A Play by John Osborne
1957
First Edition

John James Osborne (1929 – 1994) was an English playwright, screenwriter, actor, and entrepreneur, who is regarded as one of the most influential figures in post-war theatre. Born in London, he briefly worked as a journalist before starting out in theatre as a stage manager and actor. He lived in poverty for several years before his third produced play, Look Back in Anger (1956), brought him national fame.
The Entertainer uses the metaphor of the dying music hall tradition and its eclipse by early rock and roll to comment on the declining influence of the British Empire and its eclipse by the increasing influence of the United States, as illustrated during the Suez Crisis of November 1956 which forms the backdrop to the play. The Entertainer found critical acclaim.

The Entertainer is the dazzling successor to John Osborne's Look Back in Anger. Both compassionate and hilariously funny, it is the story of one particular family, a sizzling commentary on the times we live in and a brilliant piece of theatre. Archie Rice - so superbly played by Sir Laurence Olivier - has joined Jimmy Porter among the latest immortals; and Mr. Osborne has consolidated his reputation as the most promising young playwright to emerge since the war.

The photograph [of Sir Laurence Olivier] on the dust jacket is by Tony Armstrong Jones.

140mm x 215mm

R1,000