The Entertainer

Went to see the 50th anniversary production of The Entertainer at the Old Vic yesterday. What a performance. Not a weak link anywhere.

The Entertainer was the second of John Osborn's plays on the state of Britain, and tells the story of a dysfunctional family, with three generations of Entertainers living in one house. Archie is desperately trying (but failing) to achieve the success of his father, who is now old and full of reminiscneces about a glorious past. Frank, Archie's son, is a consummate performer, but reads the signs of the times and declares that the only thing is to get out while you still can. Archie, meantime, tries to keep the show going at all costs. The characters who add context - brother Bill, who constantly bails Archie out with money, and Graham, Jean's fiance, who bears a resemblance to Bill in that they both have established themselves as comfortable, independent and very grey and dull. Frank suggests that Graham is Jean's only hope, but Jean feels unable to leave the dysfuntional but colourful family she has come from. Frank, though, grabs his ticket to Canada with both hands.

This production is brilliant, with stunning performances by Robert Lyndsay, Pam Ferris and John Normington. One of the striking things is that despite the fact that 50 years have elapsed, and the difference in the political and historical setting, quite a lot of the social commentary proves timeless, easily re-appropriating itself into 2007. Definitely a must-see.