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Major Barbara by George Bernard Shaw β€” book cover

Major Barbara

by George Bernard Shaw, Dan H. Laurence (Editor), Margery Morgan
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Overview

Andrew Undershaft, a millionaire armaments dealer, loves money and despises poverty. His energetic daughter Barbara, on the other hand, shows her love for the poor by working as a Major in the Salvation Army. She sees her father as just another soul to be saved. But when the Salvation Army needs funds to keep going, it is Undershaft who saves the day. is the Army right to accept money that has been obtained by 'Death and Destruction'? Barbara is forced to examine her moral assumptions. Is she tricked into the attempt to unite spiritual goodness with material power?

Full of lively comedy and sparkling debate, Major Barbara is also one of Shaw's most powerful and forward-looking plays. As Margery Morgan says, while Shaw was responding to 'a material and cultural situation that is now part of history', his work still has relevance 'in a period when new technologies drive the globalization of trade and the migration of populations ... and ancient forms of brutality and carnage have reappeared.'

Synopsis

Major Barbara is one of Shaw's most serious and important plays.

Publishers Weekly

The classic Shaw play is interpreted by this extremely talented cast of 12 performers, which mounts a rousing, unforgettable show complete with incredibly well-produced and realistic sound effects that capture everything from doors creaking open, bustling crowds on city streets and impatient horses ready to trot. Roger Rees as the elder Undershaft and Kirsten Potter as his daughter Barbara are standouts. The two play off each another very well and offer some truly memorable arguments that are the cornerstone of the story. The engaging cast sweeps listeners off to the cobblestone streets of old England. (June)

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author, George Bernard Shaw

Editor Nicholas Grene is a Professor of English Literature at Trinity College, Dublin. His books include Bernard Shaw: a Critical View, Shaw, Lady Gregory and the Abbey Theatre (co-edited with Dan H. Laurence), and The Politics of Irish Drama.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly

The classic Shaw play is interpreted by this extremely talented cast of 12 performers, which mounts a rousing, unforgettable show complete with incredibly well-produced and realistic sound effects that capture everything from doors creaking open, bustling crowds on city streets and impatient horses ready to trot. Roger Rees as the elder Undershaft and Kirsten Potter as his daughter Barbara are standouts. The two play off each another very well and offer some truly memorable arguments that are the cornerstone of the story. The engaging cast sweeps listeners off to the cobblestone streets of old England. (June)

Copyright Β© Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Book Details

Published
May 1, 2001
Publisher
Penguin Group (USA)
Pages
176
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9780140437904

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