103-888: The Royal Court Theatre , at different times known as the Court Theatre , the New Chelsea Theatre , and the Belgravia Theatre , is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square , London, England. In 1956 it was acquired by and remains the home of the English Stage Company, which is known for its contributions to contemporary theatre and won the Europe Prize Theatrical Realities in 1999. The first theatre on Lower George Street, off Sloane Square,
206-471: A Gentleman (1991), and a collection of his non-fiction writing, Damn You, England , was published in 1994. He died from complications of diabetes on 24 December of that year at the age of 65. Osborne was born on 12 December 1929 in London, the son of Thomas Godfrey Osborne, a commercial artist and advertising copywriter of South Welsh ancestry, and Nellie Beatrice Grove, a Cockney barmaid. In 1936,
309-540: A copy of the Daily Worker into the office as a young journalist. Given a platform to express his views in the 1957 anthology Declaration , he took the opportunity to criticize monarchy: I have called Royalty religion the 'national swill' because it is poisonous... the leader-writers and the bribed gossip mongers have only to rattle their sticks in the royalty bucket for most of their readers to put their heads down in this trough of Queen-worship... My objection to
412-561: A defiant auburn stubble and I was impressed by the hostility she had created by this self-isolating act. I was unable to take my eyes from her hair, her huge green eyes which must mock or plead affection, preferably both, at least… She startled and confused me… There was no calculation in my instant obsession. Though Alison Porter in Look Back in Anger was based on Pamela, Osborne describes Lane's respectable middle-class parents – her father
515-479: A dental surgeon. Osborne spent much of the next two years before their divorce hoping they would reconcile. In 1956, after the opening of Look Back in Anger , Osborne met Lane at the railway station in York , where she told Osborne of her recent abortion and enquired after his relationship with Mary Ure . In April 1957, Osborne was granted a divorce from Lane, on the grounds of his adultery. It later emerged that in
618-410: A gallery. Cecil and Clayton yielded management of the theatre to Mrs. John Wood and Arthur Chudleigh in 1887, although Cecil continued acting in their company (and others) until 1895. The first production in the new building was a play by Sydney Grundy titled Mamma , starring Mrs. John Wood and John Hare, with Arthur Cecil and Eric Lewis . By the end of the century, the theatre was again called
721-530: A high proportion of straight drama, Shakespeare , other classic plays and premieres of new plays by leading playwrights—for example David Hare 's play Pravda starring Anthony Hopkins which was described by The Telegraph as "one of the biggest hits in the history of the National Theatre." Successful productions from the non-commercial theatres sometimes transfer to one of the commercial West End houses for an extended run. The Royal Opera House
824-598: A leading light comedian. During the 1950s and 1960s, many plays were produced in theatre clubs, to evade the censorship then exercised by the Lord Chamberlain's Office . The Theatres Act 1968 finally abolished censorship of the stage in the United Kingdom. "Theatreland", London's main theatre district, contains approximately 40 venues and is located in and near the heart of the West End of London . It
927-497: A modern blood libel drawing on old antisemitic myths. Michael Billington in The Guardian described the play as "a heartfelt lamentation for the future generations" and contended that the play, though controversial, is not antisemitic. Another Guardian writer viewed Seven Jewish Children as historically inaccurate and harshly critical of Jews. The Royal Court denied the accusations, saying: "In keeping with its philosophy,
1030-565: A musical that satirizes the tabloid press; the televised documentary play A Subject of Scandal and Concern (1960); and the double bill Plays for England , comprising The Blood of the Bambergs and Under Plain Cover (1962). Luther , depicting the life of Martin Luther , was first performed in 1961; it transferred to Broadway and won Osborne a Tony Award . Inadmissible Evidence
1133-407: A new generation of young writers whose moral anger, urban despair and political disillusion have sent shockwaves throughout the whole of Europe. West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres West End theatre is mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres in and near the West End of London . Along with New York City 's Broadway theatre , West End theatre represents
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#17327939871591236-432: A particular passage makes the audience uneasy or restless, then they seem (to me) as cautious and absurd as landladies and girls-who-won't. He claimed that it was his childhood memories of music hall that inspired The Entertainer , "not, as I was told authoritatively by others, the influence of Bertolt Brecht ". Osborne's work transformed British theatre. He helped to make it artistically respected again, throwing off
1339-584: A play adapted from the novella A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens —who came to several stage rehearsals during which he made suggestions—with his book published weeks earlier in December 1843. The Criterion Theatre opened on Piccadilly Circus on 21 March 1874, and in 1881, two more houses appeared: the Savoy Theatre in The Strand, built by Richard D'Oyly Carte specifically to showcase
1442-482: A play the actor effectively commissioned from the playwright. The artistic board of the ESC initially rejected the play, although they soon reversed that decision. Two members of the board opposed The Entertainer : Duncan disliked Osborne's work, according to the biographer John Heilpern , while Lewenstein, a former Communist , did not want one of the theatre's new plays to be overwhelmed by its star and did not think much of
