J.B.
- Dates
- Dec 11, 1958 – Oct 24, 1959
- Performances
- 364
About
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.