MÓNICA PANADERO SAYAS

Teatro Inglés Siglos XIX y XX

Grupo B

THE KITCHEN

(play in three acts)

AUTHOR: Arnold Wesker

PUBLISHING: Faber and Faber

AGE AND PLACE OF PUBLICATION: 1957, London

 

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Peter: he is the protagonist, he is German and he is 23 years old.  He is scandalous, aggressive, happy and has a good heart, he speaks English very well and sees to of the boiled fish. What it emphasizes more of him is his eccentric laughter.  Their parents died in the war.  When he speaks to somebody tends to do as if he told a secret to the ear

Hans: he is a German of 19 years and works in London thanks to an interchange.  In the kitchen sees to of the fried, he speaks English bad and is very sensible.

Frank: he is 38 years old, he is likeable and apathetic. He is the second chef and he sees to of the birds.  He likes to drink much and to flirt with all the waiters.

Kevin: He is Irish, new in the kitchen and he is 22 years old.  He sees to of the fried fish and doesn't like his work since he bothers the haste of the work and the people who surround to him

Gaston: he is 40 years old.  Sees to of grill. Is friend of all outside the work.

Mangolis: he sees to cover the plates.  He is very worker but enough cheek

Paul: seaman steward. Is Jewish, calm and a good worker and does not bind with the waiters

Raymond: also he is seaman steward.  He is just as Paul but with the difference that is Italian and speaks English perfectly

Chef: he is an old man. He does not speak with anybody in the kitchen since he does not like the confidence that have all.  All don’t mind him because is the best thing that they can do

Sr. Marango: He is 75 years old.  He has a sad expression.  He is the owner of the restaurant and for him the restaurant is his life

PLOT: the play speaks on which is a day in the kitchen of a restaurant with many clients.  It treats on the relations between the characters, their subjects of conversation, as they are smile, their disputes etc.  But it is centered in Peter and one of the waiters, Monique, with which he has a loving adventure and he does not matter to him that she is  married.

SPACE: is a unique space since it does not change of scene.  The play is developed in the kitchen of a restaurant

TIME:  the play passes through everything a day, since they open the restaurant, passing by the break for to eat until arrives the busy night since to the restaurant all the days go 200 people

LITERARY RESOURCES: written in prose.  With single reading it we can know the type of English that it uses and the accent of each character.  Also take place a personification since the noises that make the furnaces seem the beats of the heart and like this the furnaces become the heart of the kitchen

PERSONAL OPINION:  what I have more liked of this play is that is not centered in the plot but in the personality of each personage and the capacity that they have to be respected at the time of working although they don’t hold outside the work