The Entertainer (play)

This article is about the original play and adaptations. For the 1960 film starring Sir Laurence Olivier, see The Entertainer (film). For other uses, see The Entertainer (disambiguation).

Cover of 1957 edition of script, showing Laurence Olivier as Archie Rice

The Entertainer is a three-act play by John Osborne, first produced in 1957. His first play, Look Back in Anger, had attracted mixed notices but a great deal of publicity.[1] Having depicted an "angry young man" in the earlier play, Osborne wrote at Laurence Olivier's request[2] about an angry middle-aged man in The Entertainer. Its main character is Archie Rice, a failing music-hall performer. Years later, Tony Richardson, who directed The Entertainer's premiere season, described Archie as "the embodiment of a national mood ... Archie was the future, the decline, the sourness, the ashes of old glory, where Britain was heading".[3] The first performance was given on 10 April 1957 at the Royal Court Theatre, London. This theatre was well-known for its commitment to new and non-traditional drama, and the inclusion of a West End star such as Olivier in the cast caused much interest.[4]

  1. ^ Tynan pp. 41–42
  2. ^ "Andrew Marr's History of Modern Britain". 29 January 2010. 23 minutes in. BBC. BBC2. {{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)
  3. ^ "The Entertainer (1960) - Articles - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  4. ^ e.g. The Daily Express, 10 April 1957, p. 4