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Beyond the Fringe
Beyond the Fringe (Screen and Cinema)
Hardcover
First published August 1, 1963
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100 people want to read
About the author
Alan Bennett
275 books1,121 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Alan Bennett is an English author and Tony Award-winning playwright. Bennett's first stage play, Forty Years On, was produced in 1968. Many television, stage and radio plays followed, along with screenplays, short stories, novellas, a large body of non-fictional prose and broadcasting, and many appearances as an actor. Bennett's lugubrious yet expressive voice (which still bears a slight Leeds accent) and the sharp humour and evident humanity of his writing have made his readings of his own work (especially his autobiographical writing) very popular. His readings of the Winnie the Pooh stories are also widely enjoyed.
Alan Bennett is an English author and Tony Award-winning playwright. Bennett's first stage play, Forty Years On, was produced in 1968. Many television, stage and radio plays followed, along with screenplays, short stories, novellas, a large body of non-fictional prose and broadcasting, and many appearances as an actor. Bennett's lugubrious yet expressive voice (which still bears a slight Leeds accent) and the sharp humour and evident humanity of his writing have made his readings of his own work (especially his autobiographical writing) very popular. His readings of the Winnie the Pooh stories are also widely enjoyed.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 18, 2021
My Mom had a hard time getting pregnant.
The doctor suggest my Dad take her on a vacation.
They went to NYC for the first time.
My Dad, a good ole boy from TN, asked a man at the hotel what was the funniest play in New York.
The man suggested Beyond the Fringe.
My parents laughed their butts off.
I was born exactly 9 months later.
The doctor suggest my Dad take her on a vacation.
They went to NYC for the first time.
My Dad, a good ole boy from TN, asked a man at the hotel what was the funniest play in New York.
The man suggested Beyond the Fringe.
My parents laughed their butts off.
I was born exactly 9 months later.
April 16, 2021
Anyone who is familiar with the British comedians who emerged from the revue groups at Oxford and Cambridge from the late 1950s onwards has heard of 'Beyond the Fringe'. It was a landmark in the theatrical and comedic culture at the time; each of the four contributing writing performers (Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Jonathan Miller and Alan Bennett) went on to create significant works of comedy and other cultural material. It seems only right that a definitive collection of the material they produced for 'Beyond the Fringe' is available in book form.
The problem is that, roughly sixty years after the show was written and performed, the material presented in this book reads flatly at times. The (then) contemporary references and the absence of the frisson of the performance script means that the book doesn't do justice to the writers nor to the show itself. One can't feel the edge of the so-called satire in sketches like 'Aftermyth of War', and of course no one can hear the musical numbers by Moore that are faithfully reproduced with appropriate notations.
Script books of comedies run the huge risk of killing off any humour if the voice of the author and/or performer isn't there for the reader to engage with. 'The Complete Beyond the Fringe' is guilty of this charge at times, particularly when it comes to those items written and performed by Moore, Miller and Bennett. Peter Cook's sketches are the exception to this charge, no doubt because he wrote his comedy with a genius for utilising and manipulating words. The others are less easy to enjoy on the written page. For example, Bennett is an amazing playwright who works with a specific type of character and his dialogue needs the actor's voice to bring it alive. Those same words that will evoke a response from a theatre audience are rather lifeless and mundane when read to oneself.
The reader who comes at 'The Complete Beyond the Fringe' will also be a little befuddled by the references to specific celebrities, politicians and events (e.g. Harold Macmillan, Jomo Kenyatta), however once one gets past these issues it is easy to see why so many critics and audience members saw 'Beyond the Fringe' as satirical comedy. There is a whiff of youthful anger and disdain in many of the sketches, and whilst we live in an environment that sees such lampooning of serious issues as commonplace, it doesn't take too much effort to understand what was so invigorating for those who saw the sketches compiled in this book. To help the reader there are some very useful comments added by Cook, Bennett and Moore about the show, plus Roger Wilmut writes a solid history of the show.
So, who should read this and why? Anyone with an academic or even practical interest in comedy should look at this book and hopefully then find the appropriate information and/or humour they are looking for. Those (like me) who are fascinated by the writers/performers of 'Beyond the Fringe' and what came afterwards (e.g. Monty Python, Not the Nine O'Clock News, A Bit of Fry and Laurie, etc) will also enjoy this book. Those intrigued by 60s Britain and its social and cultural history should also read this book. Beyond that fringe audience however 'The Complete Beyond the Fringe' probably has minimal interest to the general reader.
The problem is that, roughly sixty years after the show was written and performed, the material presented in this book reads flatly at times. The (then) contemporary references and the absence of the frisson of the performance script means that the book doesn't do justice to the writers nor to the show itself. One can't feel the edge of the so-called satire in sketches like 'Aftermyth of War', and of course no one can hear the musical numbers by Moore that are faithfully reproduced with appropriate notations.
Script books of comedies run the huge risk of killing off any humour if the voice of the author and/or performer isn't there for the reader to engage with. 'The Complete Beyond the Fringe' is guilty of this charge at times, particularly when it comes to those items written and performed by Moore, Miller and Bennett. Peter Cook's sketches are the exception to this charge, no doubt because he wrote his comedy with a genius for utilising and manipulating words. The others are less easy to enjoy on the written page. For example, Bennett is an amazing playwright who works with a specific type of character and his dialogue needs the actor's voice to bring it alive. Those same words that will evoke a response from a theatre audience are rather lifeless and mundane when read to oneself.
