Idiot's Delight

Idiot's Delight (1936), a comedy by Robert E. Sherwood. [Shubert Theatre, 299 perf.; Pulitzer Prize.] The Hotel Monte Gabrielle had been an Austrian sanatorium until the area was ceded to Italy after World War I. Now, with another war looming, a handful of guests, caught by border closings, sit languidly in the hotel's cocktail lounge, unsure just when the war will begin and how sides will be drawn. As one guest remarks, “The map of Europe supplies us with a wide choice of opponents. I suppose, in due time, our government will announce its selection—and we shall know just whom we are to shoot at.” Into their midst comes the mediocre American song‐and‐dance man Harry Van (Alfred Lunt) and his bevy of girls, returning from a Balkan tour. Among the guests, Harry spots a supposed Russian countess, Irene (Lynn Fontanne), who is traveling with a rich munitions manufacturer, and recognizes her as a former trouper with whom he once had a brief fling in Omaha. As the war clouds darken, they gingerly resume their old affair. The other guests leave, but Harry stays behind to convince Irene to flee with him and create a new mind‐reading act. They share a bottle of champagne and sing “Onward, Christian Soldiers” as bombs begin to fall. Brooks Atkinson observed of this strongly pacifist and ardently antifascist comedy presented by the Theatre Guild, “Mr. Sherwood has spoken passionately about a grave subject and settled down to writing a gusty show.” The comedy became the musical DANCE A LITTLE CLOSER (1983), which librettist‐producer Alan Jay Lerner updated to the eve of World War III, with Len Cariou and Liz Robertson as the central couple. The show closed on opening night, leaving only a superior score by Charles Strouse (music) and Lerner (lyrics) and marking the sad end of Lerner's long and illustrious career. Notable songs: Dance a Little Closer; Another Life; There's Always One You Can't Forget.

Robert E. Sherwood 1936

Robert E. Sherwood’s Idiot’s Delight takes place at a resort in the Italian Alps at an undetermined time, soon before the start of World War II. In the play, passengers on a train bound for Switzerland are prevented from leaving the country because war is going to break out. Tensions are high, as nobody, including the local authorities, knows which country or countries will attack which. The interesting characters who are detained at the hotel include a German doctor who is close to finding a cure for cancer; a British couple on their honeymoon; a French Communist who is returning from an international labor conference; a mysterious Russian countess and her companion, an arms merchant who has inside knowledge about when the fighting will begin; and a company of American showgirls, led by a manager who is a seasoned show business professional and confidence man.

The situation described in the play is fictional — Sherwood describes World War II starting with Italian planes bombing Paris, though in fact the war did not begin until three years after the play was produced, with Germany’s invasion of Poland. Still, the situation that he concocted for this play puts audiences right into the difficult situation in Europe in the thirties, when war really was expected at any moment. The play also includes performances of singing and dancing and a plot line about long-lost lovers reuniting at the final moments of their lives. Sherwood won his first Pulitzer Prize for drama for Idiot’s Delight in 1936.

Idiot's Delight may refer to:

• Idiot's Delight (play), written by Robert E. Sherwood
• Idiot's Delight (film), a screenplay written by Robert E. Sherwood adapted from the play
• Idiot's Delight (radio), a show hosted by Vin Scelsa
• Idiot's Delight (dessert), dessert dating to the American Civil War era
• Idiot's Delight (solitaire), an alternate name for the solitaire card games, Aces Up, King Albert, and Perpetual Motion.

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