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Idiot's Delight
A young English couple on their honeymoon, a German scientist, a French munitions magnate, the inscrutable Irene, and the vulgar but lovable American Harry Van are thrown together in a small winter resort in the Alps. For a short time they are forced to depend upon their own resources under threat of an air-raid, which at the last descends upon the few who are left. The play throws into ironic relief the individual human being who, having brought upon himself the obscene idiocy of wholesale destruction by war, wakes up to find that he can do nothing more than make a futile gesture against the forces he has set in action.
72 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1936
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About the author
Robert E. Sherwood
68 books17 followersRobert Emmet Sherwood was an American playwright, editor, and screenwriter.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 29, 2020
رائعة من روائع المسرح العالمى.ليلة اعلان ايطاليا الحرب على فرنسا.تدور المسرحية فى فندق على حدود اربع دول فى وجود اشخاص مثل تاجر السلاح وقائد فرقة وعالم وداعى للسلام
August 17, 2014
On the day before the outbreak of war in Europe, an assorted group of travelers are stuck at a remote hotel, unable to cross the Italian border into Switzerland.
Idiot’s Delight is eerily prescient. I lost track of the number of times I flipped back to the front of the book, as it’s hard to believe it was first staged in 1936. Pacifist in tone, the plot is fine, if nothing spectacular, but it’s the whole package that delivers a stinging emotional punch. The ending is nonsensical and depressing, and this Pulitzer Prize winner is due for a revival. Recommended.
Idiot’s Delight is eerily prescient. I lost track of the number of times I flipped back to the front of the book, as it’s hard to believe it was first staged in 1936. Pacifist in tone, the plot is fine, if nothing spectacular, but it’s the whole package that delivers a stinging emotional punch. The ending is nonsensical and depressing, and this Pulitzer Prize winner is due for a revival. Recommended.
September 30, 2018
War was in the Air
Emphasis on delight! On the cusp of WW II a diverse group of characters are thrown together in an Italian resort overlooking the border of 3 other countries, only in this case the war begins some time in 1936 with Italy bombing Paris from the air, which occurs in the middle of the play.
The two leads are Harry Van, a slighted jaded American impresario, and Irene, a fiery and mysterious former Russian aristocrat who changes her story as frequently as she changes her hats. The rest of characters consist of the hotel staff in particular Dumptsy, a dour gentle and wonderfully comic servant who plays the wise fool, the Cherrys, a pair of young and somewhat out of touch British newlyweds, Quillery a working class revolutionary from France who claims no nationality but humanity, a German scientist, Dr. Waldersee, on the precipice of finding a cure for cancer and French arms merchant Achille Weber, who may in fact be the individual who precipitates the war. Accompanying Van are a small bevy of 6 chorus girls with small speaking parts who should be able to sing and dance, an equal number of Italian soldiers and their Commander, Captain Locicero who controls the border and a small band, perhaps 3-5 persons.
The set itself is simple and straightforward - the cafe and lobby of the hotel, and though it does call for a staircase leading to a 2nd floor, one can easily work around it. The music for a number of period pieces is also required and Van should be able to play the piano.
The plot is straightforward but the crispness of the dialog and the commentary on war makes it interesting. Everyone is stuck at the hotel waiting for permission from the Italians to continue. Van's troop is on their way to Geneva hoping to make their reputation as performers at the peace conference and offers some entertainment in return for a reduced price for their lodging. Irene is Weber's mistress, but there are signs that the two are just about done and Harry Van is sure he's met Irene before when she was on the stage.
Absolutely suitable for schools or community theatre groups. Including the band there are a 27 roles but there is some flexibility for a few more or a few less. I saw a live performance a couple of years ago at Niagara-on-the-Lake and would not mind to see it revived again!
Emphasis on delight! On the cusp of WW II a diverse group of characters are thrown together in an Italian resort overlooking the border of 3 other countries, only in this case the war begins some time in 1936 with Italy bombing Paris from the air, which occurs in the middle of the play.
The two leads are Harry Van, a slighted jaded American impresario, and Irene, a fiery and mysterious former Russian aristocrat who changes her story as frequently as she changes her hats. The rest of characters consist of the hotel staff in particular Dumptsy, a dour gentle and wonderfully comic servant who plays the wise fool, the Cherrys, a pair of young and somewhat out of touch British newlyweds, Quillery a working class revolutionary from France who claims no nationality but humanity, a German scientist, Dr. Waldersee, on the precipice of finding a cure for cancer and French arms merchant Achille Weber, who may in fact be the individual who precipitates the war. Accompanying Van are a small bevy of 6 chorus girls with small speaking parts who should be able to sing and dance, an equal number of Italian soldiers and their Commander, Captain Locicero who controls the border and a small band, perhaps 3-5 persons.
The set itself is simple and straightforward - the cafe and lobby of the hotel, and though it does call for a staircase leading to a 2nd floor, one can easily work around it. The music for a number of period pieces is also required and Van should be able to play the piano.
The plot is straightforward but the crispness of the dialog and the commentary on war makes it interesting. Everyone is stuck at the hotel waiting for permission from the Italians to continue. Van's troop is on their way to Geneva hoping to make their reputation as performers at the peace conference and offers some entertainment in return for a reduced price for their lodging. Irene is Weber's mistress, but there are signs that the two are just about done and Harry Van is sure he's met Irene before when she was on the stage.
