The Night of the Iguana

The Night of the Iguana Summary | Act 1, Part 1 Summary

Maxine comes out onto the verandah, buttoning her blouse. She's heard the sound of a busload of female tourists arriving and is checking out the potential business. She's Following Maxine is Pedro, a young Mexican who is tucking his shirt into his pants.

Maxine happily shouts crude remarks of greeting to Shannon, who's climbing up the hill. He shouts back, and shortly appears, complaining of having a fever. He asks for Fred, Maxine's husband. Maxine says bluntly he's dead of a blood infection, and complains about the final few years of their marriage. Shannon tells her that the tour he's guiding is the most difficult tour he's ever had in ten years of guiding tours, and shouts down to the bus driver to get the tourists to come up to the hotel. Maxine, seeing Shannon's about to collapse from nervous exhaustion, suggests that he let them go on and he stay. He tells her he can't do that, his job is on the line.

Hank appears, tells Shannon the women on the tour aren't coming up to the hotel, and tries to convince him to move the tour on. Shannon asks for Hank's support, but Hank doesn't seem interested in giving it. He says there's a young girl in the back who keeps crying, and the women all think that Shannon's the reason. Shannon tells Hank to take one of the sample dinner menus down to the bus in an effort to convince the women to stay. Hank takes the menu and goes. As he leaves a noisy, colorful German family, the Fahrenkopfs, crosses the verandah on their way to the beach - they are singing a Nazi marching song. When Shannon asks why there are so many Nazis in Mexico, Maxine comments that they have easy access to both the States and South America.

Shannon lies in a hammock, and Maxine lies with him, teasing him about his relationship with the young girl on the tour. He tells her that the girl is desperate to get out from under the wing of her bossy chaperone, and one night she showed up in his room. He refers to "the spook" having been with him, which Maxine understands, and suggests that the reason he had the relationship with the girl was because of "the spook." He comments that he hasn't been able to sleep because "the spook" has always been around, but is hopeful about staying at the hotel because "the spook" seems to be keeping its distance. He looks down at the bus and sees that one of the women has gotten out of the bus and is slapping Hank. Shannon calls down to her to come up, saying everything's arranged, and asks for Maxine's help. She asks why he doesn't spend time with older women instead of always going after the younger ones.

Miss Fellowes soon appears and demands that Shannon give her the key to the bus so the tour can move on. He shows her the dinner menu, but Miss Fellowes asks Maxine to use the telephone. Maxine calls Pedro, who shows Miss Fellowes to the phone. Maxine follows her to make sure the call is collect.

Alone for the first time, Shannon pounds on the wall in frustration and anguish just as Hannah appears. Seeing her calms him down, and when she asks whether the hotel has room for herself and her invalid grandfather, he tells her that there's plenty of room. Hannah goes down to get her grandfather, and refuses Shannon's offer of help.