Shakespeare Reference in The Entertainer

John Osborne’s play The Entertainer contains one Shakespeare reference. Billy Rice says: “Grubby lot of rogues. I was a guest at the Ambassadors, you know. Gave me a box of Romeo and Juliet cigars” (p. 43). Romeo And Juliet Cigars are a real item. They’re actually called Romeo Y Julieta, and have been around since 1875.

The Entertainer was first published in 1957 by Faber and Faber Limited. The first production was directed by Tony Richardson and starred Laurence Olivier as Archie Rice.