Once in a Lifetime

Once in a Lifetime Summary | Act 1, Scene 1 Summary

Once in a Lifetime is a lighthearted play about some New York stage performers who head to Hollywood to make their fortune at the onset of talking pictures. The three primary characters are May, Jerry, and George. The first scene opens in a two-bit hotel room, where George is happily thumbing through a copy of Variety magazine and is rudely interrupted by May, a high energy worrywart. May is anxious for their other partner, Jerry, to return with news of a sorely needed job for the trio.

Jerry's good news is not quite what May and George are expecting. Instead of landing a contract, Jerry has sold the vaudeville act, so the three of them can go to Hollywood; a decision he made after watching Al Jolson in The Jazz Singer this afternoon. There is a fortune to be made with the advent of this new technology, and Jerry has bought tickets for the three of them on the next train to Hollywood, even though his plan falls short at that point.

It is May who has the idea of opening a diction school for actors. Jerry and George agree that it seems like a monumental idea to capitalize on the conversion of silent movie stars to the new medium of talkies.