Kitchen Sink Realism

Kitchen Sink Realism definition

Kitchen Sink Realism is part of the broader social realism genre, reflecting a shift away from theatre and literature which intended to act as an escape from reality.

Kitchen Sink Realism refers to a section of post-modernist theatre, literature, and art that evolved during the late 1950s and early 1960s. This literary genre intended to present the realities of everyday life in a brutally honest way. Works associated with this genre commonly focused on the lives of the working class, and explored taboo topics such as abortion, poverty, and sexuality.

Unlike the 'well-made plays' of the 19th century, Kitchen Sink dramas focused on portraying real-life situations and challenges in a simplistic and honest way. This stood in stark contrast to the standardised structures and plots which characterised 'well-made plays'.

Kitchen Sink Realism origin

In 1954 art critic David Sylvester used the term 'Kitchen Sink School' to describe the Beaux Arts Quartet, a group of painters from the social realism genre who presented scenes of domestic life in their artwork.

As a literary genre, Kitchen Sink Realism emerged in opposition to stereotypical portrayals of the working class, and the dominance of traditional 'well-made plays' in the theatre world. Such plays were either completely removed from the everyday realities of the post-war world, or depicted the working class as a source of comedic relief.

John Osborne's 1956 play Look Back in Anger is considered to be the first instance of the Kitchen Sink Realism genre on stage. This production, alongside Shelagh Delaney's 1958 play, and 1961 film, A Taste of Honey, are the two most prominent and famous pieces associated with Kitchen Sink Realism that played a significant role in forming this literary genre.

Playwrights associated with the origin of Kitchen Sink Realism, have been placed under the term of The 'angry young men', a group of British writers in the 1950s who expressed their feelings of disillusionment toward British society in their works.

Today, Kitchen Sink dramas are most notably present in soap operas such as EastEnders (1985-), Coronation Street (1960-), and Hollyoaks (1995-).

Kitchen Sink Realism examples

Kitchen Sink Realism refers to art, literature, film, and theatre which portrayed the daily lives of the working class in an honest manner.

Kitchen Sink Realism books

Literature that contributed to the Kitchen Sink genre gained notable popularity in the 1960s, resulting in film adaptations of popular works such as Arthur La Bern's It Always Rains on Sunday (1945), released as a film in 1947, and John Braine's Room at the Top (1957), released as a film in 1959.

It Always Rains on Sunday (1945), Arthur La Bern

It Always Rains on Sunday follows the events of a rainy Sunday in 1939, in the East End of London. La Bern presents the lives of the Sandigate family, alongside other residents of Coronet Grove, just before the outbreak of World War Two.

The novel focuses on Rose Sandigate, who is now married with a family, but used to be involved with criminal Tommy Swann. It Always Rains on Sunday allows the reader to gain a glimpse into the lives of those who reside in Coronet Grove. From the local pub to the local church, La Bern portrays a range of characters, exploring their identities and lives.

Room at the Top (1957), John Braine

Room at the Top follows the story of Joe Lampton, a young man with ambitions for a better life in post-war Britain. Braine presents the struggles faced by the younger generation in the post-war era in a clear manner.

Despite his socio-economic disadvantages, Lampton works to obtain his dream future, in which he has a wealthy lifestyle. The title of the novel itself acts as an extended metaphor for Lampton's ambitions; in the novel he rents a room with a middle class couple living in 'T'top', the wealthier area of town. Lampton moves into this 'Room at the' 'T'top' as he works toward moving up in society.

In 1962 Braine published Life at the Top, a sequel to Room at the Top, in which Joe Lampton's dissatisfaction with his 'life at the top' leads to further trouble. Lampton's characterisation as a working class figure who makes their way up through the social classes provides an insight into the lives and issues of both working class and middle class Britons.

Kitchen Sink Realism plays

Alongside being a genre of novel, Kitchen Sink Realism also had a notable impact on the theatre world. Productions categorised as Kitchen Sink Realism broke free of the traditional stories that theatre explored - the lives of the upper class, or the lives of unrelatable fantasy or historical characters.

Many Kitchen Sink Realism plays also received film adaptations, with Look back in Anger (1956) and a Taste of Honey (1958) being released in cinemas in 1959, and 1961 consecutively.

Look Back in Anger (1956), John Osborne

To many, Look Back in Anger paved the way for Kitchen Sink Realism as a theatrical genre.¹ The play follows the character of Jimmy Porter, who was born into a working class family but married an upper middle class woman, Alison. Throughout the play, Jimmy struggles with the class divide between him and Alison's family, which contributes to Jimmy's steadily growing resentment toward Alison. As the play progresses, Jimmy becomes an increasingly aggressive and debaucherous character, physically intimidating Alison and having sexual relations with her friend Helena. The cruelty Jimmy displays toward Alison is embodied by his line in Act One in which he states;

Considering that Jimmy and Alison are husband and wife, at a time in which the nuclear family was a prevalent social norm, the venomous statement that Jimmy would want to watch Alison suffer as she loses a child comes across as both unsettling and subversive of social expectations. Additionally, later in the play, Alison does lose her child after having a miscarriage, adding a sense of dramatic irony to this moment.

Although the play concludes with Jimmy and Alison's relationship being restored, it does so with their marital issues still being unresolved, producing a critical, yet honest, narrative on real-world relationships.

A Taste of Honey (1958), Shelagh Delaney

A Taste of Honey follows the story of seventeen-year-old Jo and her mother Helen. After Jo becomes pregnant as a result of her relations with Jimmie, she leaves home and moves in with her friend Geoffrey. Throughout the play, Jo struggles with her relationship with herself and her mother who appears to always abandon her when needed.

Class is a dominant theme in A Taste of Honey. For instance, at the play's opening as they unpack their possessions in a new flat, Jo complains about the conditions they live in, to which Helen responds;

Jo and Helen's financial struggles are evident from the play's opening. The prioritisation of the rent over Jo's 'feelings' indicate how the financial hardships faced by these characters have fed into Helen's resentful and harsh personality. Whenever faced with a choice, Helen places herself and her success first, a trait that the audience would not traditionally expect from a mother character.

Kitchen Sink drama characteristics

• Working-class characters, settings, and subject matter.
• Commonly set in the industrial North of England.
• The use of Northern accents and colloquialisms to capture the setting.
• Focused on portraying relevant socio-political issues and subjects.
• Tackling of taboo issues such as classism and sexuality.

Kitchen Sink Realism today

Although Kitchen Sink Realism emerged and reached its peak in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the genre is still present in literature and theatre today.

In May 2022, The House of Shades by Beth Steel had its world premiere at the Almeida Theatre in Islington, London. This production followed four generations of a working-class family, from the 1950s to the 1990s, with the play's entire plot being set within the constraints of the family's home and hometown. Significant, and controversial, socio-political issues were covered by the play including; poverty, classism, and abortion.

The House of Shades received an Edgerton Foundation New Play Award and had fairly strong reviews across the board. Despite being written and performed over fifty years since Kitchen Sink Realism first emerged and gained popularity, The House of Shades is an interesting example of how this genre is still present in literature and art today!