The Entertainer

by John Osborne

Book Overview

Archie Rice is a failure as a comedian. News of his son's death while on military service arrives as the family is anticipating his return with a party. Archie tries to stage a comeback for his befuddled, has-been father who, mercifully, dies in the attempt. A prosperous brother offers to send the family to Canada but Archie cannot leave the decaying world of the music hall, where he is at home.3 women, 5 men

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0573112061
• ISBN13: 9780573112065
• Release Date: December 1998
• Publisher: Samuel French Ltd
• Length: 118 Pages
• Weight: 0.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

We've only ourselves.

The play Osborne wrote after Look Back in Anger becomes Look Out in Anger. But nobody here listens to what anybody says. So say members of the Rice family several times. This play, while not about the Angry Young Man generation of Look Back in Anger, is about the same era, and the disillusionment of the same class. Archie Rice is, like his father Billy was, a showman in local music halls. But the popularity of the music hall is going to the dogs and nobody seems to care, not even Archie. The Rice family lives together, Grandpa Billy, son Archie, Archie's wife Pheobe, and Archie and Pheobe's son Frank. Then Archie's daughter Jean shows up. What becomes is underlying and expressed tension that reminded me at times of Pinter's The Homecoming. Snipping and age old feuds present themselves as Jean, surprisingly home from London realizes how stuck and angry and numb her family is and has been. She is the Angry Young Woman, who senses her frustration and wants to do something about it. This is an aged English play, with references and slang that were at times obstacles to a twenty-something in LA. But Osborne powerfully writes the Rice family, layering indignation and memory and hardships of being lower class in England in the late 50's. Archie, who straddles the world of the family and the music hall is that hopelessly driven entertainer, senseless to his schtick's long ago death, hamming it up all the way through the s--t of life. And still Jean, who is the true vibrancy of the play is left with: "Here we are, we're alone in the universe, there's no God, it just seems that it all began by something as simple as sunlight striking a piece of rock. And here we are. We've only got ourselves. Somehow, we've just got to make a go of it. We've only ourselves."

The entertainer's life has his own stage

Archie Rice is an entertainer, who doesn't feels for anybody and anything.He has three children: Jean, Frank and Mick (who dies). His father Billy, who was an old entertainer dies also and Phoebe is his companion until the end when he has to leave his stage to not come back. I advise you read this book about this entertainer acting his own life of troubles away from the public ( that could never see it). The end is very emotional and in the play there are songs you can sing to your own tune while reading. Read this play about a man who doesn't care but I at the end his caring starts with a song of despair.