Frasier and Niles try to maintain their upper-class standing by getting tickets to the theatrical event of the season.
Examples:
- At the Opera Tonight: Frasier and Niles care more about been seen at the play than the content of the play itself. To his credit, Frasier at least realises that they let their pride rob them of a meaningful artistic experience.
- Blatant Lies: Frasier doesn't know the first thing about the play, so when Sir Trevor asks his opinion he rambles broadly about the "feeling" of theatre.
- Chekhov's Gun: At the beginning of the episode Daphne is elated that a(n apparently rather unflattering) photo of her is in the newspaper and wants to cut it out to mail to her mother. Later when Niles and Frasier are digging through the newspaper to find a review of the play, it's been cut out because Daphne's photo was on the other side.
- "Fawlty Towers" Plot: After a series of failed attempts to watch the play or at least find out its plot, Frasier and Niles attempt to simply bluff their way around it in a meeting with the playwright himself. Deconstructed in that they do actually get away with it, but Sir Trevor's Oblivious Guilt Slinging makes Frasier realise how petty and shallow they have been behaving.
- Felony Misdemeanor: Apparently getting tickets in the cancellation is social suicide if you're caught.
- Hypocritical Humor: When Daphne catches Frasier opening her letter to get to the review, she angrily rants about him violating her privacy. She then drops that she knows Frasier dyes his hair, accidentally revealing that she snoops through his belongings, and quickly drops the subject and scurries off.
- Mandatory Line: Roz shows up briefly, having somehow scored tickets from a friend.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Sir Trevor gives an inadvertent one to Frasier while praising him for being a true fan of the performing arts, and decrying "phonies" who only care because it's a social event. Of course not only did Frasier and Niles go to the play chiefly to impress those phonies, they valued the actual performance so little that they turned down the opportunity to get tickets in an insufficiently classy way.
- Such a Phony: Frasier and Niles act nice around their upper-class acquaintances because it's their social duty, so to speak. Deep down, Frasier and Niles regard them as snobby and dumb.
- Upper-Class Twit: Frasier and Niles are only motivated to go to the play because it's the trendy thing to do among their snobby social circle. They ultimately miss it because they don't want to be seen waiting in the cancellation line.
