Turning Point

Drama

Drama

May 14th 1961 - Reviewing the hottest ticket in town, Observer theatre critic Ken Tynan effused: Future historians may well thank me for providing them with a full account of the moment when English comedy took its first decisive step into the second half of the twentieth century. Like the 'angry young' novels and 'kitchen sink' dramas of a few years earlier, 'Beyond the Fringe' was a cultural and political turning point, introducing new voices and fresh attitudes to a generation hungry for change. 'Beyond the Fringe' not only transformed the style of British comedy, lighting the fuse of the satire boom, it also fired a broadside at The Establishment and sent a blast of fresh air through the fusty corridors of power. Before the Beatles made the 60s swing the Fab Four of comedy, Bennett, Cook, Miller and Moore opened the door to 'the permissive society', auguring the death of deference which still clung to paternalistic, post-colonial Britain.