John Osborne backdrop to the play. An experimental piece, "The Entertainer" was interspersed with music hall performances. Most critics praised the development of an exciting writing talent: The words are Billy Rice's, though as with much of Osborne's work they could be said to represent his own sentiments, as with this quote from "Look Back in Anger": Osborne followed "The Entertainer" with "The World of Paul Slickey" (1959) a musical that satirizes the tabloid press, the unusual television documentary play "A Subject of Scandal and Concern" (1960), and the double bill "Plays for England", comprising "The Blood of the Bambergs" and "Under
John Osborne and the two of them saw it together. Miller found the play revelatory, and they went backstage to meet Osborne. Olivier was impressed by the American's reaction, and asked Osborne for a part in his next play. John Heilpern suggests the great actor's about-face was due to a midlife crisis, Olivier seeking a new challenge after decades of success in Shakespeare and other classics, and fearful of losing his pre-eminence to this new kind of theatre. George Devine, artistic director of the Royal Court, sent Olivier the incomplete script of "The Entertainer" (1957, film version released in 1960) and Olivier