For the first of an occasional look at significant British theatres, please join me for a trip to London’s Royal Court. Although a theatre of that name had stood in Sloane Square since the late 1880s, the Court as we know it today was founded in 1955 by George Devine, manager of the English Theatre Company. Its most notable early production was John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger, which has nothing to do with the tiresome Oasis. We’ll examine Osborne’s legacy another time, suffice to say for now that angry young man™ Jimmy Porter’s effect on British theatre still resonates today. In 1956 Osborne’s masterpiece The Entertainer opened at the Court, demonstrating a commitment to producing new plays with a liberal sprinkling of anti-establishmentarianism.
Many classics followed, including Willis Hall’s The Long and the Short and the Tall and Christopher Hampton’s The Philanthropist. But does today’s Court still wield the same power?
Not really. Even ignoring the oft-forgotten fact that society has moved on since 1950, the Court’s reputation has diminished in recent years. Oddly, it’s not down to the quality of the new plays – some have been utter rubbish, some have been very good. Alistair McDowall’s X and The Glow have shown that science fiction can work on stage. Caryl Churchill’s recent work may lack her earlier visceral power, but she’s still a brilliant playwright.
It’s down to mismanagement and mishandled PR. The decision to revive Jim Cartwright’s Road – an hilariously overblown slice of uppity 80’s nonsense – is difficult to defend. Andrea Dunbar’s mean-spirited Rita, Sue and Bob Too was also revived, and the Court’s abysmal handling of the furore over its sexual politics (never the most rational of debates) appeared to have been managed by Frank Spencer. More recently, the perceived anti-semitism of Al Smith’s Rare Earth Mettle overshadowed the plentiful talents of Arthur Darvill.
Nevertheless, visiting the Court might be a gamble, but it’s worth it. You might see something great, such as Martin McDonagh’s Hangmen, or you might see something truly appalling. But it’s rarely dull, and still takes risks. Not many theatres can say that.