Bernard Shaw spent a lifetime—and a very long one—carrying out E. M. Forster's famous dictum, “only connect.” It seems Shaw managed to know everyone, travel everywhere, and write about everything. This volume surveys some of Shaw's many connections, a few of them heretofore unknown.
The first essay, by Bernard Dukore, explores how Shaw, even at the outset of his playwriting career, viewed directing as crucial to theater production. Indeed, his work as director influenced his dramatic works: from blocking, stage business, and creating crowd scenes to changing dialogue and devising striking visual effects. The example Dukore provides is an account of the rehearsals for an aborted 1897 production of You Never Can Tell, which Shaw directed. Dukore's emphasis is on “the interrelationship between director Shaw and dramatist Shaw, combining to create auteur Shaw, whose works harmoniously and seamlessly blend production with his themes, characterizations, and dialogue. The dramatist becomes...
