J.B. (play)
| J.B. | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Archibald MacLeish |
| Characters | Mr. Zuss Nickles J.B. Sarah David Jonathan Mary Ruth Rebecca First Messenger Second Messenger Girl Jolly Bildad Zophar Eliphaz Mrs. Adams Mrs. Murphy Mrs. Lesure Mrs. Botticelli A Distant Voice Sally Gibson |
| Date premiered | December 11, 1958 |
| Place premiered | ANTA Playhouse New York City |
| Original language | English |
| Subject | A retelling of the Book of Job |
| Genre | Drama |
| Setting | A stage inside an enormous circus tent |
J.B. is a 1958 play written in free verse by American playwright and poet Archibald MacLeish, and is a modern-day retelling of the story of the biblical figure Job. The play is about J.B. (a stand-in for Job), a devout millionaire with a happy domestic life whose life is ruined. The play went through several incarnations before it was finally published. MacLeish began the work in 1953 as a one-act production, but within three years, had expanded it to a full, three-act manuscript.
The play has won several accolades, including the 1959 Tony Award for Best Play and the 1959 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Two versions of J.B. are available: the original book published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and the script MacLeish revised substantially for Broadway, published by Samuel French Inc.