07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South Wales Argus
John Osborne's Newport links discovered in theatre research
The Monmouth-based Off Centre Theatre group is set to stage The Entertainer by John Osborne.
During research, the play's director, Martin Newman, discovered that Osborne's family had deep ties to Newport and this newspaper.
Osborne, a key figure in the 1960s 'kitchen sink theatre' movement, made little of these connections in his life.
However, he did recall his grandmother, Queenie, taking great joy in reading the South Wales Argus, especially the births, marriages, and deaths section.
Osborne's Newport roots trace back over 200 years.
His great-great-grandfather, a carpenter named Philip Osborne, settled in Newport during the industrial revolution.
Philip's son, Henry, initially a domestic servant at the King's Arms pub on Commercial Road, eventually became the landlord, turning it into a thriving business.
The family also ran a local jewellery business, but by the 1920s, the business failed, and they moved to London, where John Osborne grew up.
The King's Arms, located at 133 Commercial Road, was demolished in 2015.
The Entertainer will be performed at the Savoy Theatre, Monmouth, for three nights on June 19, 20, and 21.
Tickets are available from the theatre box office.