1545-523: A poor opinion of the play. At the time, Olivier was making a film of Rattigan's The Prince and the Showgirl co-starring Marilyn Monroe , and she was accompanied to London by her husband Arthur Miller . Olivier asked the American dramatist what plays he might want to see in London. Based on its title, Miller suggested Osborne's work; Olivier tried to dissuade him, but the playwright was insistent and
1648-437: A press officer at the theatre, used the phrase " angry young man " when promoting Look Back in Anger . He told Osborne that he disliked the play and feared it would be impossible to market. Reviews of Look Back in Anger were mixed: most of the critics who attended the first night felt it was a failure. Positive reviews from Kenneth Tynan and Harold Hobson , however, plus a TV broadcast of Act 2, helped create interest, and
1751-641: A record-breaking nine Olivier Awards in 2017. "Theatre is such an important part of British history and British culture" —Dame Helen Mirren after receiving the Evening Standard Award in 2013 for her performance as the Queen in The Audience . The following shows are confirmed as future West End productions. The theatre in which they will run is either not yet known or currently occupied by another show. The term "West End theatre"
1854-422: A showcase for the popular series of comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan —was entirely lit by electricity in 1881. The Society of London Theatre (SOLT) announced that 2018 was a record year for the capital's theatre industry with attendances topping 15.5 million for the first time since the organisation began collecting audience data in 1986. Box office revenues exceeded £765 million. While attendance in 2019
1957-399: A successful draper, her mother of a family of minor rural gentry – as "much coarser", and how at one point they hired a private detective to follow him after a fellow actor was seen 'fumbling' with his knee in a tea shop. Lane and Osborne married in nearby Wells and then left Bridgwater the following Sunday amidst an uneasy truce with Lane's parents (Osborne's hated mother was not aware of
2060-560: Is Les Misérables , produced by Cameron Mackintosh , which has been running in London since October 1985. It overtook Andrew Lloyd Webber 's Cats , which closed in 2002 after running for 8,949 performances and 21 years, as the longest-running West End musical of all time on 9 October 2006. Other long-runners include Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera , Willy Russell 's Blood Brothers , and Abba jukebox musical Mamma Mia! which have also subsequently overtaken Cats . However,
2163-474: Is considered the first work of kitchen sink realism , initiating a movement which made use of social realism and domestic settings to address disillusion with British society in the waning years of the Empire . The phrase “ angry young man ”, coined by George Fearon to describe Osborne when promoting the play, came to embody the predominantly working class and left-wing writers within this movement. Osborne
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#17327939871592266-794: Is generally used to refer specifically to commercial productions in Theatreland. However, the leading non-commercial theatres in London enjoy great artistic prestige. These include the National Theatre , the Barbican Centre , Shakespeare's Globe (including the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse ), the Old Vic , Royal Court Theatre , Sadler's Wells Theatre , and the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre . These theatres stage
2369-637: Is traditionally defined by the Strand to the south, Oxford Street to the north, Regent Street to the west, and Kingsway to the east. However, a few other nearby theatres are also considered "West End" despite being outside the area proper; an example is The Apollo Victoria Theatre , in Westminster . Prominent theatre streets include Drury Lane , Shaftesbury Avenue and the Strand. The works staged are predominantly musicals, classic and modern straight plays , and comedy performances. Many theatres in
2472-693: Is widely regarded as one of the greatest opera houses in the world, comparable with the Palais Garnier and La Scala . Commonly known simply as Covent Garden due to its location, it is home to the Royal Opera , Royal Ballet and a resident symphony orchestra, and hosts guest performances from other leading opera, ballet and performance companies from around the world. In 1735 its first season of operas, by George Frideric Handel , began and many of his English oratorios were specifically written for Covent Garden and had their premieres here. Likewise,
2575-562: The Alice books ) debuted at the Prince of Wales Theatre . Its author Lewis Carroll was involved in the stage adaptation, and he attended a performance seven days later. The Palace Theatre opened in 1891. Opened in 1892, the Duke of York's Theatre debuted J. M. Barrie 's play, Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up , on 27 December 1904. One of the most popular playwrights in London in
2678-813: The British New Wave . This included Osborne-penned adaptations of the Entertainer (1960) (co-written by Nigel Kneale ), and Inadmissible Evidence (1968), as well as the period comedy Tom Jones (1963), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and BAFTA Award for Best British Screenplay . Osborne was married five times, but the first four were troubled by affairs and his mistreatment of his partners. In 1978 he married Helen Dawson , and from 1986 they lived in rural Shropshire . He wrote two volumes of autobiography, A Better Class of Person (1981) and Almost
