Arms and the Man

Summary: 1946 BBC live studio production of Shaw’s ‘anti-romantic comedy’ Arms and the Man.
Theatre play: Arms and the Man by [George] Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) [more information]
Play synopsis: A comedy ‘that takes place in 1885, during the Serbo-Bulgarian War. Raina Petkoff is engaged to the gallant Sergius Saranoff, hero of the recent Bulgarian victory over the Serbs. But she is distracted by the abrupt arrival of Captain Bluntschli, a Swiss mercenary who fought for the Serbian army. He takes refuge in her bedroom after the battle and although he is initially threatening, reveals that he carries chocolates instead of bullets. Will Raina marry the posturing Sergius or the chocolate cream soldier? Extra intrigue is provided by saucy servant girl Louka, her dour fiance Nicola, and Raina’s hand-wringing parents.' Source: https://archive.org/details/armsandtheman_1003_librivox.
Production history: The play was first produced on 21 April 1894 at the Avenue Theatre, London, and published in 1898.
Date of transmission: Sunday 22 December 1946
Time: 8.30-10.45pm
Channel: BBC Television
Production company: BBC

Producer

Harold Clayton

Playwright

[George] Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

Sets / Settings

Barry Learoyd

Cast

Origination: Live from studio
Vision original: Monochrome
Later transmissions: Presented again at 3.00pm on Tuesday 24 December 1946.
Extant status: No archival copy is known to exist.
Play tags: 19th-century setting; comedy; marriage; wartime, as theme or setting

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