As the artistic director of Project Shaw, David Staller has staged one-night-only readings of all 65 plays written by George Bernard Shaw, the Irish playwright and critic best known for controversial and contentious 20th-century dramas like “Pygmalion,” “Candida” and “Arms and the Man.”
Staller’s full-scale production of “Widowers’ Houses,” Shaw’s very first play, just opened off-Broadway in a co-production between Project Shaw and the Actors Company Theatre.
amNewYork spoke with Staller about the significance of the 1892 drama, in which a young man confronts the perils of slum housing.
Out of so many Shaw plays, what made you choose “Widowers’ Houses”?
All of Shaw’s plays are annoyingly relevant. This one has always intrigued me in a particularly potent way. It was Shaw’s experiment at becoming a playwright and, as a first play, it’s incredibly accomplished.
Why did Shaw give playwriting a try when he was already a successful theater critic?
After Shaw had experienced the work of Ibsen on the London stage, he was resolved to get the then current crop of writers to shake the dust off of the Victorian theatrical conventions and to take a bold step into modernism. He hoped for plays that were more determined to deal with socio-political issues peopled with characters that had more psychologically explored depths and contradictions.
What stance is Shaw taking in “Widowers’ Houses” with regards to slum housing?
The plot is hooked onto the notion of extreme class systems in relation to urban dwelling. The haves and have-nots. Who is to blame? Shaw firmly believed that the only hope for our world was for us all to accept the importance of the concept of a one-world family, with everyone taking responsibility for our own choices and helping those unable to help themselves.
Was slum housing a prominent issue in Shaw’s time?
Slum housing issues were nothing new. Theyad already been dealt with years before by Dickens. While a teen in Dublin, Shaw worked as a rent collector. We can just imagine how that experience colored his view of the inequities of society and how, when writing this play, how many memories he had to draw from.
What qualities do you look for in actors when casting a Shaw play?
Technique with language, a splendid sense of humor, delightful company, and smarts.
If Shaw were alive today, who do you think he would support for president?
Well, probably none of them whole-heartedly. Though wouldn’t a Bernard and Bernie debate have been fun!
If you go
“Widowers’ Houses” plays through April 2 at Theater Row. 410 W. 42nd St., tactnyc.org.
