The Apple Cart: A Political Extravaganza is a 1929 play by George Bernard Shaw. Though it offers some laughs, the play is primarily a reflection on a number of political philosophies and characters who frequently deliver lengthy speeches defending their views. It follows the fictional King Magnus and his mistress Orinthia as they match wits with a Prime Minister, Proteus, who seeks to strip the monarchy of its remaining political powers. As Shaw puts it succinctly in the Preface it is "a comedy in which a King defeats an attempt by his popularly elected Prime Minister to deprive him of the right to influence public opinion through the press and the platform: in short, to reduce him to a cipher. The King's reply is that rather than be a cipher he will abandon his throne and take his obviously very rosy chance of becoming a popularly elected Prime Minister himself."

Characters

• Sempronius Civil Servant
• Pamphilius Civil Servant
• Boanerges President of the Board of Trade
• King Magnus''
• Orinthia King's Mistress
• Alice Princess Royal
• Proteus Prime Minister
• Pliny Chancellor of the Exchequer
• Nicobar Foreign Secretary
• Crassus Colonial Secretary
• Balbus Home Secretary
• Amanda Postmistress General
• Lysistrata Powermistress General
• Vanhattan American Ambassador
• The Queen

• Entire text of the play, including a lengthy Preface and articles relating to the play can be found at http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks03/0300431h.html