?
Jack. Perfectly horrid! Never speak to one of them.
Algernon. How immensely you must amuse them! [Goes over and takes
sandwich.] By the way, Shropshire is your county, is it not?
Jack. Eh? Shropshire? Yes, of course. Hallo! Why all these cups? Why
cucumber sandwiches? Why such reckless extravagance in one so
young? Who is coming to tea?
Algernon. Oh! merely Aunt Augusta and Gwendolen.
Jack. How perfectly delightful!
Algernon. Yes, that is all very well; but I am afraid Aunt Augusta won’t quite
approve of your being here.
Jack. May I ask why?
Algernon. My dear fellow, the way you flirt with Gwendolen is perfectly
disgraceful. It is almost as bad as the way Gwendolen flirts with you.
Jack. I am in love with Gwendolen. I have come up to town expressly to
propose to her.
Algernon. I thought you had come up for pleasure? . . . I call that business.
Jack. How utterly unromantic you are!
Algernon. I really don’t see anything romantic in proposing. It is very
romantic to be in love. But there is nothing romantic about a definite
proposal. Why, one may be accepted. One usually is, I believe. Then the
excitement is all over. The very essence of romance is uncertainty. If ever I
get married, I’ll certainly try to forget the fact.
Jack. I have no doubt about that, dear Algy. The Divorce Court was specially
invented for people whose memories are so curiously constituted.
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Algernon. Oh! there is no use speculating on that subject. Divorces are
made in Heaven—[Jack puts out his hand to take a sandwich. Algernon at
once interferes.] Please don’t touch the cucumber sandwiches. They are
ordered specially for Aunt Augusta. [Takes one and eats it.]
Jack. Well, you have been eating them all the time.
Algernon. That is quite a different matter. She is my aunt. [Takes plate
from below.] Have some bread and butter. The bread and butter is for
Gwendolen. Gwendolen is devoted to bread and butter.
Jack. [Advancing to table and helping himself.] And very good bread and
butter it is too.
Algernon. Well, my dear fellow, you need not eat as if you were going to
eat it all. You behave as if you were married to her already. You are not
married to her already, and I don’t think you ever will be.
Jack. Why on earth do you say that?
Algernon. Well, in the first place girls never marry the men they flirt
with. Girls don’t think it right.
Jack. Oh, that is nonsense!
Algernon. It isn’t. It is a great truth. It accounts for the extraordinary
number of bachelors that one sees all over the place. In the second place, I
don’t give my consent.
Jack. Your consent!
Algernon. My dear fellow, Gwendolen is my first cousin. And before I allow
you to marry her, you will have to clear up the whole question of
Cecily. [Rings bell.]
Jack. Cecily! What on earth do you mean? What do you mean, Algy, by
Cecily! I don’t know any one of the name of Cecily.
[Enter Lane.]
Algernon. Bring me that cigarette case Mr. Worthing left in the smoking�room the last time he dined here.
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Lane. Yes, sir. [Lane goes out.]
Jack. Do you mean to say you have had my cigarette case all this time? I
wish to goodness you had let me know. I have been writing frantic letters to
Scotland Yard about it. I was very nearly offering a large reward.
Algernon. Well, I wish you would offer one. I happen to be more than
usually hard up.
Jack. There is no good offering a large reward now that the thing is found.
[Enter Lane with the cigarette case on a salver. Algernon takes it at
once. Lane goes out.]
Algernon. I think that is rather mean of you, Ernest, I must say. [Opens case
and examines it.] However, it makes no matter, for, now that I look at the
inscription inside, I find that the thing isn’t yours after all.
Jack. Of course it’s mine. [Moving to him.] You have seen me with it a
hundred times, and you have no right whatsoever to read what is written
inside. It is a very ungentlemanly thing to read a private cigarette case.
Algernon. Oh! it is absurd to have a hard and fast rule about what one
should read and what one shouldn’t. More than half of modern culture
depends on what one shouldn’t read.
Jack. I am quite aware of the fact, and I don’t propose to discuss modern
culture. It isn’t the sort of thing one should talk of in private. I simply want
my cigarette case back.
Algernon. Yes; but this isn’t your cigarette case. This cigarette case is a
present from some one of the name of Cecily, and you said you didn’t know
any one of that name.
Jack. Well, if you want to know, Cecily happens to be my aunt.
Algernon. Your aunt!
Jack. Yes. Charming old lady she is, too. Lives at Tunbridge Wells. Just give
it back to me, Algy.
Costumes:
- Algernon is wearing a suit and likely looks well-dressed and sophisticated.
- Lane is wearing a servant's uniform.
Lighting cues:
- No specific lighting cues are mentioned in the scene. It can be assumed that there is general lighting to illuminate the room.
Sound cues:
- The sound of a piano is heard in the adjoining room at the beginning of the scene.
- There is a cue for the doorbell to ring, signaling the arrival of Jack.
- The sound of the doorbell ringing is also mentioned when Lane enters with the cigarette case.
Costumes:
- Algernon is dressed in a fashionable and elegant outfit, reflecting his upper-class status.
- Lane is wearing a servant's uniform, indicating his role as a butler.
Lighting cues:
- The lighting in the morning-room is bright, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere.
- When Algernon enters, the focus may shift slightly towards him, highlighting his presence.
Sound cues:
- The sound of a piano is heard from the adjoining room, indicating that someone is playing.
- There may be soft background music playing throughout the scene to enhance the ambiance.
- The sound of the doorbell or a door opening and closing is heard when Lane and Jack enter and exit.
To determine the costumes, lighting cues, and sound cues in this scene, we need to analyze the text and consider the stage directions and dialogue provided.
1. Costumes:
Based on the description of the scene as a "Morning-room in Algernon's flat, luxuriously and artistically furnished," we can infer that the characters should be dressed in fashionable and sophisticated attire. Lane, as a servant, would likely wear a traditional servant's uniform.
2. Lighting cues:
The scene takes place in a morning-room, so natural daylight would likely be present. However, specific lighting cues are not mentioned in the text. The lighting design could be used to create a warm and inviting atmosphere, enhancing the luxurious and artistic feel of the room.
3. Sound cues:
The sound cues mentioned in the scene are the sound of a piano and the entry of characters. The sound of the piano should be played in the adjoining room, implying that there is a door or wall separating the two spaces. The sound of characters entering and exiting should be accompanied by appropriate footsteps or door opening and closing sounds.
Overall, the costumes should reflect the high-class setting, the lighting should create an inviting atmosphere, and the sound cues should support the actions of the characters as they enter and exit the scene.