The Fool (play)

The Fool
Paperback first edition: Methuen, 1976
Written byEdward Bond
Date premiered18 November 1975
Place premieredRoyal Court Theatre, London
Original languageEnglish

The Fool: Scenes of Bread and Love is a play by the English playwright Edward Bond.[1] It traces the life of the poet John Clare against the backdrop of the Industrial Revolution, from his roots in rural East Anglia via literary success in London to his final years in a lunatic asylum.[2][3] The play was first performed at the Royal Court Theatre in 1975, in a production directed by Peter Gill and featuring a cast including Tom Courtenay, David Troughton and Nigel Terry among others.[4]

After a 35-year hiatus, The Fool was revived in the UK in late 2010 as part of the six-play Edward Bond Season at the Cock Tavern Theatre in Kilburn, London.[5] Bond himself directed the production, with Ben Crispin playing the role of John Clare.[6] It is one of the highly regarded works in Bond's output.

  1. ^ "The Fool - Drama Online". www.dramaonlinelibrary.com.
  2. ^ "Whatever happened to Edward Bond?". The Independent. 2 November 2010.
  3. ^ Spencer, Jenny S.; Spencer, Jane (17 December 1992). Dramatic Strategies in the Plays of Edward Bond. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521393041 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ Bond, Edward (10 December 2013). Bond Plays: 3: Bingo; The Fool; The Woman; Stone. A&C Black. ISBN 9781408160909 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ Masters, Tim (20 October 2010). "Edward Bond: I still get letters written in blood". BBC News.
  6. ^ Davis, Elizabeth. "Review: The Fool, Cock Tavern Theatre, Kilburn". Kilburn Times.