Esther Waters - A Play in Five Acts
Cód:
491_9781443772693
PREFACE THE Stage Society wished to produce Esther Waters, but alas the vanity of man prompted the thought that it was beneath my dignity to submit the play to the judgment of the Committee, and so we found ourselves in an alley to which there seemed to be no outlet, until it occurred to me that I could not do better than to write to Bernard Shaw, and he sent me the following postcard in reply I have tried every possible way of bringing about the correct position, but it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than to get any sort of delicate nztance of manners into the head of a well-intentioned British committee. Whelens difficulty is that if he pledges himself to anything, his committee may throw him over. He knows by experience that a play has to be quite extraordinarily bad to obtain unanimous support. All our great achievements with Ibsen, Tolstoy, Tchekoff, C., have been scraped through by snatched divisions, and majorities of one at that. An exquisite play by Tchekoff was actually hissed. You cannot conceive how inferior we are a small circle excepted to the common play- goer. However, I will go at Whelen again and make him understand that you do not propose to reopen the question of your choice of a pro- fession with him. G. B. S. The fragrant blending of kindliness and humour in this postcard seemed to leave me no choice but to send Esther Waters to my old friend with a note saying that if he could recommend the play to the Stage Society for performance I should be grateful, and that ix if he could not, his opinion would be equally valuable, for it would save me from further trouble. I should just put the play aside and never give it another thought. He did not, however, think the play altogether un- worthy, and it is a pleasure to me to know that I owe its performance to my oldest friend, for gratitude is a luxury in which I like to indulge, and this play affords me many opportunities of indulging in my virtue. And having thanked Shaw, I h
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