‘Major’ ideas

Young Chang

Written in the early 1900s by Irish playwright George Bernard

Shaw, you wouldn’t expect “Major Barbara” to be very relevant in this

millennium.

It’s set in England, carried by characters tucked into corsets and

told in a language that actor Nike Doukas calls Shakespearean in its

poetics.

But the issues Shaw addresses are almost regrettably very current.

War, reality, idealism, poverty, wealth and militarism in the midst

of peace -- all such ideas are argued over in this concept-heavy play

that opened South Coast Repertory’s 2002-03 season Friday on the

newly-renovated Segerstrom Stage.

“Oh, dear me. It could be ripped right out of the headlines,” said

Dakin Matthews, who plays one of the principal roles, Andrew

Undershaft. The play “applies enormously today.”

Shaw devotes much of “Major Barbara” to the argument between a

realist and an idealist -- an armaments manufacturer (Matthews) and

his daughter, Barbara (Doukas). Barbara Undershaft works with the

Salvation Army and thinks she can do anything she sets her mind to,

including getting homeless people off the streets. She comes from a

rich family but lives humbly on only a pound a week, without a maid.

She is a kind, charitable person.

Her father, Andrew Undershaft, is a millionaire who owns a

munitions factory. He is heavily tied to the material world and isn’t

very optimistic. He tries to buy his daughter out of the Salvation

Army by making a huge contribution to the organization. Barbara has a

problem accepting money from someone whose business represents

everything she’s against.

“I really love Shaw,” said Doukas, who has been seen in SCR’s

“Much Ado about Nothing” and “Everett Beekin,” among others. “I

always find him so compelling because he always writes about really

interesting issues in a really personal way. He never makes you feel

there’s a really easy answer. You end up feeling very confused, which

is how I feel life is.”

Matthews, who was last seen in SCR’s “The School for Wives,” was

unabashed about calling “Major Barbara” a very challenging play in

terms of its dense language and deep thoughts.

“He puts a lot of tough thinking into this play,” the actor said.

“Even positions he doesn’t respect, he’ll give long speeches to.”

As the first show of SCR’s 2002-03 season, the work presents not

only grandeur in cast size, sets and costumes, but also in ideas. The

theater doesn’t just do shows that “assuage their audiences, but

challenge them,” Matthews said.

“It’s challenging them to look at their own lives,” the actor said

of SCR’s patrons. “It’s a very brave play, I think, to do.”

“Major Barbara” closes its run on Nov. 17.