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American Players Theatre
5950 Golf Course Road
P.O. Box 819
Spring Green, WI 53588
(Map)

Box Office: 608-588-2361
Administration: 608-588-7401
Fax: 608-588-7085

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Major Barbara

Major Barbara

By George Bernard Shaw

Directed by
David Frank
Hill Theatre
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What could be more mesmerizing than this, one of Shaw's most loved plays? How about seeing it performed here, at APT, by an all-star cast. Barbara, a major in the Salvation Army, and her father, whose only religion is wealth, give us two of theater's most memorable and entertaining characters, and playgoers share their challenges as unexpected and dangerous (not to mention funny) truths are uncovered. All of Shaw's trademarks are present in spades as this play turns familiar truth after familiar truth on its head: political philosophy couched in humorous dialogue; crackling, edge-of-your-seat scenes; general effervescence and eloquence.

First Performance: Friday, August 6 8:00 p.m.

Opening Night: Saturday, August 14 8:00 p.m.

Cast

Barbara Undershaft
Colleen Madden *
Andrew Undershaft
Jonathan Smoots *
Adolphus Cusins
Jim DeVita *
Lady Britomart Undershaft
Sarah Day *
Stephen Undershaft
Mark D. Hines
Charles Lomax
Darragh Kennan *
Sarah Undershaft
Hillary Clemens *
Rummy Mitchens
Tiffany Scott *
Peter Shirley
John Pribyl *
Bill Walker
Matt Schwader *
Jenny Hill
Ashleigh LaThrop
Mrs. Baines
Sharina Martin
Bilton
Michael Huftile *
Morrison
Nicholas Harazin
Snobby Price
Travis A. Knight *
Ensemble
Chris Giese
Ensemble
Santiago Sosa
Ensemble
Eric Parks *

Staff

Director
David Frank
Costume Designer
Devon Painter †
Scenic Designer
Nayna Ramey
Sound Designer
Fitz Patton †
Lighting Designer
Michael A. Peterson
Voice & Text Coach
Susan Sweeney
Stage Manager
Jacqueline Singleton *
* Member of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers
** Member of Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, an Independent Labor Union
† Member of United Scenic Artists

On being accused of being too didactic a writer, George Bernard Shaw is said to have retorted “How can great art be anything else”. True to his credo, he attached to most of his plays densely written prefaces vigorously promoting the social or political point he was trying to illustrate. Who would have thought that a writer intent on giving an opinionated lecture on politics and society, could thus deliver outrageously exciting theatrical entertainment? In this, lies the distinctive greatness of Shaw's writing.

Whether you agree with his points of view or not (and most of us will disagree very strongly with at least one of the positions he takes in Major Barbara), the barrage of thoughts, both diabolical and heavenly, that shoot from Shaw's teeming pen are as thrilling as they are controversial. The audacity of his ideas, his relentless logic and the magnificent dramatic ironies he continually unearths, may harshly challenge many a cherished belief. But the experience leaves us elated and enthralled rather than threatened or chastened. Best of all, if your ideals survive a savage confrontation in Shaw's mental gymnasium, they will emerge, battle-tested, more impregnable than ever.

For two of its three acts, Major Barbara exhibits all these typical Shavian qualities in ample measure. It is deftly infuriating, calculatingly controversial, full of humor, color and irony. And the ideas it confidently espouses, live in a wonderfully unpredictable harmony with the characters and events – another hallmark of Shaw's many very, very good plays.

But in the third act of this fascinating comedy, something interesting, disturbing and, to my mind, exciting occurs. The play becomes less coherent, less clear – ‘less good' I am tempted to say. And ironically, as the play becomes more problematic, less sure of itself, its potential for something more than ‘good' increases.

Undershaft, the character that appears to speak for Shaw himself in the first two acts, reveals the brutal strength that underlies his effectiveness and we sense the dangers inherent in Shaw's totalitarian sympathies. It is as if the play's characters start to thwart their author's intentions, revealing too much of their interiors, neatness be damned. The play ends with the potential for considerable ambiguity, an interplay of light and dark, hope and foreboding. And in eschewing neatness, it makes a lunge for greatness.
We are all indebted to Shaw for his sublime failings.

David Frank
P.S. I am also deeply indebted to my sage friend and colleague, James Bohnen, for his invaluable advice on the text of Major Barbara.

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