THE APPLE CART

'''The Apple Cart''': ''A Political Extravaganza'' is a 1929 play by George Bernard Shaw. Though it offers some laughs, the play is primarily a reflection on a number of political philosophies and characters who frequently deliver lengthy speeches defending their views. It follows the fictional King Magnus and his mistress Orinthia as they match wits with a Prime Minister, Proteus, who seeks to strip the monarchy of its remaining political powers. As Shaw puts it succinctly in the Preface it is "a comedy in which a King defeats an attempt by his popularly elected Prime Minister to deprive him of the right to influence public opinion through the press and the platform: in short, to reduce him to a cipher. The King's reply is that rather than be a cipher he will abandon his throne and take his obviously very rosy chance of becoming a popularly elected Prime Minister himself."
Characters

★ Sempronius ''Civil Servant''

★ Pamphilius ''Civil Servant''

★ Boanerges'' President of the Board of Trade''

★ King Magnus''

★ Orinthia'' King's Mistress''

★ Alice'' Princess Royal''

★ Proteus'' Prime Minister''

★ Pliny'' Chancellor of the Exchequer''

★ Nicobar'' Foreign Secretary''

★ Crassus'' Colonial Secretary''

★ Balbus'' Home Secretary''

★ Amanda'' Postmistress General''

★ Lysistrata'' Powermistress General''

★ Vanhattan'' American Ambassador''

★ The Queen

★ Entire text of the play, including a lengthy Preface and articles relating to the play can be found at http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks03/0300431h.html