A Patriot for Me

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 sharing the part of the Countess;[4][5] a 1995 revival by the RSC starred James Wilby as Redl.[6]

The 1985 film Colonel Redl states in its credits that Osborne's play "inspired" it,[7] and the film-makers paid him a £20,000 "courtesy fee".[8] There are significant differences in emphasis.[9][10]

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

  1. ^ Smith, Joan (10 August 2017). "How Britain Misses the Spirit of 1967". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  2. ^ "John Osborne | Biography & Look Back in Anger". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  3. ^ "History". Royal Court.
  4. ^ Billington, Michael (24 December 2014). "John Osborne: a natural dissenter who changed the face of British theatre". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  5. ^ Osborne, John (1991). Almost a Gentleman: An Autobiography, 1955–66 (paperback ed.). Faber and Faber. p. 256. ISBN 0-571-16635-0.
  6. ^ Taylor, Paul (19 October 1995). "A Patriot for Me: RSC, Barbican, London". The Independent. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  7. ^ Canby, Vincent (2 October 1985). "'Redl,' Tale of Austrian Agent". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  8. ^ Whitebrook, Peter (2015). John Osborne: 'Anger is not about ... '. London: Oberon Books. p. 327. ISBN 978-1-78319-877-1.
  9. ^ Grenier, Richard (13 October 1985). "Colonel Redl: The Man Behind the Screen Myth". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  10. ^ JE. "Colonel Redl". Time Out. Retrieved 30 August 2017.


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