Roots

by Arnold Wesker

It's 1958. Beatie Bryant has been to London and fallen in love with Ronnie, a young socialist. As she anxiously awaits his arrival to meet her family at their Norfolk farm, her head is swimming with new ideas. Ideas of a bolder, freer world which promise to clash with their rural way of life.

Roots is the remarkable centrepiece of Wesker's seminal post-war trilogy. It was first performed in 1959 at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, before transferring to the Royal Court. It is the second play in a trilogy comprising Chicken Soup with Barley and I'm Talking About Jerusalem . It went on to transfer to the Duke of York's Theatre in the West End.

A true classic, Roots is an affecting portrait of a young woman finding her voice at a time of unprecedented social change.

This Modern Classic edition features an introduction by Glenda Leeming.

Genres: Plays, Theatre, British Literature, Drama

88 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1958

About the author

Sir Arnold Wesker is a British dramatist known for his contributions to world drama. He is the author of 50 plays, 4 volumes of short stories, 2 volumes of essays, a book on journalism, a children's book, extensive journalism, poetry and other assorted writings. His plays have been translated into 17 languages and performed worldwide.

Reviews

[Bettie · Rating 2 out of 5]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03yqj3y

Description: The Donmar Warehouse's recent acclaimed production of Arnold Wesker's 1958 "kitchen sink" drama Roots is brought to Radio 3 - starring Jessica Raine (Call the Midwife) as Beatie a young woman finding her voice at a time of unprecedented social change.

It's 1958. Beatie Bryant has been to London and fallen in love with Ronnie, a young socialist. As she anxiously awaits his arrival to meet her family at their Norfolk farm her head is swimming with new ideas. Ideas of a bolder, freer world, which promise to clash with their rural way of life.

When it was first performed in the late 1950s, as part of Arnold Wesker's trilogy of plays, Roots and its writer were heralded as part of a new wave of social realistic drama which put authentic working class voices on stage.

Directed by James Macdonald
Produced by Catherine Baileylder, freer world, which promise to clash with their rural way of life.

Beatie Bryant Jessica Raine
Mrs Bryant Linda Bassett
Stan Mann David Burke
Jenny Beales Lisa Ellis
Mr Bryant Ian Gelder
Mr Healey Nic Jackman
Jimmy Beales Michael Jibson
Frank Bryant Carl Prekopp

[Barry Pierce · Rating 2 out of 5]

In a famed play from the "kitchen sink" period, Wesker attempts to portray the dichotomy of the city and the country through young Beatie Bryant. This play is typical of works which followed in the aftermath of Look Back in Anger. Social realism, long speeches, class divides. I think I'd categorise this under, "must have been more effective in its day".

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

From BBC Radio 3 - Drama on 3:
The Donmar Warehouse's recent acclaimed production of Arnold Wesker's 1958 "kitchen sink" drama Roots is brought to Radio 3 - starring Jessica Raine (Call the Midwife) as Beatie a young woman finding her voice at a time of unprecedented social change.

It's 1958. Beatie Bryant has been to London and fallen in love with Ronnie, a young socialist. As she anxiously awaits his arrival to meet her family at their Norfolk farm her head is swimming with new ideas. Ideas of a boThe Donmar Warehouse's acclaimed production of Arnold Wesker's 1958 "kitchen sink" drama Roots is brought to Radio 3 - starring Jessica Raine (Call the Midwife) as Beatie, a young woman finding her voice at a time of unprecedented social change.

It's 1958. Beatie Bryant has been to London and fallen in love with Ronnie, a young socialist. As she anxiously awaits his arrival to meet her family at their Norfolk farm her head is swimming with new ideas. Ideas of a bolder, freer world, which promise to clash with their rural way of life.

When it was first performed in the late 1950s, as part of Arnold Wesker's trilogy of plays, Roots and its writer were heralded as part of a new wave of social realistic drama which put authentic working class voices on stage.

Original Theatre Sound Designed by Ian Dickinson

Directed by James Macdonald
Produced by Catherine Baileylder, freer world, which promise to clash with their rural way of life.

When it was first performed in the late 1950s, as part of Arnold Wesker's trilogy of plays, Roots and its writer were heralded as part of a new wave of social realistic drama which put authentic working class voices on stage.

Original Theatre Sound Designed by Ian Dickinson.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03yqj3y

