''The National Health'' is a 1969 British play by Peter Nichols. Reminiscent of the '' Carry On'' film series, this

black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...

with tragic overtones focuses on the appalling conditions in an under-funded

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

hospital, which are contrasted comically with a '' Dr. Kildare''-style

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

airing on the ward television.

History

Originally titled ''The End Beds'', the play – based on Nichols' time in hospitals where he received treatment for a collapsed lung – originally was written for television, but the playwright received no enthusiastic response from anyone to whom he submitted it. When Kenneth Tynan and

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage o ...

approached him to write a play for the National Theatre, Nichols offered them the slightly revised work, retitled ''The National Health''. It premiered at

The Old Vic The Old Vic is a 1,000-seat, not-for-profit producing theatre in Waterloo, London, England. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, and renamed in 1833 the Royal Victoria Theatre. In 1871 it was rebuilt and reopened as the Royal Vi ...

in 1969 and proved to be a critical and commercial success, named Best New Play by the ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

''. The BBC then asked Nichols if he would adapt the play for a television production. In 1973, Nichols adapted his play for a film version directed by Jack Gold. It starred

Jim Dale Jim Dale (born James Smith; 15 August 1935) is an English actor, composer, director, narrator, singer and songwriter. In the United Kingdom he is known as a pop singer of the 1950s who became a leading actor at the National Theatre. In Britis ...

Bob Hoskins Robert William Hoskins (26 October 1942 – 29 April 2014) was an English actor. His work included lead roles in films and television series such as '' Pennies from Heaven'' (1978), ''The Long Good Friday'' (1980), ''Mona Lisa'' (1986), '' Who ...

, Lynn Redgrave,

Donald Sinden Sir Donald Alfred Sinden (9 October 1923 – 12 September 2014) was a British actor. Sinden featured in the film '' Mogambo'' (1953), and achieved early fame as a Rank Organisation film star in the 1950s in films including '' The Cruel Sea ( ...

, Clive Swift, Mervyn Johns, Eleanor Bron, Gillian Barge and Colin Blakely. It won the ''Evening Standard'' British Film Award for Best Comedy. After 23 previews, the Broadway production, produced by Theodore Mann and directed by Arvin Brown, opened on 10 October 1974 at the Circle in the Square Theatre, where it ran for only 53 performances; its subject matter perplexed sophisticated theater-goers. The cast included Leonard Frey, Olivia Cole, and Rita Moreno.

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

nominations went to the play, Brown, and Frey; the play also received a

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

nomination as Outstanding New Foreign Play.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:National Health, The 1969 plays Broadway plays British plays adapted into films Black comedy plays