Arms and the Man

Arms and the Man by Bernard Shaw

The show is set in Bulgaria and set during the brief Bulgarian-Serbian war in the 1880s. It opens with the young romantic Raina Petkoff and her mother Catherine enthusiastically talking about a successful cavalry charge led by the beautiful and heroic Sergio, to whom Raina is betrothed. They are thrilled with its success. Their rebellious young Louka walks in and tells them that there will be fighting in the streets soon and that they should close all the windows.

Raina's shutters don't close and, that night, shortly after the shooting begins, she hears a man climbing up the balcony and entering her room. He is a professional Swiss soldier who fights for Servia. Though he fights for the enemy and is by no means heroic (fears for his life, threatens to cry and brings chocolates instead of ammunition) Raina is touched by her situation. It angers her when he tells her that the man who led the cavalry charge against them only succeeded because he was extremely lucky: the Servants weren't equipped with the right ammunition. Raina says indignantly that the commander is his betrothed, and the man apologizes, holding back laughter. However, Raina agrees to keep the man safe, saying that his family is one of the most powerful and richest in Bulgaria and that his safety will be guaranteed as their host. He goes to get his mother and when they return he fell asleep on Raina's bed.