 John Osborne 's play The Entertainer ( 1957 ) portrays the life and work of a failing third @-@ rate music hall stage performer who tries to keep his career going even as his personal life falls apart . The story is set at the time of the Suez Crisis in 1956 , against the backdrop of the dying music hall tradition , and has been seen as symbolic of Britain 's general post @-@ war decline , its loss of its Empire , its power , and its cultural confidence and identity . It was made into a film in 1960 starring Laurence Olivier in the title role of Archie Rice . 
