The Breadwinner

Synopsis

As the young people play tennis and speculate on what their parents may provide for them in the way of flats, cars and allowances, Charles Battle is having a bit of trouble at the Stock Exchange. What happens and how he reacts will have a life-changing effect on both friends and family. A delightful and apt comedy by one of Britain's most popular twentieth century writers.

Our Review:

22 April 2013

Somerset Maugham’s The Breadwinner first opened at the Vaudeville Theatre in 1930, and depicts a decadent, superficial youth, oblivious of the shackles of war that the previous generation experienced.

The (somewhat aptly named) Battle family represent the ostensibly happy, frivolously shallow middle-class elite made prosperous from the post-war golden years of the stock exchange. Yet scandal is afoot at the Battle household, when it is revealed that Charles Battle, after his long years spent trading shares to provide for the trivial whims of his family, is ‘hammered’, that is, bankrupt, and has decided to up-sticks, on his own, to America.

This kitchen sink drama is delightfully funny, with a host of inane characters that capture Maugham’s scornful view of post-war society. Auriol Smith has directed this production in-the-round, drawing the audience into the intimate dilemma that the Battle’s face. Good use is made of the space...

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