On this day in 1894 George Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Man opened. It was one of his earliest plays and the first commercial success in a sixty-five play, half-century career. On the strength of it Shaw was able to give up being a music critic and, at the age of forty, become a full-time playwright.
The opening night audience was very enthusiastic, but when Shaw went on stage at the final curtain the boos of one heckler could be heard amid the cheering. This occasioned one of Shaw's most renowned one-liners: "My dear fellow, I quite agree with you, but what are we two against so many?" Shaw would likely have made the comment regardless, but he apparently meant it ... FULL STORY »
