Candida

Rating:
Summary: A True Gem of World Theatre
Review: Like many writers at the turn of the 20th Century, Shaw was very much interested in "the woman question," for women were becoming increasingly independent and more of a challenge to men in both public and private spheres. Although he also addressed these issues in such other plays as PYGMALION and MAN AND SUPERMAN, CANDIDA is perhaps his clearest statement on the subject. Written in 1894, it is a statement that has proven timeless. It is easily among the favorite performance pieces of world theatre.

The plot is quite simple. The Rev. Morrell is a minister with a taste for reform--and he has had the good fortune to marry the perfect wife, a remarkable woman named Candida who has a talent for smoothing every path she encounters. One of the paths to which she has turned that talent is that of Marchbanks, a poetic young man who is the grip of all the emotional turmoil delayed adolescence implies. But Marchbanks has fallen in love with Candida, and when he informs her husband of this all hell breaks loose.

Throughout much of the play Morrell and Marchbanks engage in a series of brilliantly written duels over Candida, each of them espousing what Candida means to them and what they can give her, arguing through numerous philosophical issues in the process. But neither gentleman has actually troubled to consult Candida herself; when they eventually lay the issue before her and insist that she decide between them, she responds in a way that not only demonstrates how little they know of her, but how little they know about both women and the world in general.

The climax of the play has been dropping jaws in theatres for well over a hundred years and it seems likely that it will do so for at least a hundred more--and although Shaw presents his play as a comedy, it will be the rare husband who leaves it without a quick glance at his wife and the disturbed thought that like Candida, she may not be entirely what he has always believed her to be. Brilliantly written and reading as well on the page as it plays on the stage, CANDIDA is easily among the great plays of this or any other era; a personal favorite and very strongly recommended.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Rating:
Summary: "Plays Pleasant and Unpleasant" This is a little of each.
Review: While the novel is my first love, drama comes in a close second and I love the plays of George Bernard Shaw almost as much as those of Noel Coward. CANDIDA was originally published in a volume entitled PLAYS PLEASANT AND UNPLEASANT and anyone who's seen it knows that, while CANDIDA is usually regarded as a comedy, there is much in this play that could be regarded as unpleasant as well.

When James Morell, a quiet and introspective pastor and his hausfrau wife, Candida, rescue the would-be poet, Eugene Marchbanks from the streets of London, they don't realize how he'll turn their household on end. Eugene, almost immediately falls in love with Candida and decides to win her affections despite the fact that she's married to James. Marriage, you see, is no impediment to a man with the romantic soul of a poet.

One really has to see a production of CANDIDA to realize just how good it is. While it could have become simply "another romantic triangle," CANDIDA is anything but. When the two male leads are good, they play off each other wonderfully. Eugene Marchbanks is filled with frantic energy, James Morell is quiet and subdued. Eugene is overly confident and sure he can win CANDIDA from her husband quite easily. James is not as confident about his ability to "keep" his wife, but his love for her and his devotion to her are beautifully depicted by Shaw and, when the "right" actor is chosen to play the role, James Morell is a character with much depth.

If you have a chance to see a production of this play, don't be dismayed at the short stage time Candida is given during Acts I and II. She will more than make up for it during Act III when she has a very "candid" conversation with both the men vying for her affections. While the male characters literally take center stage during the first two acts, Candida steals the show during Act III.

Acts I and II of CANDIDA are quite funny, but Act III turns the play around, giving it more depth and substance than the usual run-of-the-mill romantic comedy possesses. Of course, CANDIDA is far from being "run-of-the-mill."

While audiences are going to find much to laugh about in CANDIDA, they are also going to find much to think about as well. Ultimately, CANDIDA asks questions that are universal and explores the themes of how we view love and those we love. The ending of the play, rather than being the rather "pat," upbeat ending we've learned to expect from romantic comedies, is reflective and character-driven and seems to have been written by Candida, herself, just as it should be.

CANDIDA is an enjoyable play, but it is one that is thought provoking as well. Anyone who misses this aspect of it is missing the most essential element of the play, itself.

I have seen several productions of CANDIDA and it requires a light touch if it is to "come off" properly (but not as light as the work of Noel Coward). However, I would definitely encourage anyone who has the opportunity to see a production of this wonderful play to do so.