1 00:00:16,610 --> 00:00:19,500 JAMES GRASBY: Hello and welcome to the National Trust podcast in 2 00:00:19,889 --> 00:00:23,280 this mini episode. We'll be hearing Michael Friend who 3 00:00:23,290 --> 00:00:26,629 produces Shaw's plays at Shaw's Corner about his personal 4 00:00:26,639 --> 00:00:29,110 connection to Shaw's writings and his home. 5 00:00:38,590 --> 00:00:41,520 MICHAEL FRIEND: What I like about Shaw is how well written 6 00:00:41,619 --> 00:00:46,810 his plays are as pieces of theatre. They really work and 7 00:00:46,990 --> 00:00:49,874 they give actors the most wonderful opportunities. [ 8 00:00:49,874 --> 00:00:50,909 GENERIC: Sound of radio drama] I suppose you were going in 9 00:00:50,919 --> 00:00:52,909 seriously for politics someday Jack? 10 00:00:54,470 --> 00:00:57,279 MICHAEL FRIEND: I can't pinpoint exactly the first time I heard 11 00:00:57,290 --> 00:01:01,509 Shaw on the radio, but it would have been about 1948 possibly. 12 00:01:02,209 --> 00:01:04,173 When I was a small boy at school. [ 13 00:01:04,173 --> 00:01:09,010 GENERIC: Sound of radio drama] Wake up. Do you think I've been 14 00:01:09,019 --> 00:01:12,709 asleep? Do you? You throw me into a trance that I can't move 15 00:01:12,720 --> 00:01:15,400 hand or foot? I might have been buried alive, It's a mercy I 16 00:01:15,410 --> 00:01:15,980 wasn't! 17 00:01:16,339 --> 00:01:19,970 But I found you all out anyhow. I know the sort of people I'm 18 00:01:19,980 --> 00:01:24,069 among now. I've heard every word you said you and your precious 19 00:01:24,080 --> 00:01:25,809 father and you too. 20 00:01:25,819 --> 00:01:27,879 MICHAEL FRIEND: I think Heartbreak House is one of his 21 00:01:27,889 --> 00:01:32,769 finest plays. The scene we're going to hear now is between the 22 00:01:32,779 --> 00:01:37,019 capitalist Boss Mangan, who thinks he's going to marry the 23 00:01:37,029 --> 00:01:41,050 young girl Ellie Dunn and they're visiting in a country 24 00:01:41,059 --> 00:01:45,919 house and Hesione, one of the daughters, of the house is 25 00:01:45,930 --> 00:01:49,529 determined she's not going to let Ellie marry this Man. 26 00:01:49,540 --> 00:01:54,019 She thinks he's an appalling rapacious capitalist. And Ellie 27 00:01:54,029 --> 00:01:58,260 has made it clear just before that she's not going to marry 28 00:01:58,269 --> 00:02:02,879 Boss Mangan. He gets very upset. She strokes his head to calm him 29 00:02:02,889 --> 00:02:05,690 down and inadvertently hypnotizes him. 30 00:02:10,559 --> 00:02:14,919 He is then left on stage for about 10 minutes in a hypnotic 31 00:02:14,929 --> 00:02:19,309 trance while various people come in and discuss him and pull his 32 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:22,539 character to pieces thinking that he is completely oblivious. 33 00:02:23,210 --> 00:02:28,410 And when this scene starts, Ellie has just woken him up to 34 00:02:28,419 --> 00:02:31,970 Hesione Hushabye's horror. She discovers that he said every 35 00:02:31,979 --> 00:02:35,210 word they've said. So she's now got to talk herself out of this 36 00:02:35,429 --> 00:02:37,887 difficult situation. [ 37 00:02:37,887 --> 00:02:42,179 GENERIC: Sound of theatrical performance] Pretending to be 38 00:02:42,190 --> 00:02:46,220 asleep? Do you think if I was only pretending that I'd have 39 00:02:46,229 --> 00:02:49,279 sprawled there helpless and listened to such unfairness, 40 00:02:49,289 --> 00:02:53,009 such lies, such injustice and plotting and backbiting and 41 00:02:53,020 --> 00:02:55,570 slandering of me if I could have up and told you what I thought 42 00:02:55,580 --> 00:02:57,639 of you? It's a wonder I didn't burst. 43 00:02:57,649 --> 00:03:02,539 You dreamt it all, Mr Mangan. We were only saying how beautifully 44 00:03:02,550 --> 00:03:05,610 peaceful you looked in your sleep. That was all, wasn't it 45 00:03:05,619 --> 00:03:06,029 Ellie? 46 00:03:06,300 --> 00:03:09,740 Believe me, Mr Mangan. All those unpleasant things came into your 47 00:03:09,750 --> 00:03:14,080 mind in the last half second before you woke, Ellie rubbed 48 00:03:14,089 --> 00:03:17,990 your hair the wrong way and the disagreeable sensation suggested 49 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:19,270 a disagreeable dream. 50 00:03:19,289 --> 00:03:21,039 I believe in dreams. 51 00:03:21,089 --> 00:03:24,240 So do I, but they go by contraries, don't they? 52 00:03:24,250 --> 00:03:28,460 I shan't forget to my dying day that when you gave me the glad 53 00:03:28,470 --> 00:03:31,270 eye that time in the garden you were making a fool of me. 54 00:03:31,649 --> 00:03:35,729 That was a dirty low mean thing to do. You have no right to let 55 00:03:35,740 --> 00:03:39,020 me come near you. If I disgusted you, it isn't my fault that I'm 56 00:03:39,029 --> 00:03:41,949 old and haven't a mustache like a bronze candlestick as your 57 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:45,809 husband has. There are things no decent woman would do to a Man. 58 00:03:45,809 --> 00:03:47,990 Like a Man hitting a woman in the breast. 59 00:03:48,419 --> 00:03:53,690 Don't cry. I can't bear it. Have I broken your heart? I, I didn't 60 00:03:53,699 --> 00:03:56,089 know you had one. How could I? 61 00:03:56,100 --> 00:03:57,110 I'm a man, ain't I? 62 00:03:57,449 --> 00:03:59,919 Oh no, not what I call a man. 63 00:04:01,229 --> 00:04:04,899 MICHAEL FRIEND: There are, there are many unusual things that 64 00:04:04,910 --> 00:04:08,449 take place when you're performing in the open air. The 65 00:04:08,460 --> 00:04:13,500 famous cat'Socks' who lived at a neighbours which used to come 66 00:04:13,509 --> 00:04:16,980 here and used to love the performances and just used to 67 00:04:16,989 --> 00:04:21,079 like coming up on stage and would suddenly appear beside the 68 00:04:21,089 --> 00:04:23,109 actors and probably sit on the chair beside them. 69 00:04:23,869 --> 00:04:27,089 And I remember in the trial scene of Saint Joan when the cat 70 00:04:27,100 --> 00:04:30,489 suddenly appeared sitting on the prosecution benches! 71 00:04:30,489 --> 00:04:33,670 And all eyes were on the cat and nobody was getting any laughs. 72 00:04:33,679 --> 00:04:35,260 Then they weren't listening to the lines at all! 73 00:04:36,399 --> 00:04:39,309 So those, those are the little things that can be rather 74 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:40,019 different at Shaw's Corner. 75 00:04:58,019 --> 00:04:59,859 JAMES GRASBY: Thanks for listening to this week's mini 76 00:04:59,869 --> 00:05:03,910 episode. I hope you'll join me next time when I'll be exploring 77 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:07,369 the homes of Wordsworth in the lake district. Until then from 78 00:05:07,380 --> 00:05:09,489 me, James Grasby. Goodbye.