[Nick Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t like this play. The second in Arnold Wesker’s trilogy, following on from Chicken Soup with Barley. Maybe it’s more open than I allow, but it seems a very narrow work. It has the same central strength as Chicken Soup with Barley – the sense of detailed naturalism, of people’s lives laid out before us – but its weaknesses seem more obvious...or maybe I was just being more intolerant. Beatie Bryant returns to visit her family in Norfolk. They are poor agricultural workers. The link to Chicken Soup with Barley is that Beatie’s lover is Ronnie Kahn from the earlier work: he is due to join her in a couple of weeks to be introduced to her family. But Beatie has now come back as an outsider: she has taken on many of the values of Ronnie and constantly quotes his opinions on everything – but Beatie is in a mid way place, between her old family life and Ronnie’s life: notably her opinions don’t seem to be her own, always Ronnie’s. But I can’t help feeling that in this opposition of values Ronnie is signified as right, the Norfolk yokels as wrong. Ronnie is political, the Bryants are quietist, loyal to Tory authority; Ronnie listens to classical music, the Bryants to popular music – Ronnie is open to culture in a way that is beyond the Bryants (we hear that Beatie’s off stage sister has committed the ultimate sin...she has a T.V. set); Ronnie appreciates his environment, the Bryants take their rural surroundings for granted. This might well have appealed to the liberal theatre audience at the Royal Court, but most of today’s audience would, for instance, be more sympathetic to popular culture, and might have a greater sympathy for the Bryants. I certainly find the off stage Ronnie to be a self important know it all, lording it over Beatie. But can Roots be played in a more open way than I allow? (Or was Wesker less absolute in his values than I feel?) Beatie’s parents both have their say, both mocking Ronnie – or at least the Ronnie constantly being quoted by Beatie. Mrs Bryant obviously feels as though Beatie is constantly putting her down. So there are tensions to be worked through, our sympathies not necessarily reinforcing the values the play seemingly endorse. But then at the end Beatie finds her own voice and makes a big speech – and while she no longer quotes Ronnie and has found an independent viewpoint, I’m not sure what the difference is. Roots seems to me to be a very narrow work, perhaps now most interesting as a historical artefact illustrating many assumptions held by a certain faction of the left 60 years ago - a certain contempt for industrial, consumerist society and a presumption that it makes the working class quietist and non political.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent script. Not to be confused with Hailey's slavery saga, this Roots deals with a Norfolk family, contending with numerous issues - unemployment, growing up, unions, embarrassing family members, petty squabbles and the often associated stubbornness to forgive and forget. Filled with moral dilemmas and connectable characters, it is no wonder this drama set Wesker on a path to knighthood.

[AJ Foiret · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read it because actress Angela Richards auditioned for drama school with a Beatie speech and feels it’s the one that got her in.

Interesting to see the family dynamics play out. Definitely felt suffocated and isolated for the female characters who had no choice but to accept their lot. Interesting look at themes such as class, urban-rural divide, etc.

Coming from a farming family I felt the details of rural life so acutely - such as being able to tell the time from the bus driving past. Knowing everyone’s business etc!

Ultimately the end of the story explores whether we care enough about ourselves and our surroundings to question it or make things better. Or do we pacify ourselves with TV and the cinema instead? Fascinating to see that theme was being spoken of in the 50s as many will see that as a modern day and life with smartphones thing.

As we don’t demand more or ‘make an effort’ with more intellectual pursuits, we are served slop for entertainment and lap it up. Again it could be argued the point is more relevant today than ever.

Didn’t think it was the feminist piece it was made out to be. Nothing gripping me enough to want to re-read this. By the end I still don’t really care for any of the characters. Except for Beatie none are changed by the events of the play. And I don’t care to wonder what Beatie will do next.

[Jennifer deBie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If we're talking about mid-20th century plays depicting working-class life, Roots is far from a favorite, but certainly not the most tedious thing I've been assigned to teach. Concise in it's three acts, thick in it's accents, and radical for the time in its execution, there's a reason that first year English students study Wesker.

I cannot truly fathom how jarring it would have been to see something like Roots performed at the time of it's creation. Audiences accustomed to upper class accents would have been slapped in the face by the broad dialect Wesker insisted his actors portray. Even written versions of the script maintain this, with a half-page author's note detailing how certain words, letters, and sounds should be pronounced as they appear. It is a fascinating study in the language of a specific time and place, or at least one outsider's impression of it.

[Nafas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this play, such a quick read and easy to follow. I’d love to see this play live since the unique accent or the specific manner of words used in speech, I found it to be very authentic. Overall, this narration of a domestic life and the questions that demands of its audience is truly something to care for.

[Danni · Rating 3 out of 5]

**uni read - britain modern stage**
the dynamics in this play stressed me out, I really didn’t like the way many of the family members behaved towards each other. I also didn’t interpret the ending as the freeing experience it is presented as, rather more that Beatie is still just spouting what Ronnie would also say, so the question remains is she really free?

[pastareadsplays · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some fantastic monologues in this. I don’t know that it totally works, at least for my sensibilities in this day and age, but there was something charming and transportive about an artist saying, “These are my people, this is how we live.” Interesting enough for that reason.

[sahra reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

ending redeemed the play for sure!!

[Egan Reeve · Rating 4 out of 5]

The evolution of Beatie is absolutely iconic
That is all

[Chelsea Lucas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice character-driven story, and pretty timeless. A good read

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Sometimes difficult to grasp but in other places refreshing and vivid for its use of dialect and the rural on stage, Roots is a great play about finding your voice.

[Oliver James · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5! More to come!

"Do you think when the really talented people in the country get to work they get to work for us? Hell if they do! [...] The writers don't write thinkin' we can understand, nor the painters don't paint expecting us to be interested - that they don't, nor don't the composers give out music thinking we can appreciate it. 'Blust,' they say, 'the masses is too stupid for us to come down to them. Blust,' they say, 'if they don't make no effort why should we bother?'"

[Bilal Uzun]

tough play.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, if preachy, socialist play set amongst my family ancestors, the Beales of Norfolk.

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was actually really really good! I didn't expect to like it this much in the end.

Uni reading :))