by James Bridie
Adapted for broadcasting by Moultrie R. Kelsall
Produced by Finlay J. Macdonald
The framework of Bridie's play is taken from the story of Tobit as told by the Hebrew chronicler, but Bridie was over-modest when he described the piece as 'a plain-sailing dramatic transcription of the charming old tale.' The sharpness with which the characters emerge, the wit and wisdom that shine through the dialogue, the eloquence of the disguised Archangel, the unabashed handling of the supernatural, the mischievous humour, the sudden ascents into poetry: all this is Bridie's own. And he was writing of scenes he knew, for in his other capacity as a medical man he had travelled during the first world war in the country through which Tobias journeys.