2781-514: The Dickens novel), and On Guard (all in 1871); The Happy Land (1873, with Gilbert Abbott à Beckett ; Gilbert's most controversial play); The Wedding March , translated from Un Chapeau de Paille d'Italie by Eugène Marin Labiche (1873); The Blue-Legged Lady , translated from La Dame aux Jambes d'Azur by Labiche and Marc-Michel (1874); and Broken Hearts (1875). By 1878, management of
2884-559: The Duke's Company and the King's Company . Performances were held in converted buildings, such as Lisle's Tennis Court . The first West End theatre, known as Theatre Royal in Bridges Street, was designed by Thomas Killigrew and built on the site of the present Theatre Royal, Drury Lane . It opened on 7 May 1663 and was destroyed by a fire nine years later. It was replaced by a new structure designed by Christopher Wren and renamed
2987-742: The First World War . In 1930, Laurence Olivier had his first important West End success in Noël Coward's Private Lives . A number of other actors made their West End debut prior to the Second World War, including John Gielgud , Alec Guinness , Vivien Leigh and Rex Harrison ; the latter's performance in Terence Rattigan 's 1936 comedy French Without Tears at the Criterion Theatre established him
3090-724: The London Coliseum is the resident home to the English National Opera . The theatre is also the London base for performances by the English National Ballet , who perform regular seasons throughout the year when not on tour. The Peacock Theatre is located on the edge of the Theatreland area. Now owned by the London School of Economics and Political Science , it is used in the evenings for dance performances by Sadler's Wells , who manage
3193-1065: The Lyric Hammersmith , Theatre Royal Stratford East , Rose Theatre, Kingston , New Wimbledon Theatre , the Rudolph Steiner Theatre in Westminster , the Ashcroft Theatre in Croydon , Secombe Theatre in Sutton , the Churchill Theatre in Bromley and the Hackney Empire in Hackney . London theatres outside the West End also played an important role in the early history of drama schools . In 1833, actress Frances Maria Kelly managed
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3296-689: The Pavilion Theatre in Whitechapel . The comic theatrical genre the harlequinade was also popular among London audiences. Its most famous performer, Joseph Grimaldi , best known for developing the modern day white-face clown , made his stage debut at Drury Lane in 1780. The West End theatre district became established with the opening of many small theatres and halls, including the Adelphi in The Strand on 17 November 1806. South of
3399-693: The River Thames , the Old Vic , Waterloo Road , opened on 11 May 1818. The expansion of the West End theatre district gained pace with the Theatres Act 1843 , which relaxed the conditions for the performance of plays, and The Strand gained another venue when the Vaudeville opened on 16 April 1870. The next few decades saw the opening of many new theatres in the West End. The Adelphi hosted A Christmas Carol; or, Past, Present, and Future in 1844,
3502-722: The Royal Strand Theatre in Westminster where she funded and operated a dramatic school, the earliest record of a drama school in England. In 1840 she financed the Royalty Theatre in Soho which opened as Miss Kelly's Theatre and Dramatic School. There are a number of annual awards for outstanding achievements in London theatre: John Osborne John James Osborne (12 December 1929 – 24 December 1994)
3605-582: The Victoria Palace Theatre following the run of Billy Elliot in 2016. The Dominion Theatre refurbishment was completed in 2017 with the unveiling of a new double-sided LED screen, the largest and highest resolution projecting screen on the exterior of a West End theatre. In 2012, gross sales of £529,787,692 were up 0.27% and attendances also increased 0.56% to 13,992,773-year-on-year. In 2013, sales again rose this time by 11% to £585,506,455, with attendances rising to 14,587,276. This
3708-466: The interregnum of 1649. On 24 January 1643, the actors protested against the ban by writing a pamphlet titled The Actors remonstrance or complaint for the silencing of their profession, and banishment from their severall play-houses . After the Restoration (1660), Puritan legislation was declared null and void, and theatre (among other arts) exploded. Two companies were licensed to perform,
3811-477: The "Royal Court Theatre". Harley Granville-Barker managed the theatre for the first few years of the 20th century, and George Bernard Shaw 's plays were produced at the New Court for a period. It ceased to be used as a theatre in 1932, but was used as a cinema from 1935 to 1940, until World War II bomb damage closed it. After the war, the interior was reconstructed as a stage theatre by Robert Cromie, and
3914-401: The 1890s, Oscar Wilde , premiered his second comedy, A Woman of No Importance , at Haymarket Theatre in 1893. The subject of widespread public and media interest, Lillie Langtry (an associate of Wilde) made her West End debut in the comedy She Stoops to Conquer in 1881. In 1878, Ellen Terry joined Henry Irving 's company as his leading lady, and for more than the next two decades she
4017-448: The 1950s. From 1986, Osbourne and his wife Helen lived at The Hurst , near Clunton in rural Shropshire . Increasingly his life resembled that of an old-fashioned country gentleman. He wrote a diary for conservative British magazine The Spectator , a publication that when young he had been contemptuous of. He raised money for the local church roof by opening his garden to the public, and threatened to withdraw funding for this unless
4120-472: The 1980s, Lane and Osborne corresponded frequently and met in secret until he became angered by her request for a loan. Osborne began a relationship with Ure shortly after meeting her when she was cast as Alison in Look Back in Anger in 1956, while he was married to Pamela Lane. The affair swiftly progressed; and the two moved in together in Woodfall Road, Chelsea, London . He wrote later: Mary