Absolutely suitable for schools or community theatre groups. Including the band there are a 27 roles but there is some flexibility for a few more or a few less. I saw a live performance a couple of years ago at Niagara-on-the-Lake and would not mind to see it revived again!
February 13, 2023
I did enjoy this book quite a bit... there were some quotable lines and it was fast paced. BUT it wasn't at all what I expected: I thought this was going to explore different philosophies about war through the portrayal of deep conversations between our protagonists...but I couldn't have been more wrong. The entire story is told in a very superficial way and even when deeper topics are touched on they're never explored further. But in hindsight I think that's exactly what the author tried to portray: how people either completely ignore the severity of war or are forced to hide their true feelings...the only character who bluntly says what he really thinks gets shot. Another interesting aspect of the story is how it uses war mainly as a backdrop to the personal problems in the protagonist's lifes...it shows us how even in the darkest of times people tend to be self-centered and only think about the problems in their immediate future. Maybe this individualistic thinking is even reinforced through the apparent inability to change anything about the bigger collectif problem that war poses.
October 12, 2018
I recently re watched the movie that was based on this play, so I took the opportunity to re-read the play. Historical context is everything, and this 1936 play anticipates the beginning of the World War II, though on a small scale, during the course of 24 hours as the closing of borders and the beginning of belligerent maneuvers affect a group of people stranded at a hotel in the mountains in Italy. The concerns of the play are largely political and philosophical (anti-war), but there is an offbeat romance as well, between a small-time traveling entertainer and a Russian countess who is not exactly what she seems to be. The play feels a bit artificial, partly because of the vagueness of the causes of the conflict, but that also gives it an almost surreal tone at times. I enjoyed the movie, but I would like to see a revival of the play, though I imagine it's considered fairly dated and doesn't get staged much these days.
May 11, 2025
“The long view is not easy to sustain in this short-sighted world.”
“It was somebody that occupies a unique shrine in the temple of my
memory.”
“Of course, this delusion may still go on. If decent people will continue
to be intoxicated by the synthetic spirit of patriotism, pumped into
them by megalomaniac leaders, and will continue to have faith in the
"security" provided by those lethal weapons sold to them by the
armaments industry, then war is inevitable; and the world will soon
resolve itself into the semblance of an ant hill, governed by commissars
who owe their power to the profundity of their contempt for the
individual members of their species.”
“By refusing to imitate the Fascists in their policies of heavily
fortified isolation, their hysterical self-worship and psychopathic
hatred of others, we may achieve the enjoyment of peaceful life on
earth, rather than degraded death in the cellar.”
“It was somebody that occupies a unique shrine in the temple of my
memory.”
“Of course, this delusion may still go on. If decent people will continue
to be intoxicated by the synthetic spirit of patriotism, pumped into
them by megalomaniac leaders, and will continue to have faith in the
"security" provided by those lethal weapons sold to them by the
armaments industry, then war is inevitable; and the world will soon
resolve itself into the semblance of an ant hill, governed by commissars
who owe their power to the profundity of their contempt for the
individual members of their species.”
“By refusing to imitate the Fascists in their policies of heavily
fortified isolation, their hysterical self-worship and psychopathic
hatred of others, we may achieve the enjoyment of peaceful life on
earth, rather than degraded death in the cellar.”
December 12, 2024
Praise CHRIST the American theatre has entered into modernity. Robert Sherwood was a speechwriter for FDR and it absolutely shows, this man was absolutely furious at how passively people accepted Europe’s rapid careening into fascism and war.
This play is very reminiscent of Cabaret, in that it derides those who avoid oncoming war by focusing on frivolity, and also reminiscent of one of my fave war plays of all time, Mother Courage, in that it blatantly scolds those who treat war as a normal part of business instead of something they must actively stand up against.
Overall, god bless the Pulitzer academy for finally noticing the world around them. Also, deeply ominous to read this as an American in December of 2024.
This was the 20th play I read in my quest to read everything awarded the Pulitzer Prize for drama.
This play is very reminiscent of Cabaret, in that it derides those who avoid oncoming war by focusing on frivolity, and also reminiscent of one of my fave war plays of all time, Mother Courage, in that it blatantly scolds those who treat war as a normal part of business instead of something they must actively stand up against.
Overall, god bless the Pulitzer academy for finally noticing the world around them. Also, deeply ominous to read this as an American in December of 2024.
This was the 20th play I read in my quest to read everything awarded the Pulitzer Prize for drama.
April 27, 2021
A well-written, delightfully presented story that has become one of my all-time favorites in the fiction genre.
💥 Recommended.
🟣
💥 Recommended.
🟣
December 21, 2016
I come to this play after reading Lajos Eldric's book on Playwrighting which lays waste to this play as a "poorly written script that has characters enter and exit when the story requires." I can see his opinion on this as correct. It's a hollow play that feels mechanical and two dimensional. The characters are empty. They do not develop. There is no conflict but an outside force "war" which is on the horizon. The images are rich, if cliched, and he opinions prophetic (with the exception of some inaccuracy, particularly in his characterization of Quillery's socialism which is anachronistic to his country of origin). I think this would be a tough play to watch with any interest.
August 13, 2016
Unfortunately one of the weakest plays I've seen on stage. There's a ton of characters all connected by their presence in a hotel about to be closed by the outbreak of war. Not many of the scenes between various characters works to any effect, it really feels like it struggles to find a message.
January 4, 2016
Not good.
December 11, 2014
Well defined characters from across the world brought together by the unfortunate circumstance of war. Many interesting, touching anti-war sentiments that moved me.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews