Overview
Synopsis
Chicken Soup With Barley is the first in a trilogy of kitchen sink dramas by Arnold Wesker, followed by Roots and I'm Talking About Jerusalem. It follows the path of the Kahn family, who live in the heart of London’s jewish, east-end community. The family are staunch communists, but the play explores how they each struggle to maintain their convictions and political energy as the years progress. As the family is torn apart, so is the ideology to which they cling.
In 1936, they are preparing to participate in the blockade of Cable Street against Oswald Mosley's parading Blackshirt fascists. By act two, the family is dealing with the huge losses and disenchantment with worker solidarity following the end of the Second World War. Finally, we see them in 1956 against the backdrop of the Hungarian Revolution. While Sarah, the matriarch of the family, holds her socialist beliefs deep in her heart, her once youthful and passionate son returns from working in Paris like a disillusioned ghost of his former self.
Chicken Soup With Barley is an important piece of 1950s theatre as it does not shy away from the working-class tensions in post-war Britain and is one of the few plays to offer a sympathetic, yet complex portrayal of a communist family.
Show Information
- Book
- Arnold Wesker
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 3
- First Produced
- 1956
- Genres
- Drama
- Settings
- Period, Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- London's East End, 1936-1956
- Cast Size
- medium
- Licensor
- Concord Theatricals
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, Regional Theatre, Professional Theatre, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Adult, Young Adult Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Plot
Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
Non-singer |
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Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
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|
Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
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|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
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|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
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|
Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Non-singer |
Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
A government and economic system in which people do not own individual property.
The name given to plays that depict the daily struggles of ordinary working class people post World War Two.
An economic and political system which believes that the common or public ownership of resources and means of production will result in a more equal society.
Videos
Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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Guide Written By:
Alexandra Appleton
Writer, editor and theatre researcher