About the work
Luther is a three-act play by John Osborne about Martin Luther, first performed on 26 June 1961 at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham, by the English Stage Company; Albert Finney played the title role.
Plot
In loosely connected scenes introduced by a choral Knight figure, the play follows Luther from his entry into an Augustinian monastery in 1506, through the posting of his theses, to his refusal to recant before the Diet of Worms in 1521, and finally shows the older Luther as a family man looking back on his actions. Osborne is less interested in theology than in Luther's inner struggle between doubt and faith.
Cultural significance
With its Brecht-influenced episodic structure, Luther became Osborne's second major international success after 'Look Back in Anger'; the New York production won the 1964 Tony Award for Best Play.