The Show Must Go On!

Starring David Tennant!

But what happens when the man in the middle of it all falls apart? David Tennant heads to the Almeida Theatre in 2028 (a welcome return to the stage following his acclaimed turn in Macbeth at the Donmar Warehouse and in the West End), starring as Archie Rice in John Osborne’s The Entertainer, an epic new revival of one of Britain’s most beloved plays. Directed by Dominic Cooke, The Entertainer spotlights a performer doing his best to keep the laughs coming as his world crumbles around him.

John Osborne's The Entertainer first premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in 1957, with the legendary Laurence Olivier starring as Archie Rice. Nearly 70 years later, its themes of national change, family tensions and a fading entertainment industry are still as relevant today as ever. Director Dominic Cooke returns to Osborne's work after the Almeida's production of Look Back in Anger in 2024.

What's The Story?

Music hall performer Archie Rice knows how to work a crowd, crack a joke, and keep the show rolling, but behind the smiles and showmanship, not everything is as it seems. His career is in turmoil, his family is falling apart, and the world around him is changing faster than he's able to keep up with.

Set against conflict in the Middle East, the decline of the British Empire and a nation wrestling with its identity, Archie clings to his act as everything around him shifts. But can he keep playing the clown when he's struggling to face his own misery?