4223-818: The 1990s the Royal Court has placed an emphasis on the development and production of international plays. By 1993, the British Council had begun its support of the International Residency programme (which started in 1989 as the Royal Court International Summer School), and more recently the Genesis Foundation has also supported the production of international plays. The theatre received a 1999 International Theatre Institute award. In May 2008,
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4326-537: The 20th century the stalls and understage often flooded. By the early 1990s the building had deteriorated dangerously, and the theatre was threatened with closure in 1995. The Royal Court received a grant of £16.2 million from the National Lottery and the Arts Council for redevelopment, and beginning in 1996, under the artistic directorship of Stephen Daldry , it was completely rebuilt, except for
4429-458: The 400-seat proscenium arch Theatre Downstairs, the much smaller studio Theatre Upstairs was opened in 1969, at the time a 63-seat facility. The Rocky Horror Show premiered there in 1973. The theatre was Grade II listed in June 1972. Though the main auditorium and the façade were attractive, the remainder of the building provided poor facilities for both audience and performers, and throughout
4532-523: The ESC, while Poke was its Honorary Secretary. The ESC purchased the Royal Court in 1956 and began to produce adventurous new and foreign works, together with some classical revivals. The new company's third production in 1956, John Osborne 's Look Back in Anger , was a play by one of the Angry Young Men . The director was Tony Richardson . Osborne followed Look Back in Anger with The Entertainer , starring Laurence Olivier as Archie Rice,
4635-590: The English Stage Company presented The Ugly One by Marius von Mayenburg at the "Contact International Theatre Festival" in Poland . Artistic Directors have included George Devine (1956–1965), William Gaskill (1965–1972), Lindsay Anderson and Anthony Page (1969–1972), Oscar Lewenstein (1972–1975), Nicholas Wright and Robert Kidd (1975–1977), Stuart Burge (1977–1979), Max Stafford-Clark (1979–1992), Stephen Daldry (1992–1998), Ian Rickson (1998–2006) and Dominic Cooke (2007 to 2012). Vicky Featherstone
4738-617: The Royal Court Theatre presents a multiplicity of viewpoints." In November 2021, the theatre renamed the lead character of the play Rare Earth Mettle by Al Smith from "Hershel Fink" to "Henry Finn" following criticism of perpetuating anti-Semitic stereotypes. The Royal Court Theatre also made an apology. In 1999, the theatre was awarded the " Europe Prize Theatrical Realities ". The prize organization stated: [T]he Royal Court Theatre ... has done more than any other institution to promote new writing. Since 1956 it has premiered
4841-682: The Royal Court and in the West End. 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. Osborne followed The Entertainer with The World of Paul Slickey (1959),
4944-408: The Royalty symbol is that it is dead; it is the gold filling in a mouthful of decay. He also protested about " the Christmas Island explosion " and what he perceived as the blindly supportive response of the British media. Osborne joined the CND in 1959, and in the early '60s was a member of the Committee of 100 who engaged in civil disobedience to protest against nuclear weapons. In 1961, in
5047-445: The Theatre Royal in Huddersfield in 1950. In June 1951 Osborne married Pamela Lane. His second play, Personal Enemy , was written with Anthony Creighton, with whom he later wrote Epitaph for George Dillon , staged at the Royal Court in 1958. Personal Enemy was staged in regional theatres before he submitted Look Back in Anger . Look Back in Anger was written in 17 days in a deck chair on Morecambe pier where Osborne
5150-415: The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. One of the first actresses on the stage, Nell Gwyn became a star of restoration comedy. Outside the West End, Sadler's Wells Theatre opened in Islington on 3 June 1683. Taking its name from founder Richard Sadler and monastic springs that were discovered on the property, it operated as a "Musick House", with performances of opera; as it was not licensed for plays. In
5253-474: The West End are of late Victorian or Edwardian construction and are privately owned. Many are architecturally impressive, and the largest and best maintained feature grand neo-classical, Romanesque, or Victorian façades and luxurious, detailed interior design and decoration. However, owing to the age of the buildings, leg room is often cramped, and audience facilities such as bars and toilets are often much smaller than in modern theatres. The protected status of
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#17327939871595356-482: The West End, the Theatre Royal Haymarket opened on 29 December 1720 on a site slightly north of its current location, and the Royal Opera House opened in Covent Garden on 7 December 1732. John Gay 's ballad opera The Beggar's Opera ran for 62 performances in 1728, and held the record for London's longest run for nearly a century. It has been called "the most popular play of the eighteenth century." Another musical show, Tom and Jerry, or Life in London (1821),
5459-640: The Year awards . The Hotel in Amsterdam features three showbiz couples in a hotel suite, having fled a tyrannical movie producer, referred to as "K.L." Osborne's biographer John Heilpern asserts that "K.L." was meant to represent director and producer Tony Richardson . John Osborne's plays in the 1970s included West of Suez, starring Ralph Richardson ; 1975's The End of Me Old Cigar ; and Watch It Come Down , starring Frank Finlay . Theatre historian Phyllis Hartnoll wrote that Osborne's work of this period "failed to enhance his reputation": his fellow playwright Alan Bennett recalled "frozen embarrassment" at
