The Kitchen
English Stage Company
Royal Court Theatre, London, 1961
Role: Peter

This drama by Arnold Wesker was set during rush hour in the kitchen of a high-class London restaurant. At the time, Wesker was one of a group of young playwrights emerging in a socialist and anti-Establishment tradition. This play thus explores working-class conditions through the microcosm of a kitchen in a large restaurant populated by workers from a multitude of nations.

The central story tells of a frustrated love affair between a high-spirited German chef, Peter, who is in love with a married waitress, Monique (played by Sandra Caron).

When the hectic pace of the rush-hour is complete, the kitchen staff relaxes and Wesker uses his characters to speak out against the seemingly useless frenzies involved in everyday living. Peter asks his co-workers about their dreams, and they turn out to be money, women, other jobs.

The drama climaxes in shouts, fights and broken glass as Peter goes berserk because his girlfriend does not love him enough to divorce her husband or bear the child he desperately wants.

Of Jeremy's performance, The Times of London wrote: "Jeremy Brett's tragic Peter is played with an intelligence and sincerity that overrides his hardly consistent search for a German accent."

WEIGHTY ROLE

Jeremy had been preceded in the role by his best friend, Robert Stephens. In a 1967 interview, Jeremy credited his friend with encouraging him to take on this challenging part: "It was Robert Stephens who inspired me to tackle a really different part at the Royal Court, that of the crazy fanatical cook in Arnold Wesker's The Kitchen."

Director John Dexter wasn't sure at first, but consented as long as Jeremy cut his hair short and put on "two stone" (14 pounds). For Jeremy, it was a chance to escape his "pretty-boy" typecasting and traditional period pieces. However, it was very much an ensemble piece, and proved to be not enough of an actor's vehicle for Jeremy.

PETER'S SONG

Another aspect of the play was its use of music, a theme explored in a book titled The Function of Song in Contemporary British Drama, by Elizabeth Hale Winkler. Here's an excerpt, especially as it relates to Jeremy's character, Peter:

The Kitchen introduces tunes in realistic situations and exploits them in traditional functions. The songs serve to underline the portrayal of character and atmosphere. An international selection of melodies exemplifies the manifold origins of the kitchen staff, and the loud rock and roll music blaring from the radio corresponds to the fierce energy and hectic pace of the work. 

In particular, Peter's song, "Hi lee hi lo hi la" characterizes him as merry yet boisterous, good-natured but nervous. This song also captures the atmosphere of the kitchen as a whole: Somehow its maniacal tone is part of the whole atmosphere of the kitchen.

Synopsis of the play