A Patriot for Me: Difference between revisions
The "Time Out" article doesn't say how Osborne's play influenced the film, only that they're two versions of the same story that differ significantly. |
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==Legacy== |
==Legacy== |
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A [[musical theatre|musical]] adaptation of ''A Patriot for Me'', with music by [[Laurence Rosenthal]], was produced on Broadway in 1969. The [[Chichester Festival Theatre]] revived Osborne's original play successfully in 1983 with [[Alan Bates]] in the lead role and [[Sheila Gish]] and [[June Ritchie]] taking the part of the Countess.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/dec/24/john-osborne-a-natural-dissenter-who-changed-the-face-of-british-theatre | work=The Guardian | title=John Osborne: a natural dissenter who changed the face of British theatre | first=Michael | last=Billington | date=24 December 2014 | access-date=3 April 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Osborne |first=John |author-link=John Osborne |title=Almost a Gentleman: An Autobiography, 1955–66 |publisher=[[Faber and Faber]] |year=1991 |isbn=0-571-16635-0 |page=256 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/almostgentlemana0000osbo |edition=paperback }}</ref> |
A [[musical theatre|musical]] adaptation of ''A Patriot for Me'', with music by [[Laurence Rosenthal]], was produced on Broadway in 1969. The [[Chichester Festival Theatre]] revived Osborne's original play successfully in 1983 with [[Alan Bates]] in the lead role and [[Sheila Gish]] and [[June Ritchie]] taking the part of the Countess.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/dec/24/john-osborne-a-natural-dissenter-who-changed-the-face-of-british-theatre | work=The Guardian | title=John Osborne: a natural dissenter who changed the face of British theatre | first=Michael | last=Billington | date=24 December 2014 | access-date=3 April 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Osborne |first=John |author-link=John Osborne |title=Almost a Gentleman: An Autobiography, 1955–66 |publisher=[[Faber and Faber]] |year=1991 |isbn=0-571-16635-0 |page=256 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/almostgentlemana0000osbo |edition=paperback }}</ref> |
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The later film ''[[Oberst Redl|Colonel Redl]]'' states in the credits that it is "inspired by" Osborne's play, but there are significant differences.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/10/13/movies/colonel-redl-the-man-behind-the-screen-myth.html | work=The New York Times | title=Colonel Redl: The Man Behind the Screen Myth | first=Richard | last=Grenier | date=13 October 1985 | access-date=4 June 2023}}</ref><ref name= "redlreview">{{cite news |last=JE |url= https://www.timeout.com/london/film/colonel-redl |title=Colonel Redl |work=[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]] |accessdate=2017-08-30}}</ref> |
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==Awards and honors== |
==Awards and honors== |
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Revision as of 23:44, 3 June 2023
A Patriot for Me is a 1965 play by the English playwright John Osborne, based on the true story of Alfred Redl. The controversial refusal of a performance licence by the Lord Chamberlain's Office played a role in the passage of the Theatres Act 1968.[1]
The play depicts Redl, a homosexual in the Austro-Hungarian intelligence service in the 1890s, as he is blackmailed by the Russians into a series of treasonous betrayals. The play highlights the dangers that a non-conformist faces in a declining empire.[2] Its dramatic climax, and the scene that most excited the censor, is the Drag Ball, in which members of the upper echelons of Viennese society appear in drag. Mary McCarthy, the American novelist, wrote in The Observer that the play's "chief merit is to provide work for a number of homosexual actors, or normal actors who can pass as homosexual".[citation needed] A Patriot for Me remains rarely performed because of the large cast required.[citation needed]
When the Royal Court Theatre produced A Patriot For Me in 1965, it was forced to change from a public theatre to a private members' club. The play was deemed too sexually transgressive by the Lord Chamberlain's Office, and denied a licence for performance.[3] The Royal Court suffered a considerable financial loss because of this denial.
George Devine, founder of the English Stage Company, was performing in this play when he died of a heart attack.
Legacy
A musical adaptation of A Patriot for Me, with music by Laurence Rosenthal, was produced on Broadway in 1969. The Chichester Festival Theatre revived Osborne's original play successfully in 1983 with Alan Bates in the lead role and Sheila Gish and June Ritchie taking the part of the Countess.[4][5] The later film Colonel Redl states in the credits that it is "inspired by" Osborne's play, but there are significant differences.[6][7]
Awards and honors
Original Broadway production
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Tony Award | Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical | Dennis King | Nominated |
| Best Costume Design | Freddy Wittop | Nominated | ||
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Costume Design | Won |
References
- ^ Smith, Joan (10 August 2017). "How Britain Misses the Spirit of 1967". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
- ^ "John Osborne | Biography & Look Back in Anger". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
- ^ "History". Royal Court.
- ^ Billington, Michael (24 December 2014). "John Osborne: a natural dissenter who changed the face of British theatre". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
- ^ Osborne, John (1991). Almost a Gentleman: An Autobiography, 1955–66 (paperback ed.). Faber and Faber. p. 256. ISBN 0-571-16635-0.
- ^ Grenier, Richard (13 October 1985). "Colonel Redl: The Man Behind the Screen Myth". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
- ^ JE. "Colonel Redl". Time Out. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
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