The reader who comes at 'The Complete Beyond the Fringe' will also be a little befuddled by the references to specific celebrities, politicians and events (e.g. Harold Macmillan, Jomo Kenyatta), however once one gets past these issues it is easy to see why so many critics and audience members saw 'Beyond the Fringe' as satirical comedy. There is a whiff of youthful anger and disdain in many of the sketches, and whilst we live in an environment that sees such lampooning of serious issues as commonplace, it doesn't take too much effort to understand what was so invigorating for those who saw the sketches compiled in this book. To help the reader there are some very useful comments added by Cook, Bennett and Moore about the show, plus Roger Wilmut writes a solid history of the show.
So, who should read this and why? Anyone with an academic or even practical interest in comedy should look at this book and hopefully then find the appropriate information and/or humour they are looking for. Those (like me) who are fascinated by the writers/performers of 'Beyond the Fringe' and what came afterwards (e.g. Monty Python, Not the Nine O'Clock News, A Bit of Fry and Laurie, etc) will also enjoy this book. Those intrigued by 60s Britain and its social and cultural history should also read this book. Beyond that fringe audience however 'The Complete Beyond the Fringe' probably has minimal interest to the general reader.
January 21, 2023
I think that it was me, actually, that once stated "My genius is a ten-fold entity." And then you'll note that the actual genius of my genius was to allow the lucky listener to have to interpret the wonderment and actual practical aspects of my metaphorical 'ten-folded entity.'
And I'm humble as well, because, though my genius, the listener is also able to freely interpret any and all metaphorical entity (ten-folded) design flaws if so desired.
Or, as Pierre Hadot ** once said, "Why be confident when so many of the unwashed dimwitted whores can be completely fooled, and perhaps awestruck, by those that are simply cocky?"
** I think that it was Pierre Hadot. *** I am beyond reproach, so I never look things up or check my facts.
*** Further reading:
1. J. Scheid, "Pierre Hadot (1922–2010), chaire de pensée hellénistique et romaine, 1982–1991", La lettre du Collège de France no. 30 December 2010, 43–45
2. G. Catapano, "Pierre Hadot (1922-2010)", Adamantius XVII (2011), 348–352
3. M. Chase, S.R.L. Clark, M. McGhee, eds., (2013). Philosophy as a way of life: ancients and moderns. Essays in honor of Pierre Hadot Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978-1-4051-6161-9.
And I'm humble as well, because, though my genius, the listener is also able to freely interpret any and all metaphorical entity (ten-folded) design flaws if so desired.
Or, as Pierre Hadot ** once said, "Why be confident when so many of the unwashed dimwitted whores can be completely fooled, and perhaps awestruck, by those that are simply cocky?"
** I think that it was Pierre Hadot. *** I am beyond reproach, so I never look things up or check my facts.
*** Further reading:
1. J. Scheid, "Pierre Hadot (1922–2010), chaire de pensée hellénistique et romaine, 1982–1991", La lettre du Collège de France no. 30 December 2010, 43–45
2. G. Catapano, "Pierre Hadot (1922-2010)", Adamantius XVII (2011), 348–352
3. M. Chase, S.R.L. Clark, M. McGhee, eds., (2013). Philosophy as a way of life: ancients and moderns. Essays in honor of Pierre Hadot Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978-1-4051-6161-9.
January 11, 2023
This book consists of the script to the original Beyond the Fringe show that Bennett and his compatriots performed back at the start of the early sixties. One of the cool things about it is that they compared it to the various scripts that are out there, gramophone recordings and even the version of the script that was submitted to the Lord Chamberlain’s Office for a censorship check.
It was super funny and I can only imagine the impact that it must have had when it was first performed. I think it shows exactly why Bennett and his co-stars are so well-known and well-respected. They really hit the ground running here.
Somehow, it feels appropriate that this is one of the last Bennett books that I read.
It was super funny and I can only imagine the impact that it must have had when it was first performed. I think it shows exactly why Bennett and his co-stars are so well-known and well-respected. They really hit the ground running here.
Somehow, it feels appropriate that this is one of the last Bennett books that I read.
August 26, 2025
Just awful; has not aged well at all. I chuckled at exactly three jokes. There may have been more but this is 2025 and if so, they are gone now. Sorry, Mr. Bennett...
December 17, 2016
Some of it has dated poorly or wasn't terribly funny to begin with. Some of it, however, is riotous, and remains so. And of course Monty Python would be unimaginable without this material, but better folks than I have traced the lineage of that laughline. Best read out loud with three other like-minded friends. For maximum results, get someone who can play piano and have them fill in for Dudley Moore.
January 10, 2016
Some great pieces in here that don't feature on either The Complete Beyond The Fringe audio or the footage of the Broadway recordings. Cook's postscript is almost as funny as some of the material.
Want to read
June 14, 2009Recommended by Brooks.
July 9, 2011
This is the text of the play performed in the 1960's. Its really a set of short stories - and as with most sets of short stories - some were good and some boring.
May 2, 2021
Finally the printed version. Love the audio files! Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Jonathan Miller, and Dudley Moore.
August 21, 2016
Interesting glimpse of British revue theater from a few decades ago. A mix between absurd theater and Monty Python.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews