GUARDSMAN, THE

by Molnar, Ferenc

An elegant jeu d’esprit, highly praised by Shaw, in which Molnár casts both the jealous husband, impersonating an ardent admirer, and the wife who claims not to be fooled, as consummate professional actors and therefore each more than able to sustain their part in the “little comedy”. We are kept on a roller-coaster of uncertainty as to whether she will fall for him or see through his disguise, while the Critic and Mama spice up the action from the sidelines. The Budapest critics, who gave The Guardsman a lukewarm reception, were trumped (as they were with Liliom when the Theatre Guild of New York had an outstanding hit with it in 1924.

The National Theatre staged The Guardsman for the Molnár centenary in 1978, with Diana Rigg, and Janet Suzman directed a new production with Greta Scacchi and Michael Pennington at the Albery Theatre during 2000.