5562-439: The acuteness of his mind and the extraordinary power of his heart. Osborne did change the world of theatre, influencing playwrights such as Edward Albee and Mike Leigh . However, work of his kind of authenticity and originality would remain the exception rather than the rule. This did not surprise Osborne; nobody understood the tackiness of the theatre better than the man who had played Hamlet on Hayling Island . In 1992 he
5665-473: The aftermath of the Berlin Wall being built, the left-wing magazine Tribune published Osborne's "Letter to My Fellow Countrymen", addressing those politicians the author considered responsible for nuclear proliferation : My favourite fantasy is four minutes or so non-commercial viewing as you fry in your democratically elected hot seats... I would willingly watch you all die for the West... you could all go ahead and die for Berlin, for Democracy, to keep out
5768-481: The buildings and their confined urban locations, combined with financial constraints, make it very difficult to make substantial improvements to the level of comfort offered. In 2003, the Theatres Trust estimated that an investment of £250 million over the following 15 years was required for modernisation, and stated that 60% of theatres had seats from which the stage was not fully visible. The theatre owners unsuccessfully requested tax concessions to help them meet
5871-539: The comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan , opened in October (the first theatre and public building to be lit by electric lights, with The Times recording, "the success of the new mode of illumination was complete, and its importance for the development of scenic art can scarcely be overrated"), and five days later the Comedy Theatre opened as the Royal Comedy Theatre on Panton Street in Leicester Square . It abbreviated its name three years later. On 23 December 1886, Alice in Wonderland (the first major production of
5974-481: The costs. Starting in 2004, there were several incidents of falling plasterwork, or performances being cancelled because of urgent building repairs being required. These events culminated in the partial collapse of the ceiling of the Apollo Theatre in December 2013. Of these earlier incidents, only one led to people being hurt, but at the Apollo 76 people needed medical treatment for their injuries. A number of West End theatres have undergone refurbishments, including
6077-415: The early 19th century, however, music hall entertainments became popular, and presenters found a loophole in the restrictions on non-patent theatres in the genre of melodrama . Melodrama did not break the Patent Acts, as it was accompanied by music. Initially, these entertainments were presented in large halls, attached to public houses , but purpose-built theatres began to appear in the East End , such as
6180-431: The family moved to the north Surrey suburb of Stoneleigh , where Thomas's mother had already settled. Osborne, however, would regard it as a cultural desert – a school friend declared subsequently that "he thought [we] were a lot of dull, uninteresting people." He adored his father but hated his mother, whom he described as "hypocritical, self-absorbed, calculating and indifferent." Thomas Osborne died in 1940, leaving
6283-412: The façade and the intimate auditorium. The architects for this were Haworth Tompkins . The theatre reopened in February 2000, with the 380-seat Jerwood Theatre Downstairs, and the 85-seat studio theatre, now the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs. Since 1994, a new generation of playwrights debuting at the theatre has included Joe Penhall , Sarah Kane , Mark Ravenhill , and Roy Williams , among others. Since
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#17327939871596386-533: The formal constraints of the former generation, and turning public attention once more to language, theatrical rhetoric, and emotional intensity. As a young man he decided 'it was a beholden duty at all times for me to kick against the pricks'; he saw theatre as a weapon with which ordinary people could break down class barriers. He wanted his plays to be a reminder of real pleasures and real pains. David Hare said in his memorial address: John Osborne devoted his life to trying to forge some sort of connection between
6489-520: The headmaster. A School Certificate was the only formal qualification he acquired. After school, Osborne went home to his mother in London and briefly tried trade journalism. A job tutoring a touring company of junior actors introduced him to the theatre. He soon became involved as a stage manager and actor and joined Anthony Creighton 's provincial touring company. Osborne tried his hand at writing plays, co-writing his first, The Devil Inside Him , with his mentor Stella Linden , who directed it at
6592-412: The highest level of commercial theatre in the English-speaking world . Seeing a West End show is a common tourist activity in London . Famous screen actors, British and international alike, frequently appear on the London stage. There are approximately 40 theatres in the West End, with the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane , opened in May 1663, the oldest theatre in London. The Savoy Theatre —built as
6695-548: The last two decades of his life Osborne published two volumes of autobiography , A Better Class of Person (1981) and Almost a Gentleman (1991). Reviewing the first of these books, Alan Bennett wrote, "It is immensely enjoyable, is written with great gusto and Osborne has had better notices for it than for any of his plays since Inadmissible Evidence ." A Better Class of Person was filmed by Thames Television in 1985, featuring Eileen Atkins and Alan Howard as his parents, and Gary Capelin and Neil McPherson as Osborne. It
