There was an article in
London’s Observer on September 28,
1919 that captured what George Bernard Shaw’s newest published play could
achieve.
‘Heartbreak
House,’ Mr. Shaw writes in his preface, ‘is cultured, leisured Europe
before the war,’ and the play, which is much
better than the preface, fits that
description very neatly. It is his thirty-first play, and I am near in
mind to call
it his best play. It certainly is the most bitter and wildly
comic piece he has
composed. When, in due time, it is performed,
it will, I am sure, fill the theatre
with explosions of laughter as loud as the
explosions of the bombs with which
the piece concludes.
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
wrote Heartbreak House between March
4, 1916 and May 1917. His subtitle for this play is “A Fantasia in the Russian
Manner on English Themes.” Shaw admired Anton Chekov and utilized the country
house setting for his play as did the Russian playwright. Shaw also desired to
utilize similar character shortcomings employed by Chekov such as a character’s
inability to achieve a desired goal as well as to hold a realistic view of a
situation.
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
In June 1919, Shaw wrote
the preface for Heartbreak House just
prior to its publication. His earlier political pamphlet (November 1914) titled
“Common Sense About War” was controversial. His antiwar speeches were met with
criticism. His next approach was to reveal his feelings about how the conditions
leading to World War One were overlooked by the British cultured and governing
classes partially due to their laxed attitudes about the world situation. These
are the classes to which Shaw’s major Heartbreak
House characters belong. Shaw presents
this serious situation embedded in one of the most humorous plays written in
the English language.
Act One takes place “on a
fine evening at the end of September.” The time is six o’clock. The location is
in the middle of northern Sussex. The countryside can be seen through the
windows of a room “which has been built so as to resemble the after part of an
old fashion high-pooped ship, with a stern gallery.” This home belongs to an old
sea captain named Captain Shotover, who is the father of Hesione Hushabye and
Lady Utterword. The latter daughter lives in Australia. Hesione has invited as
her dinner guests young Ellie Dunn, her father and his employer Boss Mangan,
who is engaged to Ellie. Hesione does not believe Ellie should marry Mangan who
is much too old for her. Chaos ensues when Lady Utterwood arrives after not visiting
her family for decades.
Act II is set after
dinner that same evening. The setting is the same room as Act One. The act
opens with a scene between Ellie and Mangan discussing their future marriage.
Ellie is determined to marry Mangan even though each one is smitten with someone
else. Mangan is in love with Hesione and Ellie is enamored with Mr. Hushabye,
Hesione’s husband. After everyone drifts on stage, there is a commotion and a
burglar is discovered in one of the bedrooms stealing jewelry. Ellie’s father captures the burglar who is
recognized by Captain Shotover and Nurse Guinness. None of the characters are
what they each appear to be in the beginning, the burglar was once married to
Nurse Guinness and had sailed with Captain Shotover. At the conclusion of the
act, several of the male/female relationships have been altered and new alliances
are forming.
Act Three is set in the
garden. It is later that evening. The characters are enjoying the outdoor
environment as well as their new pairings when “A dull distant explosion is
heard.” The planes come closer and bombs are dropped in the garden. One bomb
explodes in the area where Captain Shotover stores his dynamite. Unfortunately,
Boss Mangan and the Burglar were hiding there. The play ends as Hesione states:
“What a glorious experience! I hope
they’ll come again tomorrow night.”
Heartbreak
House premiered in New York City on November 10, 1920 and
it was produced by The Theatre Guild at the Garrick Theatre. The production was
staged by Dudley Digges (1879-1947) who was born in Dublin and immigrated to
the United States in 1904. He also played the role of Boss Mangan. This
production was successful and ran for 125 performances. All the New York reviews of this production
were extremely positive.
Since its New York premier
Heartbreak House has had four major
revivals on Broadway—1938, 1959-60, 1983-84, and 2006. It has had hundreds of productions in cities
throughout the United States and it continues to this day to garner laughs as
the actors usually dressed in their flapper era attire cavort on stage.
The second production of Heartbreak House opened at the Burg
Theatre in Vienna on November 17, 1920.
I read an interesting account of the first night audience’s reaction to
the drama. It appeared in London’s Daily Herald on November 18, 1920 and
was signed by Reuter. “The first act was applauded, but afterward the interest
of the audience dwindled, and the later acts were hissed.” Reuter believed the
irony of the play was apparently unappreciated or not understood. Perhaps the length of the play also
contributed to the lack of enthusiasm. In New York the Theatre Guild’s
production ran nearly five hours before the final curtain.
The third international
production opened in Stockholm before Heartbreak
House was staged at the Court Theatre in London, where it opened on October
18, 1921. The November 17, 1921 London Daily Herald ran an article titled
“Brilliant Play Receives Inadequate Support.”
“Heartbreak House regarded by
sound judges as one of Shaw’s best plays, is by no means drawing record houses
and the end of the run appears to be in sight.”
This production had a run of only seven weeks.
had many productions in Great Britain over the past ninety-seven years. Worldwide, it may be
the most produced play from this period.
PHOTO: taken from cover of reprinted copy of HEARTBREAK HOUSE that I read. There was no
acknowledgement of source.
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