✕ ✕
Turning tips into memories
Login
Signup

You have reached the limit of free articles.


To enjoy unlimited access to Culture Whisper sign up for FREE.
Find out more about Culture Whisper

Please fix the following input errors:

  • dummy

Each week, we send newsletters and communication featuring articles, our latest tickets invitations, and exclusive offers.

Occasional information about discounts, special offers and promotions.


OR
LOG IN

OR
  • LOG IN WITH FACEBOOK

Thanks for signing up to Culture Whisper.
Please check your inbox for a confirmation email and click the link to verify your account.



EXPLORE CULTURE WHISPER
✕ ✕
Turning tips into memories
Login
Signup

Please fix the following input errors:

  • dummy
Forgot your username or password?
Don't have an account? Sign Up

OR
  • LOG IN WITH FACEBOOK

If you click «Log in with Facebook» and are not a Culture Whisper user, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and to our Privacy Policy, which includes our Cookie Use

Support Us Login
  • Home
  • Going Out
    • Things to do
    • Food & Drink
    • Theatre
    • Visual Arts
    • Cinema
    • Kids
    • Festival
    • Gigs
    • Dance
    • Classical Music
    • Opera
    • Immersive
    • Talks
  • Staying In
    • TV
    • Books
    • Cook
    • Podcast
    • Design
    • Netflix
  • Life & Style
    • Beauty
    • Fashion
    • Gifting
    • Wellbeing
    • Lifestyle
    • Shopping
    • Jewellery
  • Explore
  • Shopping
  • CW SHOPS
  • Support Us
  • Get Started
  • Tickets
  • CW SHOPS
Get the Best of London Life, Culture and Style
By entering my email I agree to the CultureWhisper Privacy Policy (we won`t share data & you can unsubscribe anytime).
Theatre

The Entertainer, Garrick Theatre review ★★★★★

20 Aug 16 – 12 Nov 16, 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM

Kenneth Branagh follows Laurence Olivier's footsteps with starring role in the final play of his Garrick season, The Entertainer by John Osbourne

By Lucy Brooks on 1/9/2016

6 CW readers are interested
Kenneth Branagh - photo by Johan Persson
Kenneth Branagh - photo by Johan Persson
The Entertainer, Garrick Theatre review 3 The Entertainer, Garrick Theatre review Lucy Brooks
John Osborne’s The Entertainer is the final show in Sir Kenneth Branagh’s five-show residency at the Garrick Theatre. It’s a welcome return for Branagh: after an absence of seven years from the stage, he has come to the Garrick this past year to direct and perform throughout the season. In The Entertainer, there’s also a return of sorts. Tired and fading Music Hall performer Archie Rice, originally written for and played by Sir Laurence Olivier, is brought thunderously back to the stage as Branagh demonstrates why he is considered one of the best living actors today. But unfortunately even with his electrifying performance, the rest of the production mostly remains uncharged.


Archie’s daughter Jean (Sophie McShera), a London-based art teacher, travels up to the seaside town to get respite from her fiance and the political unrest in London. Greeted by her grandfather Billy (Gawn Grainger) and Archie’s wife Phoebe (Greta Scacchi), Jean re-enters the tumultuous and tired lives of her family: Archie is seeking to marry a younger woman and her half-brother Frank (Jonah Hauer-King) is now out of jail after refusing conscription. As news of Jean’s step-brother Mick casts an increasingly dark shadow on the family, Archie plays his final role as the epitome of the middle-aged angry man of an ever-waning British empire.


Archie’s Music Hall routine is interspersed throughout the drama and set against the backdrop of Christopher Oram’s evocative but underused design: a once-brilliant theatre now tattered and weary. Branagh shines in the song and dance numbers, tapping away and tinting everything with irony, comedy, and even tragedy. Director Rob Ashford is obviously most comfortable in crisp choreography, adorning the stage with dynamic dancers and strong British imagery.


But by contrast the dramatic scenes are left static and slightly dulled. Only by the second act is the rhythm of the family drama found, and even Branagh almost has a hard time powering the long, dialogue-heavy scenes. The rest of the cast are commendable, but as Archie Rice dominates the family conversation, so too does Branagh dominate the stage.


A revival of Osborne’s The Entertainer feels timely, with questions of Britain’s national identity looming in the background: ‘Can you think of any reason for staying in this cosy corner of Europe?’ However, even with a formidable performance in Branagh’s return to the stage, The Entertainer ends up feeling like a thing of the past.

by Brendan Macdonald

What The Entertainer, Garrick Theatre review
Where Garrick Theatre, 2 Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0HH | MAP
Nearest tube Leicester Square (underground)
When 20 Aug 16 – 12 Nov 16, 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM
Price £15 - £95
Website Click here to book via Branagh Theatre



Most popular

Things to do in London this weekend: 22–24 September
Things to do in London this weekend: 22–24 September
London exhibitions to see this month
Top exhibitions on now in London
Ncuti Gatwa in Sex Education season 4, Netflix (Photo: Netflix)
Sex Education season 4, Netflix review

A little more...


  • IVO VAN HOVE RESIDENCY

    The avant garde director brings Jude Law premiere & world class theatre to London

    STAGE HIGHLIGHTS

    We handpick the unmissable plays on stage now

    IAN MCKELLEN & PATRICK STEWART

    The boys are back in town for a Pinter revival

    BEST MUSICALS IN LONDON

    All singing, all dancing


Sign up to CW’s newsletter
By entering my email I agree to the CultureWhisper Privacy Policy (we won`t share data & you can unsubscribe anytime).

We recommend nearby

  • The Alchemist, Covent Garden

    Renowned for its molecular mixology, placing theatre and immersive experiences at its core, The Alchemist opens its second London branch in Covent Garden

    Read more...
    Map
  • Frenchie

    Restaurant and wine bar Frenchie has been credited with redesigning the Parisian way of eating. Its simple, generous yet precise dishes are heavily influenced by chef cum owner Gregory Marchand's classical training in Nantes.

    Read more...
    Book Map
  • Terroirs

    The sort of wine bar/restaurant you never want to leave, this place has two separate floors depending on whether you fancy something bustling or more chilled. The French menu features both small plates and charcuterie alongside plats du jour that might include gilt head bream, monk’s beard, broad beans and rouille.

    Book Map
6

Kenneth Branagh

Olivier

Plays at the Garrick

You might like

  • Lily James and Richard Madden: Romeo and Juliet photo by Johan Persson

    Romeo and Juliet, Garrick Theatre review ★★★★★

  • REVIEW: The Winter's Tale, Garrick Theatre [STAR:4]

    REVIEW: The Winter's Tale, Garrick Theatre ★★★★★

  • Benedict Cumberbatch as Hamlet, Barbican: photo by Johan Persson

    Hamlet, Barbican

  • Farinelli and the King: Mark Rylance. Photo by Marc Brenner.

    Farinelli and the King, Duke of York's Theatre ★★★★★



  • The Culture Whisper team
  • Support Us
  • Tickets
  • Contact us
  • Press
  • FAQ
  • Privacy
  • Terms and conditions
  • Cookies
  • Discover
  • Venues
  • Restaurants
  • Stations
  • Boroughs
Sign up to CW’s newsletter
By entering my email I agree to the CultureWhisper Privacy Policy (we won`t share data & you can unsubscribe anytime).
×