“I often quote myself. It adds spice to my conversation.”

The 50-odd plays of George Bernard Shaw represent only a fraction of his life’s printed output. In his 96 years he wrote five novels, countless theatrical reviews, innumerable political essays, pamphlets, and speeches, and (brace yourself) something approaching a quarter million letters, telegrams, and postcards. Little wonder then, that there is no better authority on Shaw’s philosophy, humor, ideas, expectations, and frustrations than . . . Shaw himself.

“Few people think more than two or three times a year; I have made an international reputation for myself by thinking once or twice a week.”

On Becoming a Playwright:

“I turned my hand to playwriting when a great deal of talk about “the New Drama” followed by the actual establishment of a “New” theatre (The Independent) threatened to end in the humiliating discovery that the New Drama, in England at least, was a figment of the revolutionary imagination. I had rashly taken up the case, and rather than let it collapse, I manufactured the evidence.”

“My reputation grows with every failure.”

“My whole secret is that I have got clean through the old categories of good and evil, and no longer use them, even for dramatic effect.”

“A mind of the calibre of mine cannot derive its nutriment from cows”

Shaw apparently believed he was his own best authority. In “The Playwright on His First Play” (1893), he took the liberty of interviewing himself.

“As a playwright, Mr. Shaw, you are of course a follower of Ibsen?”

“What! I a follower of Ibsen?  My good sir, as far as England is concerned, Ibsen is a follower of mine.”

“Shakespeare is your model perhaps?”

“Shakespeare! stuff! Shakespeare—a disillusioned idealist! a pessimist! a rationalist! a capitalist! If the fellow had not been a great poet, his rubbish would have been forgotten long ago. Molière, as a thinker, was worth a thousand Shakespeares. If my play is not better than Shakespeare, let it be damned promptly.”

“Americans adore me and will go on adoring me until I say something nice about them”

In our latest Pearl Insider, we provide a list of movies to watch and books to read to further your enlightenment of the British Monarchy and Shakespeare. Since our newsletter can only provide us with so much space to share, we thought we’d give you our extended Royal Watch List. Here is the first part of our extended Royal Watch List.

Movies

The Queen (2006)
Helen Mirren won an Academy Award for her portrayal as Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen portrays Elizabeth and the royal family’s reactions after the death of Princess Diana.

Looking for Richard (1996)
In this documentary, Al Pacino and several fellow actors examine Shakespeare’s Richard III and its history through discussion and dramatizations from the play.

A Man for All Seasons (1966)
Sir Thomas More, motivated by his Roman Catholic faith, stands up to Henry VIII  who wants to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, to marry Anne Boleyn. With Paul Scofield, Robert Shaw, and Vanessa Redgrave.

The Young Victoria (2009)
Queen Victoria, portrayed by Emily Blunt, ascends the throne at the age of 18. The movie shows her tough relationship with her mother, the Duchess of Kent, and her romance with Prince Albert.

Additional recommendations include: Elizabeth R (1971) a miniseries starring Glenda Jackson about Queen Elizabeth I, Monarchy with David Starkey (2004) a documentary miniseries about the history of the English Crown from 400 AD, and The Tudors (2007) a dramatization of Henry VIII and his many marriages.

So, watching Richard II is live and first hand (though dramatized) illustration of English history.  We thought it would be fun to do a little side-by-side comparison of the major players in the production and their real-life counterparts.

Left photo: Sean McNall as Richard II (photo by Gregory Costanzo)

Left photo: Jolly Abraham as the Queen (photo by Gregory Costanzo)

Left photo: Grant Goodman as Henry Bolingbroke (photo by Gregory Costanzo)

Left photo: Dan Kremer (photo by Gregory Costanzo)

Left photo: Bill Christ as Edmund, Duke of York (photo by Gregory Costanzo)