New Victoria Theatre Woking – until 28 September 2019
Reviewed by Nicky Wyatt
2**
The Entertainer by John Osborne. Written in 1957 following the Suez crisis when we were a nation in crisis, with disillusioned people tired of fighting and struggling. The play tells the story of an embittered Vaudeville comedian who refuses to accept that the world is changing as is what people class as entertainment.
Fast forward to 1982 where director Sean O’Connor has reset the scene. Another national crisis The Falklands War and the country being held and guided through by Margaret Thatcher.
Archie Rice (Shane Richie) is a tired, angry man stuck in a miserable spiral of old fashioned comedy, bored and dowdy home life, looking for an escape route. His stand up routines are typical of the era they depict. He has a love hate relationship with the stage, needing the buzz to escape his life and the taxman but grows to despise his audiences. His onstage misery continues at home.
His dad one time star Billy Rice (Pip Donaghy) is now an old man, with racist views that these days would be considered very un PC. Looked after by Archie’s long suffering wife Phoebe (Sara Crowe). She is a downtrodden gin drinker, who has become accustomed to Archies philandering ways. Their son is in the Falklands injured and she is waiting anxiously for him to come home. She waits with Archies daughter Jean (Diane Vickers) and dad Billy, they all drink too much gin and shout too much. Son Frank (Christopher Bonwell )works at the theatre with his dad, he struggles to make an impact in the family or to be heard above the constant arguing and shouting. A lot of the dialogue was difficult to make out it was just very loud and shouty.
I am sure that in 1957 this was great theatre, it was probably good in 1982. For me it has no place in 2019. The highlight for me was Richie singing Those Were The Days, great voice