Laurence Olivier's signed gloves
Theatre Collection
Laurence Olivier wore these white gloves in his famous performance in The Entertainer. The play, commissioned by Olivier from John Osborne, was first performed at the Royal Court Theatre, London in 1957. It is set in a bleak, post-war England, where the character Archie Rice, played by Olivier, is a struggling music hall comic. The play was extremely successful and Olivier’s performance critically acclaimed. The gloves, bearing Olivier’s signature, were recently loaned to the British Library for the 2008 exhibition The Golden Generation: British Theatre 1945-1968.
- Item reference: TCO/C/000001
- Photographer: Dave Newbury
- Copyright: University of Bristol
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