THE KITCHEN

HEADLINE:

Author: Arnold Wesker

Title of the play: the Kitchen

Subtitle: A play in two parts with an interlude

Editorial:

Year of publication: 1959

Place of publication: Royal Court Theatre

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Alfredo: He is the major chef, he is sixty five years old. Although he is old he has a good presence with a health life. He is the typical cooker that didn’t help anybody and didn’t accept any aid. He is the most fast in his work and the most strict. He doesn’t stop until all is finished. He talks few, but he has an arid sense of humour.

Frank: He is the second chef, a prisoner of the war by four years. He drinks during the days and at the end of the day he is quite drunk but with capacities to work. Also he is the typical man that try to bind with all the waitress.

Hans: He is who fries the aliments, a German boy, a teenager of nineteen years old. He works in London with an exchange program. He talks very bad English, he is not very showy so he caused a good impression and also because he is sensible.

Gaston: He fries the aliments in the grill. He is in his forties, slim and with dark skin. He is good friend of his friend but when he is working he stars to scream every body and the panic empower of him.

Kevin: He is who fries the fish, a new guy, he is twenty two years old and is from Ireland. He doesn’t like this work because it’s very stress and the people is always badgered by his partners.

Michael: He is in charge of the eggs. There is nothing particular of this boy of eighteen years old.

Bertha: She is the person charged of the vegetarian food. He is tall, friendly, boor and jew.

Peter: He is who boil the fish, he is the main character. He is a German of twenty three years old that had worked the three years before in the Tivoli. His parents died in the war. His personality is aggressive, noisy, happy and a good personality. He talks the English very good but with accent. One characteristic feature is his laugh, is a strong laugh, in some way his compulsive tone is part of the atmosphere of the kitchen.

Mangolis: He is a young man, insolent but he works hard and also he is faster in the kitchen putting dishes back.

Anne: She is in charge of the deserve and coffees. She is from Ireland, thirty five years old

Max: He is the butcher. He is a fat man of fifty years. He is always smoking like Frank who is always drinking.

Nicholas: He is in charge of the cold buffet. He lived in England during three years and by that he could talk English with a reasonable accent. He talks and works with a superior social capacity of his compatriots. He acts as Frank and Max and he end the day drunk.

Chef: He is a man of fifty nine wears old, tall and with a big moustache. If he could he will work in other place, although he is happy. He rarely talks with his companions but he talks with the second chef Frank, Max, who works near of him, and Nicolas, who is under him.

Paul and Raymond: They are charge of the bakery. Paul is a young Jew. Raymond is from Italy but he talks perfectly the English but with accent. Both have a calm personality. The hurry of the kitchen affects them. They work a lot during the afternoon, but they don’t have any contact with the waiters.

Marango: He is the owner, an old man of seventy five years old. He always had a sad expression in his face. His sad looks deserve compassion.

PLOT:

This play talks about the life of some waiters and cookers that spend their life working in a restaurant, they also share a peace of their life with some companion of their work. As for example when they have bad relation with one of them and when one cheat their couple with a companion of the work. This is the way that happens the days , sometimes with an stress form too.

SPACE:

All the play happens in the restaurant.

TIME:

The time is recently, any year of the XX century.

STILISTIC AND LITERARY RESOURCES:

Language valuation: Colloquial language.

OTHER ASPECTS:

Politico-social circumstances: It is after the war.

Economic aspects: Surely this play had cost many money because reproduce a restaurant is expensive, a lot of different kinds of food, many kitchenware, etc.

Technical aspects: The main problem could be the faster action of the play.

PERSONAL OPINION:

Truly I like the play because there are a lot of action so you can’t be bored, if one is angry with his companion, if other is infidel to her couple with a companion of the restaurant… By other way there are some scenes where there aren’t many action but in spite of this is quite active.