Branagh Theatre Live: "The Entertainer"
Kenneth Branagh revives this classic and explosive examination of public masks and private torment set in the seedy glamour of an old British music hall.
Set in a crumbling English seaside town, this scathing state-of-the-nation sermon by the pioneering dramatist John Osborne was first staged in 1957. It centers on Archie Rice, a 50-something song-and-dance man scraping a thin living in the dying world of music hall, which serves as a potent allegory for post-war Britain in imperial decline.
Laurence Olivier originated the role of Archie on stage and screen so Kenneth Branagh’s performance has elicited comparisons with the acting titan whose career he has often seemed to be shadowing. Here the younger man displays nothing but energized showmanship: a lovely nimbleness of light-footed twirling, a wry campness with his hands and darting tongue. The bold set design, snappy musical numbers and stellar supporting cast makes this production a fitting ending to the Branagh Theatre’s yearlong residency at the Garrick. Runtime 140m
