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2011

Chicken Soup with Barley

Written by Arnold Wesker

CHICKEN SOUP WITH BARLEY by Wesker, , Writer - Arnold Wesker, Director - Dominic Cooke, Designer - Ultz, The Royal Court Theatre 2011, Credit Johan Persson/

Play Details

Context

Artistic Director 
Dominic Cooke

Dates Performed

Thursday 2nd June 2011
Jerwood Theatre Downstairs

Play Details

Synopsis

The bustling streets of London’s East End, where political idealism clashes with harsh reality.

Sarah Kahn, a fiercely committed communist and matriarch of a Jewish family, fights to keep her ideals alive as the world around her changes dramatically. From the charged atmosphere of the 1930s to the disillusionment of the 1950s, Sarah’s unwavering beliefs are tested by both global events and personal tragedies.

Arnold Wesker’s Chicken Soup with Barley is a powerful exploration of political conviction, family bonds, and the crushing weight of shattered dreams. Through a series of pivotal moments in the Kahn family’s life, the play delves into the complexities of holding onto one’s principles in the face of a shifting world. Wesker’s naturalistic dialogue and keen eye for domestic detail create a rich, emotionally resonant portrait of a family caught between past and present. As Sarah grapples with her stroke-afflicted husband Harry and her increasingly cynical son Ronnie, the play raises thought-provoking questions about the nature of loyalty, the price of idealism, and the possibility of maintaining hope in a world that seems determined to extinguish it.

Director(s)

Dominic Cooke

Photo credit

All images credited to Johan Persson

Recording credit

Recording courtesy of V&A Theatre and Performance Archive/ Theatre Voice

Cast & Creative

Cast

Samantha Spiro

Cast

Jenna Augen

Cast

Steve Furst

Cast

Rebecca Gethings

Cast

Joel Gillman

Cast

Ilan Goodman

Cast

Harry Peacock

Cast

Tom Rosenthal

Cast

Danny Webb and Alexis Zegerman

Actor Danny Webb discusses Dominic Cooke’s well-received revival of Arnold Wesker’s seminal 1958 play, Chicken Soup with Barley (the first part of the Wesker Trilogy about a politically motivated East End Jewish family across 30 years of history), with Carole Woddis. Recorded at the Royal Court, 27 June 2011.


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