6798-509: The next election, adding "Barrenness is preferable to rape by one of two monsters." His play Time Present (1968) contains a mocking caricature of a female Labour MP. Critics saw a conservative attitude to empire reflected in West of Suez , and later in the 1970s he expressed support for Enoch Powell . In the words of Osborne's biographer Michael Ratcliffe, "he drifted to the libertarian, unorganized right"; even his friend David Hare acknowledged that he passed "from passion to prejudice. He
6901-448: The non-musical Agatha Christie play The Mousetrap is the longest-running production in the world, and has been performed continuously since 1952. Running since 2011, Matilda the Musical , an adaptation of Roald Dahl 's Matilda , won a then-record seven Olivier Awards in 2012. Running since 2016, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child , a two-part play written by Jack Thorne based on an original story by J. K. Rowling , won
7004-417: The number of seats was reduced to under 500. The theatre re-opened in 1952, with Oscar Lewenstein as the general manager. In 1954, Lewenstein, together with George Devine , Ronald Duncan and Greville Poke , founded the English Stage Company (ESC) with a mission to present plays by young and experimental dramatists and "the best contemporary plays from abroad". Devine served as the first artistic director of
7107-418: The performances range from classic plays, to cabaret, to plays in the languages of London's ethnic minorities . The performers range from emerging young professionals to amateurs. Productions at the Donmar included the 1980 play Educating Rita which starred Julie Walters in the title role before she reprised the role in the 1983 film . There are many theatres located throughout Greater London , such as
7210-576: The play transferred successfully to the Lyric Theatre (Hammersmith) and to Broadway , later touring to Moscow . A film version was released in May 1959 with Richard Burton and Mary Ure in the leading roles. The play brought Osborne fame and won him the Evening Standard Drama Award as the most promising playwright of 1956. During production Osborne, then married, began a relationship with (Eileen) Mary Ure, and would divorce his wife, Pamela Lane, to marry Ure in 1957. Ure died in 1975. When he first saw Look Back in Anger , Laurence Olivier had
7313-405: The play's author, Jim Allen , denied the accusations and accused the " Zionist lobby " and "the Zionist machine" of stirring up controversy unfairly. Caryl Churchill 's play Seven Jewish Children played at the theatre in 2009. Many Jewish leaders and journalists criticised the play as antisemitic. One called it "a libellous and despicable demonisation of Israeli parents and grandparents" and
7416-401: The play. In the mid-1960s, the ESC became involved in issues of censorship . Their premiere productions of Osborne's A Patriot for Me and Saved by Edward Bond (both 1965) necessitated the theatre turning itself into a "private members club" to circumvent the Lord Chamberlain , formally responsible for the licensing of plays until the Theatres Act 1968 . The succès de scandale of
7519-496: The possibility that the "resentment that John Osborne so virulently articulated" might be shared by many others, while the trade unionist Jack Jones commented, "every true Socialist should roar with applause". In his public letter, however, Osborne had denounced Labour leader Hugh Gaitskell as well as Conservative PM Harold Macmillan . The following year, he told the Daily Herald that he would not be voting Labour at
7622-511: The premiere of Watch It Come Down , though Richard Ellmann , reviewing an early performance, noticed unintentional audience laughter. Perhaps his most harshly received work from this era was A Sense of Detachment (1972), which has no plot and features a scene where an elderly lady recites at length from a hardcore porn catalogue. Part of the play involves actors planted in the audience pretending to protest, though after this began to trigger actual heckling, actress Rachel Kempson leapt into
7725-560: The red hordes or whatever you like... damn you, England. You're rotting now, and quite soon you'll disappear... I write this from another country, with murder in my brain and a knife carried in my heart for every one of you. I am not alone. If WE had just the ultimate decency and courage, we would strike at you - now, before you blaspheme the world in our name. There is nothing I should not give for your blood on my head. The letter caused controversy. Conservative journalist Peregrine Worsthorne expressed concern about its "murderous language" and
7828-558: The role models he identified was not a literary figure but a popular entertainer. Osborne was a great fan of comic Max Miller , and saw parallels between them: I love him (Max Miller), because he embodied a kind of theatre I admire most. 'Mary from the Dairy' was an overture to the danger that (Max) might go too far. Whenever anyone tells me that a scene or a line in a play of mine goes too far in some way then I know my instinct has been functioning as it should. When such people tell you that
7931-656: The stalls and assaulted some of the troublemakers in a much publicised incident. A representative review in the Financial Times declared, "This must surely be an end to his career in the theatre". During that decade Osborne played the role of gangster Cyril Kinnear in Get Carter (1971). Later, he appeared in Tomorrow Never Comes (1978) and Flash Gordon (1980). Osborne's later public image differed from his 'angry young man' persona of
8034-656: The theatre on behalf of the school. There is a great number of stage productions in London outside the West End. Much of this is known as fringe theatre (referred to as Off West End ) which is the equivalent of off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway theatre in New York City. Among these are the Menier Chocolate Factory , Bush Theatre and the Donmar Warehouse . Fringe venues range from well-equipped small theatres to rooms above pubs, and
