J.B. (play)

J.B.
Written by	Archibald MacLeish
Characters	Mr. Zuss Nickles J.B. Sarah David Jonathan Mary Ruth Rebecca First Messenger Second Messenger Girl Jolly Bildad Zophar Eliphaz Mrs. Adams Mrs. Murphy Mrs. Lesure Mrs. Botticelli A Distant Voice
Date premiered	11 December 1958
Place premiered	ANTA Playhouse New York City
Original language	English
Subject	a retelling of the Biblical Book of Job
Genre	Drama
Setting	a corner inside an enormous circus tent
IBDB profile

J.B. is a 1958 play written in free verse by American playwright and poet Archibald MacLeish and is a modern retelling of the story of the biblical figure Job — hence the title: J.B./Job. The play went through several incarnations before it was finally published. MacLeish began the work in 1953 as a one-act production but within three years had expanded it to a full three-act manuscript.

There are two versions of J.B. available: the original book, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and the script which MacLeish revised substantially for Broadway, published by Samuel French Inc.

Plot summary

The play opens in "a corner inside an enormous circus tent." Two vendors, Mr. Zuss and Nickles, begin the play-within-a-play by assuming the roles of God and Satan, respectively. They watch J.B., a wealthy banker, describe his prosperity as a just reward for his faithfulness to God. Scorning, Nickles challenges Zuss that J.B. will curse God if his life is ruined. The two observe as J.B.'s children and property are destroyed in horrible accidents and the former millionaire takes to the streets. J.B. is visited by three Comforters (representing History, Science, and Religion) who offer contradicting explanations for his plight. He declines to believe any of them, instead calling out to God to show him the just cause for his punishment. When finally confronted by the circus vendors, J.B. refuses to accept Nickles' urging toward suicide to spite God or Zuss' offer of his old life in exchange for quiet obedience to religion. Instead, he takes solace in his wife Sarah and the new life they will create together.

Original productions

The three-act version was first performed on 11 December 1958 in New York City at the ANTA Playhouse in a production directed by Elia Kazan with a cast including Raymond Massey, Christopher Plummer, Nan Martin, Ivor Francis, Pat Hingle, Clifton James, Judith Lowry, Candy Moore, James Olson, Ford Rainey, and Andreas Voutsinas. This production won both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Awards for Best Play and Best Direction in 1959.

An off-Broadway production opened on March 17, 1962 at the Master theatre starring John Cazale. The play was performed at the University of Nevada in Reno in 1963.

Characters

• J.B. – based on the biblical character Job; a man confronted by many tests of his faith in God.
• Sarah – J.B.'s wife; not as confident in God as J.B.
• Mr. Zuss – A balloon vendor in the circus who assumes the role of God
• Nickles – A popcorn vendor in the circus who assumes the role Satan
• The Distant Voice – An anonymous voice that prompts more action in the play, as if to make it look like God himself is watching
• the children of J.B. and Sarah: David 13; Mary, 12; Jonathan 10; Ruth 8; Rebecca, 6
• two 'buxom, middle-aged' Maids
• two Messengers: 'dressed as soldiers' in Scene Three; with 'battered felt hats...a news camera... a notebook' in Scene Four; 'wearing steel helmets and brassards' in Scene Six
• a 'stylishly dressed Girl' (Scene Four)
• in Scene Eight, et seq.: 'Four Women' (Mrs. Adams, Mrs. Botticelli, Mrs. Lesure, and Mrs. Murphy) and 'a young girl' (Jolly Adams), 'their arms filled with blankets and newspapers.'
• in Scene Nine: 'Three Comforters ... in worn-out clothing': Zophar, a fat, red-faced man wearing 'the wreck of a clerical collar'; Eliphaz, lean and dark, wearing 'an intern's jacket which once was white'; and Bildad, a squat, thick man in a ragged wind-breaker.'

External links

• J.B. at the Internet Broadway Database
• J.B. at the Lortel Archives