Epitaph for George Dillon is an early John Osborne play, one of two he wrote in collaboration with Anthony Creighton (the other is Personal Enemy). It was written before Look Back in Anger, the play which made Osborne's career, but opened a year after at Oxford Experimental Theatre in 1957, and was then produced at London's Royal Court theatre, where Look Back in Anger had debuted. It transferred to New York City shortly afterwards and garnered three Tony Award nominations.
Themes The play tells the story of Kate Elliot's unhappy suburban South London family and the domestic havoc wrought when she decides to adopt George Dillon as a surrogate son.
It tackles typical Osborne themes, including religion (and Osborne's hatred thereof), vegetarianism, the casual deception of everyday life and scorn of the theatre. In common with Jimmy Porter in Look Back in Anger, George Dillon is an intelligent man unable to find his place in the world.
London It opened professionally at the Royal Court Theatre on 11 February 1958, in a production by William Gaskill, with the following cast (in order of appearance): Wendy Craig ... Josie Elliot Yvonne Mitchell ... Ruth Gray Alison Leggatt ... Mrs. Elliot Avril Elgar ... Norah Elliot Toke Townley ... Percy Elliot Robert Stephens ... George Dillon Philip Locke ... Geoffrey Colwyn-Stuart Paul Bailey ... Mr Webb Nigel Davenport ... Barney Evans
Critical reception In The Observer, Kenneth Tynan called it "Powerful, honest and transfixing"; while in The Sunday Times, Harold Hobson wrote that the play "absorbs and fascinates because it is that rarest of theatrical phenomena, a realistic modern drama which is not bourgeois in its underlying assumptions. It is like a familiar building caught at an angle which suddenly makes it look like something never seen before."
Broadway It made its debut on Broadway on 4 November 1958 starring Wendy Craig but was a failure and closed on 22 November 1958 after just 23 performances. Another version by new management and separately-financed opened during the same season on 12 January 1959, again starring Craig but was also a commercial failure playing for 48 performances, and closing on 21 February 1959. The first version received three Tony Award nominations - Best play; best direction (William Gaskill) and best actor (Robert Stephens). Original Broadway cast Wendy Craig ... Josie Elliot Felix Deebank ... Barney Evans Avril Elgar ... Norah Elliot Frank Finlay ... Percy Elliot Eileen Herlie ... Ruth Gray Alison Leggatt ... Mrs. Elliot Robert Stephens ... George Dillon James Valentine... Geoffrey Colwyn-Stuart David Vaughan ... Mr Webb
2005 London revival A successful West End revival of the play ran at the Comedy Theatre from 27 September 2005 until 14 January 2006, directed by Peter Gill and starring Joseph Fiennes, Francesca Annis and Anne Reid.
It also featured Geoffrey Hutchings, Zoe Tapper, Dorothy Atkinson, Stephen Greif, Hugh Simon and Alex Dunbar.
Adaptations In 1969, BBC Radio broadcast a production starring John Hurt in the title role; and in 1994, another version starring Michael Maloney.
Awards and nominations Original Broadway production Year Award Category Nominee Result 1959 Tony Award Best Play Best Actor in a Play Robert Stephens Best Director William Gaskill
2005 West End revival Year Award Category Nominee Result 2006 Laurence Olivier Award Best Performance in a Supporting Role Anne Reid
Online Reviews Guardian The Stage CurtainUp The British Theatre Guide Variety Anni Bruno
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