8137-592: The theatre was shared by John Hare and W. H. Kendal . Further alterations were made in 1882 by Alexander Peebles, after which its capacity was 728 (including stalls and boxes, dress circle and balcony, amphitheatre, and gallery). After that, Arthur Cecil (who had joined the theatre's company in 1881) was co-manager of the theatre with John Clayton . Among other works, they produced a series of Arthur Wing Pinero 's farces, including The Rector , The Magistrate (1885), The Schoolmistress (1886), and Dandy Dick (1887), among others. The theatre closed on 22 July 1887 and
8240-437: The two of them saw it together. Miller found the play revelatory, and they went backstage to meet Osborne. Olivier was impressed by the American's reaction and asked Osborne for a part in his next play. George Devine , artistic director of the Royal Court, sent Olivier the incomplete script of The Entertainer . Olivier eventually took the central role as failing music-hall performer Archie Rice, playing successfully both at
8343-942: The two plays helped to bring about the abolition of theatre censorship in the UK. During the period of Devine's directorship, besides Osborne and Bond, the Royal Court premiered works by Arnold Wesker , John Arden , Ann Jellicoe and N.F. Simpson . Subsequent Artistic Directors of the Royal Court premiered work by Christopher Hampton , Athol Fugard , Howard Brenton , Caryl Churchill , Hanif Kureishi , Sarah Daniels , Errol John , Timberlake Wertenbaker , Martin Crimp , Sarah Kane , Sylvia Wynter , Mark Ravenhill , Martin McDonagh , Simon Stephens , Leo Butler , Polly Stenham and Nick Payne . Early seasons included new international plays by Bertolt Brecht , Eugène Ionesco , Samuel Beckett , Jean-Paul Sartre , and Marguerite Duras . In addition to
8446-748: The union until the couple were divorcing), spending their first night as a married couple together in the Cromwell Road in London . The two lived a fairly itinerant and reasonably happy married existence at first, living at a number of places around London and finding work there at first, then touring, staying in Kidderminster in Osborne's case. While Lane's acting career flourished in Derby, Osborne's struggled, and she began an affair with Joe Selby,
8549-629: The vicar restored the Book of Common Prayer (Osborne had returned to the Church of England in about 1974). Ferdinand Mount draws a contrast between this devotion to Anglican ritual and the opening of Look Back in Anger , with Jimmy Porter railing against the sound of church bells. In 2003 the Osbourne's residence was opened as a residential retreat for writers by the Arvon Foundation . In
8652-634: The work of many of the best-known British dramatists: Osborne , Wesker , Pinter , Bond , Barker , Brenton , Hare and Churchill . But this Award is given not so much for the Court's distinguished history as for its championship ... of [a] new generation of challenging, often profoundly disturbing, writers ... like Sarah Kane ( Blasted and Cleansed ), Mark Ravenhill ( Shopping and Fucking ) and Jez Butterworth ( Mojo ) ... [and] presented outstanding plays by young Irish writers such as Conor McPherson and Martin McDonagh . It ... has given voice to
8755-510: The young boy an insurance settlement which he used to pay for a private education at Belmont College, a minor public school in Barnstaple , Devon. He entered the school in 1943, but was expelled in the summer term of 1945. Osborne claimed this was for hitting the headmaster, who had struck him for listening to a broadcast by Frank Sinatra , but another former pupil asserted that Osborne was caught fighting with other pupils and did not assault
8858-470: 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. Based on Osborne's volatile relationship with his first wife, Pamela Lane, it
8961-470: Was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Writer's Guild of Great Britain . In A Better Class of Person , Osborne describes the emotional appeal that socialism had to him as a schoolboy and how he and his closest friends "all attended the local Labour Party meetings" as youths. He carried these affiliations with him into adult life, alienating fellow commuters and colleagues by regularly bringing
9064-825: Was considered its leading figure due to his often controversial left-wing politics, though critics nevertheless noted a conservative strain even in his early writing. The Entertainer (1957), Luther (1961), and Inadmissable Evidence (1964) were also well-received, Luther winning the 1964 Tony Award for Best Play , though reception to his later plays was less favourable. During this period Osborne began writing and acting for television and appearing in films, most notably as crime boss Cyril Kinnear in Get Carter (1971). In 1958, Osborne joined Look Back in Anger director Tony Richardson and film producer Harry Saltzman to form Woodfall Film Productions , in order to produce Richardson's 1959 film adaptation of Anger and other works of kitchen sink realism, spearheading
9167-697: Was considered the leading Shakespearean and comic actress in Britain. Opened in 1903, the New Theatre debuted The Scarlet Pimpernel in 1905, a play that introduced a heroic figure with an alter ego into the public consciousness. The theatre was renamed the Noël Coward Theatre in 2006 after the playwright Noël Coward . Constructed in 1897, Her Majesty's Theatre hosted a number of premieres, including George Bernard Shaw 's Pygmalion in 1914. The theatre building boom continued until about
9270-476: Was demolished. The present building was built on the east side of Sloane Square, replacing the earlier building, and opened on 24 September 1888 as the New Court Theatre . Designed by Walter Emden and Bertie Crewe , it is constructed of fine red brick, moulded brick, and a stone facade in free Italianate style. Originally the theatre had a capacity of 841 in the stalls, dress circle, amphitheatre, and
