"I'll Leave It To You": A Light Comedy In Three Acts

In Short

Set in a country estate near London, this three-act comedy follows the Dermott family as they navigate sudden financial ruin. When four young adult siblings learn their mother is out of money, their wealthy-appearing Uncle Daniel arrives from South America. Rather than handwriting checks, he falsely claims he is terminally ill and promises to leave his entire fortune to whichever nephew or niece proves most industrious. Driven by greed and mutual suspicion, all four siblings launch successful careers over eighteen months. The play endures for its dry, effortless wit and its sharp satirical take on ambition and family dependency.

The Story

The play opens at Mulberry Manor, where Mrs. Dermott breaks alarming news to her grown children: their late father's estate is drained, leaving them virtually penniless and facing the loss of their home. The four young Dermotts—Oliver, Evangeline, Sylvia, and Bobbie—are accustomed to aimless leisure. Relief appears to arrive in the form of Uncle Daniel Davis, Mrs. Dermott’s bachelor brother, who returns home after years in South America wearing an expensive fur coat.

Expecting immediate financial rescue, the family is stunned when Daniel announces he has no liquid cash to hand out. Instead, he drops a second bombshell: a physician has given him only three years to live due to sleeping sickness. Daniel casually mentions that he intends to leave his vast South American fortune to one of the Dermott children, explicitly refusing to name the beneficiary upfront and telling them, "I'll leave it to you!"

Eighteen months pass. The prospect of an impending inheritance alters the household completely. Bobbie transforms into a successful songwriter, scoring commercial hits with popular romance songs; Evangeline throws herself into writing short stories and novels; Oliver pursues mechanical engineering; and Sylvia takes to the stage. Their newfound work ethic also brings outside complications, including Mrs. Crombie and her daughter Faith, who pursue romantic ties with the siblings based entirely on the expectation of Uncle Daniel's will.

Having engineered the siblings' drive, Daniel's scheme unravels when Faith’s calculated prying forces the truth into the open. Daniel confesses that he never possessed a fortune—his South American ventures yielded nothing, his mine was worthless, and his terminal illness was pure fiction meant to force them to stand on their own feet.

The siblings react with fury and feeling betrayed. They denounce their uncle for playing a cruel practical joke, and Faith instantly breaks off her engagement to Bobbie upon learning he will inherit nothing. Only Sylvia realizes the value of Daniel's deception, recognizing that his ruse forced them to build genuine careers and purged calculating suitors from their lives. The rest of the family gradually accepts that their independence was the true inheritance all along.

How It Unfolds

The ruin revealed Mrs. Dermott informs her four adult children that their late father's estate is exhausted and they face the immediate threat of losing their beloved home. The lazy siblings panic over their sudden lack of funds until learning that their long-lost uncle is arriving from South America.

The uncle's ultimatum Uncle Daniel arrives at Mulberry Manor wearing a luxurious coat, but he quickly dispels any hopes of immediate handouts. Claiming he suffers from terminal sleeping sickness, he announces that he will leave his massive fortune to whichever sibling proves most worthy, leaving them to compete for the legacy.

The transformation Eighteen months later, the household is buzzing with productive labor. Bobbie composes popular hit songs, Evangeline publishes literature, Oliver works on miniature motor engines, and Sylvia pursues acting—all driven by the expectation of their uncle's will.

The hoax exposed Under pressure from calculating guests seeking to secure a match with an heir, Daniel admits he does not have a single penny or a terminal condition. The enraged siblings turn on him for his deception, but Sylvia sees through the anger and thanks him for forcing them to earn their own keep.

The People

• Mrs. Dermott wants to maintain a comfortable, peaceful household for her children despite her complete lack of financial sense. Mildly plaintive and easily flustered, she manages the family with vague affection while relying entirely on others to handle practical matters.
• Daniel Davis wants to break his nieces and nephews out of their idle dependence without spending money he does not have. Charming, resourceful, and theatrically dramatic, he uses a fake terminal illness and a fictional fortune to manipulate his family into finding their own success.
• Bobbie Dermott wants to win the affection of Faith Crombie and achieve artistic success as a musician. Fast-talking and self-absorbed, he works himself into a lucrative songwriting career under the illusion of being his uncle’s favorite, only to lose his superficial fiancée when the truth comes out.
• Sylvia Dermott wants her family to face reality with honesty and a sense of humor. Sharp-eyed and practical, she is the only sibling suspicious enough to figure out Daniel’s trick from the start, ultimately defending his actions as a gift of independence.
• Evangeline Dermott wants to be taken seriously as an intellectual and literary artist. Stately and easily irritated by her younger siblings, she pours her energy into typing short stories and novels to earn her uncle's approval, growing into a published author.

In Its Own Voice

"Yes, we're ruined; we haven't a penny."

Mrs. Dermott casually reveals the family's total financial collapse to her stunned children over afternoon tea.

"Out there on the limitless prairie, a man's life is not considered worth that much."

Uncle Daniel spins an elaborate, theatrical yarn about his fictional past in South America to keep up his wealthy persona.

"I can see the difference between good and bad, and Uncle Dan's good, good all through."

Sylvia scolds her angry brothers and sisters for their ingratitude after realizing how much their uncle's trick helped them.

What It's Really About

The play explores the difference between material wealth and personal independence. It takes aim at the paralysis of expecting an inheritance, showing how the anticipation of unearned money robs young adults of their ambition and leaves them vulnerable to social sycophants. By dangling an imaginary fortune before his family, Uncle Daniel highlights the hypocrisy of upper-middle-class etiquette, where affection and romantic interest often track net worth. Beneath its light drawing-room banter, the work argues that true security is built through self-reliance rather than legacy, using comic deception to transform passive dependents into capable, self-sufficient adults.

Why Read It Today

This play offers an entertaining, brisk look at early 20th-century stage comedy. Readers who enjoy sharp character interaction, theatrical irony, and classic British drawing-room humor will appreciate how effortlessly the dialogue moves. The pacing is lively, filled with crisp domestic bickering and small comedic flourishes—like noisy breakfasts, flustered mothers, and pretentious suitors—that still land with precise comedic timing.

The play's period setting presents few obstacles to modern readers. Aside from light references to vintage household items, estate management, and early motoring models, the text remains exceptionally readable. The central conflict feels surprisingly fresh: young adults struggling to transition into financial self-sufficiency while navigating high living costs and career anxiety. Daniel’s manipulative experiment remains satisfying because his deception is rooted in genuine affection, providing a buoyant, funny story about family, work, and growing up.