Whats on in Manchester

The Entertainer by John Osborne

Exchange Theatre Manchester Nov 2009

First off, if you have never been to the Theatre I can highly recommend it with seating prices starting from as little as £10 and like me you could make a night of it by having a meal out so, you can have a good night out for as little as £20,(depending how much you drink!)

Born on 12 December 1929, in London, John Osborne the writer, changed the face of British theatre in the shape of his award wining play Look Back in Anger which went on to be a top television film. He left behind a large body of work for the stage as well as several autobiographical works. Several of his plays were also adapted for film including The Entertainer.

In 1956, Osborne's third play and first London-produced drama, Look Back in Anger, had lots of social statements within it as does this one.
In The Entertainer set in 1957, Osborne, examines the state of the country, this time using three generations of a family of entertainers to symbolize the decline of England after the war.
Laurence Olivier has played Archie Rice in the past, a struggling comedian, and the role resulted in one of his most famous performances.
The opening scene confused me as it opened with a song ,was this a musical? It turned out that there was 3 songs within the play, this was to give you the feel of the main character and although there was a little touch of light humour within the play, it turned out to be thought provoking .
Its about a 1950 musical hall entertainer Archie Rise who coming to the end of his career but doesn’t know it or he refusing to admit it. Archie has never paid any income tax for 20 years and seems to be struggling with his past, his family and his future. His conflicts at home and abroad start to overwhelm him and his comedy turns into tragedy.
So the big question is did I enjoy it? Yes, I did appreciate it, it was vey well performed and had a lot of social statement within in which is still relevant today. However, it was not my cup of tea mainly because I prefer a little more humour and guts within the story but that’s just me. However, I can highly recommend it and the Theatre is well worth a visit with the seating situated round the stage giving a good view and a good bar and shop to visit in the interval. This play continues until Dec 4th and for more information visit www.royalexchangetheatre.org.uk