John Osborne, The Entertainer

Andrew Wyllie (University of the West of England)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.09: English Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary Britain , 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Kerry Myler (Newman University), Jenni Ramone (The Nottingham Trent University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1957

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Play

Resources

The Entertainer (1957) sought to highlight the spirit of a Britain battered beyond endurance, at the brink of financial and moral bankruptcy. Osborne uses a mixture of the realistic “kitchen-sink” style, of which he was a major proponent, and an innovative post-Brechtian structure with multiple scenes which switch the setting from the Rice family\'s fairly sordid lodgings, on to the variety-theatre stage. At various times, the audience is either that of a socially-critical play by John Osborne or of a pathetic but intense variety performance. Archie Rice, the entertainer of the title, is one of Osborne\'s brilliant but partisan, perhaps semi-autobiographical portraits, which characterize his major plays. He is also the …

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1225 words

Citation: Wyllie, Andrew. "The Entertainer". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 17 July 2001 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=953, accessed 27 November 2024.]

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