The Planets: A Modern Allegory

The cover of the 1938 edition of The Planets.

The Planets: A Modern Allegory is a radio play, written in verse, by Alfred Kreymborg. The first performance was on 6 June 1938 by the National Broadcasting Company at the Hayden Planetarium in New York City, and was directed by . The play was originally set to the music of The Planets Suite by Gustav Holst; for the first performance the NBC Symphony Orchestra was conducted by . The first broadcast was so enthusiastically received that it was repeated a few weeks later.

The play describes the early history of the twentieth century, including the onset of World War I, and the 'hysterical' 1920s, ending with a mix of dread and uncertainty about the future. The book of the play is dedicated 'to peace'; it was published by Farrar & Rinehart, New York, in 1938. The central figure of the play is the Astrologer, who encounters the various planets in turn, as the events of world history are alluded to in a somewhat prophetic tone.

Cast of the first performance[]

Kreymborg's inscription in a first edition of the play. The inscription is to William Thornton, the actor who played the Astrologer in the first performance, and reads: "To William Thornton the "Astrologer" who saved the Author. Alfred Kreymborg. 9/12/38"

References[]

• Kreymborg, Alfred: The Planets: A Modern Allegory, Farrar & Rinehart, New York, 1938.

External links[]

• 1938 in Broadcasting