What: If, when you hear the name George Bernard Shaw, you think of Pygmalion or Man and Superman, you might not realize that Shaw is very, very funny. Misalliance is a joyful, ironic, fast farce. It has the requisite "house in the English countryside" setting and, as the title hints, plenty of couplings and uncouplings as the younger generation of a family breaks through the older generation's Victorian mindset. Plus, we get the incomparable Lina Szczepanowska*, who does her part to shake things up.
Comparable to: If you like Oscar Wilde, you will probably like this. Fewer aphorisms, but more character development.
Representative quote: "Papa, buy the brute for me."
You might not like it if: You don't really like reading plays.
How to get it: In print, it's probably going to show up in a volume with other Shaw plays, in which case I recommend getting the Misalliance/Heartbreak House combo. Or, you can download it to your Kindle. Also, I have yet to see a really great production of this play that I adore, so someone please make that happen. Thank you.
Connection to previous Wreckage: George Bernard Shaw makes an appearance in Rec. #12: The Tournament. An excerpt: "It's hard to know which was more impressive, Shaw's play or the remarks he made about his intentions before he started."
*Fun fact: When I was in high school, I used one of Lina's monologues as an audition piece because I was on a Shaw kick at the time and I liked the character so much. It is possible that I am quite an odd duck.
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