Androcles and the Lion (Unabridged‪)‬

Androcles and the Lion

By George Bernard Shaw 

Presented by The Online Stage George 

Bernard Shaw based his "religious pantomime" Androcles and the Lion on the ancient fable of the runaway slave who pulls a painful thorn from a lion's paw, thereby making a lifelong friend. Shaw explained that his play was in part a reaction to the huge success of J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan: "I wrote Androcles to show what a play for children should be like." 

This tale of a puny Greek tailor triumphing over the Roman emperor is, as always with Shaw, a commentary on the politics of his time, with the emperor standing in for the British government and, indeed, all repressive regimes. 

Androcles and the Lion will delight audiences of all ages by alternating laughter with pathos, philosophy with fun, and satire with sincerity. 

Cast

Narrator (G.B. Shaw) - Ben Stevens 
Androcles - Jeff Moon 
Megaera - Sara Morsey 
Centurion - Alan Weyman 
The Captain - Craig Franklin
Lavinia - P.J. Morgan
Lentullus - Steve Gough
Metellus - Noel Badrian
Spintho - Andrew Coleman
Ferrovius - John Burlinson 
The Call Boy - Grace Keller-Scotch 
The Editor - Ron Altman 
The Menagerie Keeper - David Prickett 
Caesar/The Emperor - Peter Tucker 
Secutor - Denis Daly 
The Retiarius - Marty Krz 


Audio edited by John Burlinson