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Weapons of Happiness

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22: 114:- the context in which his plays had previously been seen - and a desire to reach the bigger audiences subsidised theatre companies would provide. Furthermore, in the play's programme, Brenton disclaimed being a moralist. 176:, itself staged at the National. Given the subject of the play, it is ironic that its first production took place against the backdrop of the National Theatre itself undergoing a good deal of difficulties with 84:, who appeared in the original production, as describing acting in it as being "like opening a furnace door - your time comes, you open the door and blaze, then shut it". 432: 120:
became the first commissioned play to be performed at the reopened National Theatre when it premièred on the Lyttelton stage on 14 July 1976. The cast included
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The play was sufficiently successful that after it opened Peter Hall asked Brenton for another, which would be the controversial
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is imagined alive in the 1970s (in real life he was hanged in 1952), and his hallucinations of life in
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In an introduction to the play, Brenton wrote that he was "trying to write a kind of
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from around the time the play was being written, he expressed dissatisfaction with
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in 2008. It received middling-to-good reviews, with the worst notices coming from
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While the play drew in a younger, more radical audience to the National Theatre,
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as part of a policy of staging new plays by leading authors in the company's new
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and seen as something of a polemicist; however, in an interview with
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in a London crisp factory. The play makes use of a dramatic
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edited by John Goodwin, Hamish Hamilton, 1983 pp. 242-3
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edited by John Goodwin, Hamish Hamilton, 1983 p. 170
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today". The production ran for 41 performances, and
683: 481: 54:whereby the Czech communist cabinet minister 495: 315:Power Play: the life and time of Peter Hall 488: 474: 20: 261: 259: 257: 684: 469: 310: 308: 361: 359: 357: 254: 195:was enthusiastic, describing in the 13: 305: 14: 708: 354: 160:, a collaborator of Brenton from 92:The play was commissioned by the 100:home. At the time Brenton was a 87: 450: 438: 426: 65:interweave with the main plot. 414: 402: 383: 371: 335: 282: 76:'. Making only limited use of 72:play for our time, a 'British 1: 445:"The London Evening Standard" 7: 459:Retrieved on 6 October 2009 447:Retrieved on 6 October 2009 435:Retrieved on 6 October 2009 423:Retrieved on 6 October 2009 411:Retrieved on 6 October 2009 409:"The British Theatre Guide" 368:Retrieved on 6 October 2009 16:1976 play by Howard Brenton 10: 713: 164:and co-writer with him of 663: 645: 627: 504: 671:Portable Theatre Company 291:edited by John Goodwin, 247: 162:Portable Theatre Company 241:London Evening Standard 323:Hodder & Stoughton 211:Evening Standard Award 30: 618:Lawrence After Arabia 548:The Romans in Britain 219:The Romans in Britain 152:. It was designed by 24: 611:Doctor Scroggy's War 534:Weapons of Happiness 390:Peter Hall's Diaries 379:Peter Hall's Diaries 342:Peter Hall's Diaries 289:Peter Hall's Diaries 226:Weapons of Happiness 207:Weapons of Happiness 118:Weapons of Happiness 35:Weapons of Happiness 228:was revived at the 209:went on to win the 132:, Julie Covington, 527:The Churchill Play 366:"National Theatre" 266:Brenton: Plays One 230:Finborough