Man and Superman
Encyclopedia
Man and Superman is a four-act drama, written by George Bernard Shaw
in 1903. The series was written in response to calls for Shaw to write a play based on the Don Juan
theme.http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3328/3328-h/3328-h.htm Man and Superman opened at The Royal Court Theatre in London on 23 May 1905, but with the omission of the 3rd Act. A part of the act, Don Juan in Hell (Act 3, Scene 2), was performed when the drama was staged on 4 June 1907 at the Royal Court. The play was not performed in its entirety until 1915, when the Travelling Repertory Company played it at the Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh
.
The long third act of the play is often cut. Don Juan
in Hell
consists of a philosophical debate between Don Juan (played by the same actor who plays Jack Tanner), and the Devil
, with Doña Ana (Ann) and the Statue
of Don Gonzalo, Ana's father (Roebuck Ramsden, an aged acquaintance of Tanner's and Ann's Guardian) looking on. This third act is often performed separately as a play in its own right, most famously during the 1950s in a concert version, featuring Charles Boyer
as Don Juan, Charles Laughton
as the Devil, Cedric Hardwicke
as the Commander and Agnes Moorehead
as Doña Ana. This version was also released as a spoken word album
on LP
, but is yet to appear on CD. However, the complete performance recording is now available at various sites on the internet.
Although Man and Superman can be performed as a light comedy of manners
, Shaw intended the drama to be something much deeper, as suggested by the title. This title comes from Friedrich Nietzsche
's philosophical ideas about the "Übermensch
" ("Superman"). The plot centres on John Tanner, author of "The Revolutionist's Handbook and Pocket Companion", which is published with the play as a 58-page appendix. Tanner is a confirmed bachelor despite the pursuits of Ann Whitefield and her persistent efforts to entice him to marry her. Ann is referred to as "the Life Force
" and represents Shaw's view that in every culture, it is the women who force the men to marry them rather than the men who take the initiative.http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3328/3328-h/3328-h.htm#2H_4_0004
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60...
in 1903. The series was written in response to calls for Shaw to write a play based on the Don Juan
Don Juan
Don Juan is a legendary, fictional libertine whose story has been told many times by many authors. El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra by Tirso de Molina is a play set in the fourteenth century that was published in Spain around 1630...
theme.http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3328/3328-h/3328-h.htm Man and Superman opened at The Royal Court Theatre in London on 23 May 1905, but with the omission of the 3rd Act. A part of the act, Don Juan in Hell (Act 3, Scene 2), was performed when the drama was staged on 4 June 1907 at the Royal Court. The play was not performed in its entirety until 1915, when the Travelling Repertory Company played it at the Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
.
The long third act of the play is often cut. Don Juan
Don Juan
Don Juan is a legendary, fictional libertine whose story has been told many times by many authors. El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra by Tirso de Molina is a play set in the fourteenth century that was published in Spain around 1630...
in Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
consists of a philosophical debate between Don Juan (played by the same actor who plays Jack Tanner), and the Devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
, with Doña Ana (Ann) and the Statue
Statue
A statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, an idea or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size, or larger...
of Don Gonzalo, Ana's father (Roebuck Ramsden, an aged acquaintance of Tanner's and Ann's Guardian) looking on. This third act is often performed separately as a play in its own right, most famously during the 1950s in a concert version, featuring Charles Boyer
Charles Boyer
Charles Boyer was a French actor who appeared in more than 80 films between 1920 and 1976. After receiving an education in drama, Boyer started on the stage, but he found success in movies during the 1930s. His memorable performances were among the era's most highly praised romantic dramas,...
as Don Juan, Charles Laughton
Charles Laughton
Charles Laughton was an English-American stage and film actor, screenwriter, producer and director.-Early life and career:...
as the Devil, Cedric Hardwicke
Cedric Hardwicke
Sir Cedric Webster Hardwicke was a noted English stage and film actor whose career spanned nearly fifty years...
as the Commander and Agnes Moorehead
Agnes Moorehead
Agnes Robertson Moorehead was an American actress. Although she began with the Mercury Theatre, appeared in more than seventy films beginning with Citizen Kane and on dozens of television shows during a career that spanned more than thirty years, Moorehead is most widely known to modern audiences...
as Doña Ana. This version was also released as a spoken word album
Spoken word album
A spoken word album was a record album that did not consist mainly of music or songs, but of spoken material. It could be said to be the ancestor of today's audiobook format...
on LP
LP record
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
, but is yet to appear on CD. However, the complete performance recording is now available at various sites on the internet.
Although Man and Superman can be performed as a light comedy of manners
Comedy of manners
The comedy of manners is a genre of play/television/film which satirizes the manners and affectations of a social class, often represented by stock characters, such as the miles gloriosus in ancient times, the fop and the rake during the Restoration, or an old person pretending to be young...
, Shaw intended the drama to be something much deeper, as suggested by the title. This title comes from Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was a 19th-century German philosopher, poet, composer and classical philologist...
's philosophical ideas about the "Übermensch
Übermensch
The Übermensch is a concept in the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. Nietzsche posited the Übermensch as a goal for humanity to set for itself in his 1883 book Thus Spoke Zarathustra ....
" ("Superman"). The plot centres on John Tanner, author of "The Revolutionist's Handbook and Pocket Companion", which is published with the play as a 58-page appendix. Tanner is a confirmed bachelor despite the pursuits of Ann Whitefield and her persistent efforts to entice him to marry her. Ann is referred to as "the Life Force
Life force
Life force is a concept of spiritual energy.Life force may also refer to:* Life Force , the American version of the arcade game Salamander* Lifeforce , a 1985 science fiction-horror film...
" and represents Shaw's view that in every culture, it is the women who force the men to marry them rather than the men who take the initiative.http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3328/3328-h/3328-h.htm#2H_4_0004
External links
- Man and Superman, an audio rendition of the play.
- Man and Superman, digitized copy of the first edition from Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
. - Review, photos and other information
- Read online at Project Gutenberg
- "The Revolutionist's Handbook and Pocket Companion", an appendix to Man and Superman (page images)
- " Old Time Radio". MP3 downloads of 1950 performance.