J.B. (play)

J.B. (play). *J.B.* is a 1958 verse drama by American poet Archibald MacLeish, a modern retelling of the Book of Job set in a circus tent. The play uses the framework of the biblical story to explore profound questions of human suffering, faith, and the search for meaning in a post-World War II world. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1959 and a Tony Award for Best Play, cementing its status as a significant work of mid-century American theatre.

Background and writing

Archibald MacLeish, who had served as the Librarian of Congress and an assistant secretary in the State Department, turned to the Book of Job in the aftermath of the Holocaust and the dawn of the Atomic Age. He sought to grapple with the problem of evil and divine justice in a contemporary context, influenced by the existential anxieties of the Cold War. The play was written while MacLeish was a Boyer Professor at Harvard University, blending his lifelong engagement with poetry and public life. Its composition was a direct response to the pervasive sense of despair following global conflicts, aiming to find a humanistic affirmation.

Plot summary

The action unfolds in a dilapidated circus tent, where two broken-down actors, Mr. Zuss and Nickles, don masks to play God and Satan respectively. They observe and intervene in the life of J.B., a prosperous modern businessman modeled on Job. J.B. enjoys immense wealth and a happy family with his wife Sarah. In a series of calamities echoing the biblical plagues, J.B. loses his children to a violent accident and his fortune to financial ruin. His three comforters—Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar—appear as a psychiatrist, a Marxist labor activist, and a Christian clergyman, each offering failed explanations for his suffering. Despite Sarah's urging to "curse God and die," J.B. endures his trials, culminating in a tense dialogue with the masked figures before finding a fragile, human-centered redemption with Sarah.

Characters

* J.B.: A successful American banker and family man, the modern counterpart to Job. * Sarah: J.B.'s wife, whose pragmatic despair and eventual return are central to the play's conclusion. * Mr. Zuss: An aging actor who plays the role of God, representing formal, distant divinity. * Nickles: The cynical actor who plays Satan, voicing bitter anger at human suffering and divine indifference. * The Comforters: Eliphaz (a Freudian psychoanalyst), Bildad (a Marxist citing historical materialism), and Zophar (a fundamentalist priest). * J.B.'s Children: Represented as modern youths, their deaths are reported via a radio and telephone.

Themes and analysis

The play is a profound meditation on theodicy, questioning how to reconcile human suffering with belief in a just God. MacLeish shifts the resolution from the biblical Yahweh's speech from the whirlwind to a humanist affirmation of love and endurance, suggesting meaning must be forged between people, not granted from above. The circus setting and theatrical frame highlight the performative nature of belief and cosmic roles. Critically, the work engages with existentialism, rejecting both nihilism and simplistic religious answers, positing that humanity must "blow on the coal of the heart" despite an apparently silent universe.

Production history

*J.B.* premiered at the Yale School of Drama in 1958 under the direction of John Houseman. Its successful run led to a Broadway production at the ANTA Theatre in 1959, directed by Elia Kazan and featuring a cast including Pat Hingle as J.B. and Christopher Plummer as Nickles. The production was designed by renowned scene designer Boris Aronson. It enjoyed a substantial run of 364 performances. The play has been revived periodically, including a notable 1974 television adaptation and various regional productions at theatres like the Arena Stage and the Goodman Theatre.

Critical reception and legacy

Upon its Broadway debut, *J.B.* received widespread acclaim for its ambitious poetry and intellectual depth, winning the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and a Tony Award for Best Play. Some religious critics found its humanist conclusion a departure from orthodox theology, while some secular reviewers praised its powerful confrontation with modern despair. The play solidified Archibald MacLeish's reputation as a major literary figure beyond his poetry. It remains a staple in studies of modern American drama and biblical adaptation, frequently anthologized and analyzed for its treatment of postwar trauma and its innovative use of verse on the modern stage. Category:American plays Category:Pulitzer Prize for Drama winners Category:1958 plays