Theatre 31: 25:Cover of original 679: 678: 331:978-0-340-50844-2 138:Bernard Gallagher 107:Theatre Quarterly 704: 604:Drawing the Line 513:Christie in Love 490: 483: 476: 467: 466: 460: 454: 448: 442: 436: 433:"The Independent 430: 424: 418: 412: 406: 400: 387: 381: 375: 369: 363: 352: 339: 333: 312: 303: 286: 280: 263: 156:and directed by 136:as Josef Frank, 122:Geoffrey Bateman 94:National Theatre 27:National Theatre 712: 711: 707: 706: 705: 703: 702: 701: 682: 681: 680: 675: 659: 641: 628:With David Hare 623: 500: 494: 464: 463: 455: 451: 443: 439: 431: 427: 419: 415: 407: 403: 388: 384: 376: 372: 364: 355: 340: 336: 313: 306: 293:Hamish Hamilton 287: 283: 264: 255: 250: 213:for Best Play. 198:Financial Times 193:Michael Coveney 146:William Russell 90: 82:Julie Covington 17: 12: 11: 5: 710: 700: 699: 694: 677: 676: 674: 673: 667: 665: 661: 660: 658: 657: 649: 647: 643: 642: 640: 639: 631: 629: 625: 624: 622: 621: 614: 607: 600: 593: 586: 579: 572: 565: 558: 551: 544: 537: 530: 523: 516: 508: 506: 502: 501: 498:Howard Brenton 493: 492: 485: 478: 470: 462: 461: 449: 437: 425: 421:"The Guardian" 413: 401: 382: 370: 353: 334: 304: 295:, 1983 p. 168 281: 252: 251: 249: 246: 154:Hayden Griffin 150:Derek Thompson 142:Michael Medwin 112:fringe theatre 89: 86: 63:Czechoslovakia 44:Howard Brenton 40:political play 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 709: 698: 695: 693: 692:British plays 690: 689: 687: 672: 669: 668: 666: 662: 656: 655: 651: 650: 648: 644: 638: 637: 633: 632: 630: 626: 620: 619: 615: 613: 612: 608: 606: 605: 601: 599: 598: 594: 592: 591: 587: 585: 584: 583:Never So Good 580: 578: 577: 573: 571: 570: 566: 564: 563: 559: 557: 556: 555:Bloody Poetry 552: 550: 549: 545: 543: 542: 538: 536: 535: 531: 529: 528: 524: 522: 521: 517: 515: 514: 510: 509: 507: 503: 499: 491: 486: 484: 479: 477: 472: 471: 468: 458: 453: 446: 441: 434: 429: 422: 417: 410: 405: 399: 398:0-241-11285-0 395: 391: 386: 380: 374: 367: 362: 360: 358: 351: 350:0-241-11285-0 347: 343: 338: 332: 328: 324: 320: 316: 311: 309: 302: 301:0-241-11285-0 298: 294: 290: 285: 279: 278:0-413-40430-7 275: 271: 267: 262: 260: 258: 253: 245: 243: 242: 237: 236: 231: 227: 223: 221: 220: 214: 212: 208: 204: 200: 199: 194: 190: 186: 181: 179: 175: 174: 169: 168: 163: 159: 155: 151: 147: 143: 139: 135: 131: 127: 126:Joseph Stalin 123: 119: 115: 113: 109: 108: 103: 99: 95: 88:Stage history 85: 83: 79: 75: 71: 66: 64: 61: 57: 53: 49: 45: 41: 37: 36: 28: 23: 19: 652: 634: 616: 609: 602: 595: 588: 581: 574: 567: 560: 553: 546: 539: 533: 532: 525: 520:Magnificence 518: 511: 452: 440: 428: 416: 404: 389: 385: 378: 373: 341: 337: 314: 288: 284: 265: 239: 233: 225: 224: 217: 215: 206: 196: 182: 178:trade unions 171: 165: 134:Frank Finlay 130:Nick Brimble 117: 116: 105: 91: 74:epic theatre 67: 34: 33: 32: 18: 590:Anne Boleyn 576:In Extremis 541:Epsom Downs 505:Major plays 457:"The Times" 325:1995 P.278 319:Stephen Fay 56:Josef Frank 697:1976 plays 686:Categories 646:Television 189:stage crew 185:Peter Hall 158:David Hare 98:South Bank 78:naturalism 46:, about a 38:is a 1976 654:Dead Head 562:Greenland 496:Works by 235:The Times 167:Brassneck 60:Stalinist 29:programme 664:See also 238:and the 70:Jacobean 597:55 Days 270:Methuen 203:England 102:Marxist 52:conceit 636:Pravda 396:  348:  329:  299:  276:  173:Pravda 48:strike 272:1986 248:Notes 569:Paul 394:ISBN 377:Cf. 346:ISBN 327:ISBN 297:ISBN 274:ISBN 170:and 148:and 317:by 124:as 42:by 688:: 356:^ 321:, 307:^ 268:, 256:^ 244:. 222:. 180:. 144:, 140:, 128:, 489:e 482:t 475:v

Index


National Theatre
political play
Howard Brenton
strike
conceit
Josef Frank
Stalinist
Czechoslovakia
Jacobean
epic theatre
naturalism
Julie Covington
National Theatre
South Bank
Marxist
Theatre Quarterly
fringe theatre
Geoffrey Bateman
Joseph Stalin
Nick Brimble
Frank Finlay
Bernard Gallagher
Michael Medwin
William Russell
Derek Thompson
Hayden Griffin
David Hare
Portable Theatre Company
Brassneck

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