THE KITCHEN

AUTHOR: Arnold Wesker

TÍTLE: The Kitchen

EDITORIAL: University Photocopies.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

In this play, there are about 30 characters, but most of them are not very important in the plot. The main characters are: Peter, who is the main character in the play. He is German but he is working at the restaurant Tivoli during three years. He is young, about 30 years old. This character represents very well the situation of anguish that exists in the society. Peter has a bad-temperament, and he doesn’t resign to his bad situation. It represents these people who have not the life they want to and they want to change it. Peter loves Monique, other main character. Monique has husband, but she loves Peter, too. She is pregnant, and Peter is the father of the baby. Peter also is hated by some of their companions, like Gaston and Paul. When the play starts, it shows that Peter and Gaston have had a fight and Gaston wanted to kill Peter. But Peter also has a problem with Violet, because at the finish he and she argue and Peter ruins the restaurant. Other important character is Hans, who is German and friend of Peter. They speak sometimes in German. Hans defends Peter. Other important character is Kevin, the new cooker. He is Irishman and Peter learns to him some things about the restaurant, the boss…and he helps Kevin. Moreover, the Chef says to the boss one bad thing that Peter has done. And the boss is Mr Marango, who is about 75 years old and who believes that the restaurant is very good, the cookers are well paid and they have not reasons to complain about their jobs, but it is not true. And other interesting character is the tramp, that asks for food and receives soap. He represents the poor part of society that has nothing.

PLOT

In this play the author reflects the society, or almost a part of it, that is working and has not the life that they want to. The play reflects the problems that every person has every day, but through the work in a restaurant. In it, characters show their daily troubles, their daily concerns, their dreams…that are the same that occur in the reality.

SPACE AND TIME

All the actions of the play occur at Tivoli restaurant, in the kitchen (and it is because the name of the play is “The Kitchen”). The stage is always the same. The action passes in the same day, since early at morning to night.

LITERARY RESOURCES

This play is a dialogue between different characters. It is in English, but we can find some sentences in French and most common, in German (because there are characters from these countries). We can find a simple and colloquial language, with insults (pig, bully fool…).

PERSONAL OPINION

I think that this play is very interesting and easy to read, and it represents the society in some aspects that are in it. It could be a reflection of these aspects, that a lot of people ignorrate them. In the play, the author also represents some roles in society, some types of people, like boss, Peter, the tramp, men who critic her wives…and I think that we can learn about these people and about how we can see the life with other eyes.