Legacy and influence George Bernard Shaw

oxford encyclopedia of theatre (2003)

shaw did not found school of dramatists such, crawford asserts today recognise [him] second shakespeare in british theatrical tradition ... proponent of theater of ideas struck death-blow 19th-century melodrama. according laurence, shaw pioneered intelligent theatre, in audience required think, thereby paving way new breeds of twentieth-century playwrights galsworthy pinter.

crawford lists numerous playwrights work owes of shaw. among active in shaw s lifetime includes noël coward, based comedy young idea on never can tell , continued draw on older man s works in later plays. t. s. eliot, no means admirer of shaw, admitted epilogue of murder in cathedral, in becket s slayers explain actions audience, might have been influenced saint joan. critic eric bentley comments eliot s later play confidential clerk had earmarks of shavianism ... without merits of real bernard shaw . among more recent british dramatists, crawford marks tom stoppard shavian of contemporary playwrights ; shaw s serious farce continued in works of stoppard s contemporaries alan ayckbourn, henry livings , peter nichols.

set of complete plays of shaw

shaw s influence crossed atlantic @ stage. bernard dukore notes successful dramatist in america ten years before achieving comparable success in britain. among many american writers professing direct debt shaw, eugene o neill became admirer @ age of seventeen, after reading quintessence of ibsenism. other shaw-influenced american playwrights mentioned dukore elmer rice, whom shaw opened doors, turned on lights, , expanded horizons ; william saroyan, empathised shaw embattled individualist against philistines ; , s. n. behrman, inspired write theatre after attending performance of caesar , cleopatra: thought agreeable write plays .

assessing shaw s reputation in 1976 critical study, t. f. evans described shaw unchallenged in lifetime , since leading english-language dramatist of (twentieth) century, , master of prose style. following year, in contrary assessment, playwright john osborne castigated guardian s theatre critic michael billington referring shaw greatest british dramatist since shakespeare . osborne responded shaw fraudulent, inept writer of victorian melodramas ever gull timid critic or fool dull public . despite hostility, crawford sees influence of shaw in of osborne s plays, , concludes though latter s work neither imitative nor derivative, these affinities sufficient classify osborne inheritor of shaw.

in 1983 study, r. j. kaufmann suggests shaw key forerunner— godfather, if not finicky paterfamilias —of theatre of absurd. 2 further aspects of shaw s theatrical legacy noted crawford: opposition stage censorship, ended in 1968, , efforts extended on many years establish national theatre. shaw s short 1910 play dark lady of sonnets, in shakespeare pleads queen elizabeth endowment of state theatre, part of campaign.

writing in new statesman in 2012 daniel janes commented shaw s reputation had declined time of 150th anniversary in 2006 had recovered considerably. in janes s view, many current revivals of shaw s major works showed playwright s unlimited relevance our times . in same year, mark lawson wrote in guardian shaw s moral concerns engaged present-day audiences, , made him—like model, ibsen—one of popular playwrights in contemporary british theatre.

the shaw festival in niagara-on-the-lake, ontario, canada second largest repertory theatre company in north america. produces plays or written during lifetime of shaw contemporary works.

the gingold theatrical group, founded in 2006, new york-based, off-broadway non profit theatre group presents work either shaw or featuring humanitarian values work has promoted. became first theatre group present of shaw s stage work, through monthly series project shaw.

general

in 1940s author harold nicolson advised national trust not accept bequest of shaw s corner, predicting shaw totally forgotten within fifty years. in event, shaw s broad cultural legacy, embodied in used term shavian , has endured , nurtured shaw societies in various parts of world. original society founded in london in 1941 , survives; organises meetings , events, , publishes regular bulletin shavian. shaw society of america began in june 1950; foundered in 1970s journal, adopted penn state university press, continued published shaw: annual of bernard shaw studies until 2004. second american organisation, founded in 1951 bernard shaw society , remains active of 2016. international shaw society founded in 2002 , regularly sponsors shaw symposia , conferences in canada, us, , other countries. more recent societies have been established in japan , india.

besides collected music criticism, shaw has left varied musical legacy, not of of choosing. despite dislike of having work adapted musical theatre ( plays set verbal music of own ) 2 of plays turned musical comedies: arms , man basis of chocolate soldier in 1908, music oscar straus, , pygmalion adapted in 1956 fair lady book , lyrics alan jay lerner , music frederick loewe. although had high regard elgar, shaw turned down composer s request opera libretto, played major part in persuading bbc commission elgar s third symphony, , dedicatee of severn suite (1930).

the substance of shaw s political legacy uncertain. in 1921 shaw s erstwhile collaborator william archer, in letter playwright, wrote: doubt if there case of man read, heard, seen, , known yourself, has produced little effect on generation. margaret cole, considered shaw greatest writer of age, professed never have understood him. thought worked immensely hard @ politics, essentially, surmises, fun— fun of brilliant artist . after shaw s death, pearson wrote: no 1 since time of tom paine has had definite influence on social , political life of time , country bernard shaw.

in obituary tribute shaw, times literary supplement concluded:

he no originator of ideas. insatiable adopter , adapter, incomparable prestidigitator thoughts of forerunners. nietzsche, samuel butler (erewhon), marx, shelley, blake, dickens, william morris, ruskin, beethoven , wagner had applications , misapplications. bending service faculties of powerful mind, inextinguishable wit, , every artifice of argument, carried thoughts far reach—so far beyond sources came vitality of newly created.