BLUNDERS IN A PLAY

Evening Star, Issue 20587, 12 September 1930, Page 14

BLUNDERS IN A PLAY

BERNARD SHAW CORRECTED THANKS ON A POST CARD. Dir Bernard Shaw recently, admitted having committed two “ stupid blunders ” —his own expression—in his play, ‘ Rack to Methuselah,’ and was having corrections made in the new edition ol the play. The blunders were pointed out to Mr Shaw by Mr W. H. Sherwood, an amateur actor, who had been appearing in the play at Leeds. Hero is Mr Sherwood’s version of what happened. “J' ring rehearsals of ‘Rack to Methuselah ’ 1 noticed that there were two pieces of dialogue in tho play which could bo improved by slight alteration. “For instance, Zoo, one of the women characters, is unable to understand tho Elderly Gentleman when ho says ‘ 1 beg your pardon,’ yet in the. second act she herself uses the same expression. She also speaks of a war in which ‘ nolle of the soldiers wero killed.’ In my view that seemed un-if'-sonablo 1 wrote to Dir Shaw pointing out these passages.” in reply to Mr Sherwood a letter buck came the usual post card irom “ G. 8.5.”

“ Many thanks for the corrections, ho wrote. “ Zoo had better say *My fault this time ’ instead of ‘ I beg your pardon/ and ‘hardly any of the soldiers wero ’ instead of ‘ none of the soldiers were.’ .[ have instructed my printers to alter tho plates accordingly. —G. Bernard Shaw ” When interviewed by a ‘ Sunday Express ’ representative, Mr Bernard Shaw made tho great confession. ‘‘ Mr Sherwood was right,” he announced. “ Ho is .1 man of intelligence, and he showed mo clearly that I had made two stupid blunders in the play. “What’s that? Have I over Pelore made alterations on tho advice of xcople appearing in my plays? “ Well, what a stupid question Of course I have. I’m always correcting works. Silly mistakes keep cropping up. Is any author immune from them ?

“ I run glad to accept correction from anybody—provided they know what they are talking about. I’m always -making mistakes, but, dash it all, man, I am only human, even it 1 am Bernard Shaw.”