George Bernard Shaw’s The Devil’s Disciple is revived in this electrifying new adaptation.
“I had an inkling from an early age that the Devil was my natural master, captain and friend”
Acclaimed writer Mark Giesser’s play The Devil May Care will have its world premiere this winter at Southwark Playhouse Borough. Inspired by George Bernard Shaw’s classic yet lesser-known play The Devil’s Disciple, Giesser’s adaptation places the action in a different conflict, the Philippine-American War at the turn of the 20th century, and re-casts the United States as the imperial aggressor. Where Bernard Shaw’s play unfolds against a backdrop of religious intolerance, Giesser’s update explores racial intolerance.
Bernard Shaw’s 1897 drama saw the United States of America as the underdog, fighting against the imperial British; Giesser’s adaptation sees the America of 1899 take its first steps to acquire an empire when it annexes the Philippine Islands. Giesser’s The Devil May Care follows Richard Conroe, a disreputable American trader, who is mistaken for a treasonous English minister and arrested. Both Conroe and the real minister’s wife, Judith, have to decide if they should reveal his true identity – potentially saving Conroe, but condemning the minister to death.
Tackling the hypocrisy and prejudices of authorities and institutions, Giesser’s tense drama also delves into the very human and personal challenges that are brought up by conflict. As Richard and Judith grapple with the moral and emotional fallout of their decisions, The Devil May Care highlights the human cost of war, prejudice and hypocrisy.
Listings
The Devil May Care: Monday 8th January – Saturday 1st February 2025
Southwark Playhouse Borough (Little), 77-85 Newington Causeway, London, SE1 6BD
Mon – Sat: 8pm, Tue & Sat: 3.30pm
£10 Pioneers’ Preview (8th January) | £16 Previews (9th – 11th January) £25 Standard | £20 Concessions