Widowers' Houses & Selected Correspondence Relating to the Play. Bernard Shaw

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СКАЧАТЬ and not too expensive way of making an édition de luxe of it will be to illustrate with photographs of the cast in costume. The leading lady is a very goodlooking woman, I might remark. It ought to be quite a quarto—not too large, but just large enough.

      Your suggestion came into my mind this afternoon for the first time with full force. To confess the truth, the chief attraction to me is the opportunity of presenting a copy to each of the actors, who are all playing for nothing. So dont set too much store by my favorable view of the chance of a sale.

      yours faithfully

      G. Bernard Shaw

      25/ Bernard Shaw’s diary entry for 25th November 1892

      Fabian Members’ Meeting. Barnard’s Inn. 20. Eight Hours Committee Report, Appointment of Auditors, and Miss [Emma Frances] Brooke’s resolution re framing new Constitution. Press View. [Prince Paul] Troubetskoy’s portraits and studies in oils. Dowdeswell’s. Press View. Miniatures at the Fine Art Society. Press View. Old Water Colour Society. 5 Pall Mall East. Press View. Stephen Coleridge’s oil studies, Water Ways of England, at Dowdeswell’s. Rehearsal, Mona Hotel. 12.30.

      Went in to town by the 10.17 train and did the Bond St. Galleries before rehearsal. [James] Welch turned up to play Lickcheese; and we rehearsed the first two acts for the first time with the full cast. Afterwards I dined with FE [Florence Emery] at the Orange Grove and then went to the Old Water Colour Society. Then home, where I found Mrs Sparling [née May Morris] visiting my mother. JP [Mrs Jane Patterson] and Georgie [G.B.S.’s aunt] came in later on. I had to speak several times at the Fabian. Came home with Sparling.

      Train Ravenscourt Park to St James’s Pk 6d Dinner (at O. G.) (2) 2/2 Justice 1d Star 1 Train Ptld Rd to Farringdon 2d Temple to Ravenscourt Pk 6d

      26/ Bernard Shaw’s diary entry for 27th November 1892

      SUNDAY Off—Club evicted. Lecture on “Practical Communism” at the Workpeople’s Educational Club. 40 Berners St. Commercial Rd. E. 20. (C. W. [Charles William] Mowbray, 25 Little Alie St., Leman St. E.). Unemployed Committee. 337 Strand. 11.30. [Walter] Crane lectures on his American trip at Kelmscott House. 20.

      We did not get back from the Committee until 14. I met Mowbray there and learned that the lecture was off. [Ernest Belfort] Bax and another man whose name I forget came in in the evening. We all went to Crane’s lecture. Had a few words with Mrs [Louise] Jopling[-Rowe] afterwards. Very busy writing interview for the Star [about Widowers’ Houses]. Up late over it. I did not go in to supper at Morris’s in order to get back to work.

      Train Ravenscourt Pk to Temple & back 1/—

      27/ Bernard Shaw’s diary entry for 5th December 1892

      Fabian Executive. 17. Monday Pop. [Johannes] Brahms’s Clarinet Quintet. Muhlfeld. 20. Also next Saturday. Jeanne Douste’s recital. Prince’s Hall. 20. Rehearsal. 1.

      Was not down to breakfast until 11. Wrote letters, and tried to write up this diary for the past week. Did not attend the rehearsal [of Widowers’ Houses], as I promised to keep away so as to leave them to get their words. Came back with Sparling [née May Morris] from Executive.

      Train to Ptld Rd 7d Dinner 1/1? Macaroni &c at Gatti & Rodesano’s 1/8

      28/ Bernard Shaw’s diary entry for 8th December 1892

      Special Fabian Executive on Unemployed Question. 17. Last rehearsal [of Widowers’ Houses]. 14.

      Wrote a couple of letters and then walked into town. Left the theatre with FE [Florence Emery] at 18.15; and went with her to the door of the Orange Grove, where I left her and hurried on to the Executive. They were all gone except Miss Priestley and Sparling [née May Morris]. Miss [Isobel E.] Priestley [later Mrs Bart Kennedy] gave me her opinion of the play. Came back with Sparling. Got home a little after 20 or thereabouts. Wrote some letters, etc.

      Bus Marble Arch to Halles St 1d Star 1 Dinner 10d Charles Hoppe, for pit tickets for Mrs Hewlett 5/– Train Temple to Ravenscourt Pk 6d

      29/ Bernard Shaw’s diary entry for 9th December 1892

      Production of Widowers’ Houses by the Independent Theatre at the Royalty. 20. Wind Instrument Chamber Music Society 1st concert. Prince’s Hall. 20.

      I forget what I did today, except—Oh, I remember. I went over to FE [Florence Emery] at about noon and stayed there for some hours. Then I walked into town. Made a speech at the end of the play. Spent the night at Fitzroy Square. Watchkey 3d

      30/ To a British actor-manager and a barrister Charles Charrington

      14th December 1892

      Dear Charrington

      If you have seen “Widowers’ Houses” you will understand that it was altogether too experimental to be put on anywhere except at the I.T. [Independent Theatre], least of all at the theatre of any manager for whom I had a ray of personal regard. All that could be done with it would be about three matinees run by some manager who had a theatre and a staff eating their heads off in the afternoon. The third matinee would perhaps bring the performance up to the level of a bad dress rehearsal. However, I have proved myself a man to be reckoned with. I have got the blue book across the footlights. I have made [James] Welch’s reputation and blasted Florence Farr’s. I have established the fact that Moy Thomas is the greatest dramatic critic of the age, and that [William] Archer & [Arthur Bingham] Walkley are a pair of idiots. I have appeared before the curtain amid transcendent hooting & retired amid cheers. And I have spent so much time at rehearsal that I am stark ruined, and am ruefully asking myself whether a continental trip for my health would not have been far more economical than all this theatrical glory. For of what value was it to me when J. A. C. [Janet Achurch, Mrs Charrington] was not there to see. As yesterday’s matinee was for the managers, I took it for granted that you would be there. I will try hard to get over to see you in the course of the next few days, tomorrow if no musical performance claims me—failing that, Monday. I am staying for the moment with H. H. [Henry Halliday] Sparling.

      31/ William Archer’s review of Widowers’ Houses contributed to a British weekly paper The World

      14th December 1892

       . . . It is a pity that Mr Shaw should labour under a delusion as to the true bent of his talent, and, mistaking an amusing jeu d’sprit for a work of creative art, should perhaps be tempted to devote further time and energy to a form of production for which he has no special ability and some constitutional disabilities. A man of his power of mind can do nothing that is altogether contemptible. We may be quite sure that if he took palette and ‘commenced painter,’ or set to work to manipulate a lump of clay, he would produce a picture or a statue that would bear the impress of a keen intelligence, and would be well worth looking at. That is precisely the case of Widowers’ Houses. It is a curious example of what can be done in art by sheer brain-power, apart from natural aptitude. For it does not appear that Mr Shaw has any more specific talent for the drama than he has for painting or sculpture. . . .

      32/ To William Archer

      14th December 1892

      [Dear Archer]

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