Shaw or Beckett Season

For Shaw: Heartbreak House, Apple Cart, Devil's Disciple and Caesar&Cleopatra
As for Beckett, i doubt it would happen unless you had mahoosive stars vecause beyond Godot, joe public wint know the plays but Endgame, Happy Days and Krapps last tape. But as i say it should be Shaw next and i hope Dromgoole takes the opportunity to programme some of the plays not done for a while.

Two of my least favourite playwrights - brothers in tedium. The best option would be Shaw's "Shakes versus Shav" which has a running time of ten minutes (and uses puppets) and Beckett's "Breath" which lasts 35 seconds.

I have always been vaguely interested in Shaw's other Shakespeare-related plays "Caesar and Cleopatra" and "Cymbeline Refinished" but doubt they'd be worthwhile. Best of a bad job would be "Pygmalion" and "Waiting for Godot".

Just for a bit more tonyloco showing off, here is part of what I wrote about the production of Sondheim's 'The Frogs' recently at the Jermyn Street Theatre:

"In the original play by Aristophenes, the competition is between the Greek poets Aeschelus and Euripides (they are mentioned in the verse of Cole Porter’s ‘Brush Up Your Shakespeare’) and it is this competition that is replaced by the competition between Shakespeare and Shaw as envisaged by Shaw himself in the very last play he ever wrote – a ten minute piece for puppets where the two rivals quote from their own works in trying to outdo each other on various subjects. It made me feel very smug that I recognised this play by Shaw – nobody else anywhere mentions the existence of Shaw’s play."

Thus the memoirs are coming along nicely!

Cant wait☺

I haven’t seen too much of Shaw.

But I would like to see Major Barbara, Mre Warren’s Profession, The Doctor’s Dilemma and Man an Superman. But a commercial producer drop 2 of my suggestions and do Pygmalion and Saint Joan.

For Beckett obviously Waiting for Godot, Endgame, Happy Days and one other Maybe All That Fall.

Yes, Shaw saw himself as Shakespeare's equal didn't he? But Shaw , though he has his moments, isn’t 'for all time'. We don’t 'speak' Shaw every day do we? But funnily enough we often quote Willie as we make our way through this imperfect world. 
Ryan, I’m all for another My Fair Lady, which I consider a superior work to Pygmalion. Causes the odd argument in my house 😉

Hmmm, yes lets agree to disagree on that L!

The late Howard Davies directed both. A successful Pygmalion at NT then an unsuccessful My Fair Lady on Broadway. Someone said at the time he directed Pygmalion as if it was My Fair Lady but then My Fair Lady as if it was Pygmalion, hence the relative success of each production.

You make a great point.

However popular plays get put on frequently now, think of the Importance of Being Earnest, this year it would be its third revival in 6 years. People flock back for great titles, especially if there is a star included.

it was 2010 that Mrs Warren’s Profession was revived with Feliciy Kendal at the Comedy.

Simin makes a great point about Shaw, he comes out of copyright in 2020, so any producer would hold their breathe for 2 years.

I don't know if I've just got lucky with the Shaw I've seen which did all star well known, very good actors, NTs st joan, Major Barbara, Man and superman and Pygmalion at the old vic I think? as I really enjoyed them all and off the back of them would probably be inclined to see more. Beckett I've just see Godot and Happy Days and whilst I think I saw good productions they both left me slightly uncomfortable and unnerved that it probably would require someone a really like to call me back.

Shaw ranked himself alongside Shakespeare so maybe they should treat him like Shakespeare: set it in modern dress, cut 45 minutes off the running time, write extra text to clarify the plot and swap the gender of characters - when he’s out of copyright he’s fair game.