9373-631: Was despite slightly fewer performances occurring in 2013. On 16 March 2020, following government advice due to the COVID-19 pandemic , all theatres in the West End were closed until further notice. Theatres in London were allowed to re-open (with social distancing) on 17 May 2021, with full capacity permitted from 19 July. Opening in October 2022, @sohoplace is the first new West End theatre in 50 years. The length of West End shows depends on ticket sales. The longest-running musical in West End history
9476-730: Was down 1.4% compared to the previous year, box office revenues reached a record £799 million. The majority of West End theatres are owned by the ATG Entertainment , Delfont Mackintosh Theatres , Nimax Theatres , LW Theatres , and the Nederlander Organization . Theatre in London flourished after the English Reformation . The first permanent public playhouse, known as The Theatre , was constructed in 1576 in Shoreditch by James Burbage . It
9579-559: Was first performed in 1964. In between these plays, Osborne won an Oscar for his 1963 screenplay adaptation of Tom Jones . His 1965 play, A Patriot for Me , draws on the Austrian Redl case, involving themes of homosexuality and espionage, and helped to end the system of theatrical censorship under the Lord Chamberlain . Both A Patriot For Me and The Hotel in Amsterdam (1968) won Evening Standard Best Play of
9682-577: Was forced back into a position which, finally, for most writers is undignified and unproductive: the pretence that the past is always, necessarily, superior to the present". Several commentators have argued that a conservative and nostalgic strain was apparent in Osborne's work from an early stage. As early as 1957, Kenneth Tynan had noticed "a deeply submerged nostalgia" for Britain's pre- WW1 past in The Entertainer . Osborne had many affairs and frequently mistreated his wives and lovers. He
9785-656: Was married five times, all except the last being unhappy unions. The first four were marred by frequent affairs and mistreatment of his partners. He outlived three of his wives, being survived only by the first and the last, both of whom have since died. His final marriage, from 1978 until his death, was to the journalist Helen Dawson . Source: In A Better Class of Person , Osborne describes feeling an immediate and intense attraction towards his first wife, Pamela Lane. The pair were both members of an acting troupe in Bridgwater . She had just recently shorn her hair down to
9888-509: Was nominated for the Prix Italia . Osborne's last play was Déjàvu (1992), a sequel to Look Back in Anger . Various of his newspaper and magazine writings appeared in a collection entitled Damn You, England (1994), while his two autobiographical volumes were reissued as Looking Back – Never Explain, Never Apologise (1999). Osborne described his childhood home as a place "where books... were almost completely disregarded". One of
9991-411: Was not surprising, but its aggressive dispatch did give me a kind of baffled relief. It was like being grasped at the upper arm by a testy policeman and told to move on". Finally it was sent to the new English Stage Company at London's Royal Court Theatre . Formed by actor-manager and artistic director George Devine , the company had seen its first two productions perform disappointingly. Devine
10094-535: Was performing in Hugh Hastings' play Seagulls over Sorrento in a repertory theatre . Osborne's play is largely autobiographical, based on his time living, and arguing, with Pamela Lane in cramped accommodation in Derby , while she had an affair with a local dentist. It was submitted to several agents in London, who rejected it. In his autobiography, Osborne writes: "The speed with which it had been returned
10197-539: Was prepared to gamble on this play because he saw in it a powerful articulation of a new post-war spirit. Osborne was living on a houseboat with Creighton at Cubitts Yacht Basin in Chiswick on the River Thames at the time and eating stewed nettles from the riverbank. When Devine accepted the play, he had to row out to the houseboat to speak to Osborne. The play was directed by Tony Richardson and starred Kenneth Haigh , Mary Ure and Alan Bates . George Fearon,
10300-575: Was soon joined by The Curtain . Both are known to have been used by William Shakespeare 's company. In 1599, the timber from The Theatre was moved to Southwark , where it was used in building the Globe Theatre in a new theatre district formed beyond the controls of the City corporation. Regarding theatre as sinful, these theatres were closed in 1642 due to the Puritans who would later influence
10403-439: Was the converted Nonconformist Ranelagh Chapel , opened as a theatre in 1870 under the name The New Chelsea Theatre . Marie Litton became its manager in 1871, hiring Walter Emden to remodel the interior, and it was renamed the Court Theatre . Several of W. S. Gilbert 's early plays were staged here, including Randall's Thumb , Creatures of Impulse (with music by Alberto Randegger ), Great Expectations (adapted from
10506-447: Was the first London production to reach 100 consecutive performances . Tom and Jerry' s combination of a tour of London interspersed with song and dance, gave rise to numerous similar, loosely constructed entertainments, and "planted the seeds for later musical comedy and revue". The Patent theatre companies retained their duopoly on drama well into the 19th century, and all other theatres could perform only musical entertainments. By
10609-457: Was the first female artistic director (2013–2024). David Byrne took over the role in early 2024. In 1987, Ken Loach 's production of Perdition at the Royal Court Theatre was abandoned after protests and commissioned reviews from two historians, Martin Gilbert and David Cesarani . Oxford historian Gilbert said the play was "a travesty of the facts" and "deeply antisemitic ". Loach and
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