Look Back in Anger by John Osborne
John Osborne wrote the realist play Look Back in Anger in 1956. It concentrates on the life and marital troubles of Jimmy Porter, an intellectual and educated but disenchanted young man from the working class, and Alison, who is similarly capable but unresponsive. The supporting cast also includes Helena Charles, Alison's snooty acquaintance, and Cliff Lewis, a friendly Welsh lodger who tries to maintain order.
Osborne's first commercially successful play, Look Back in Anger, was inspired by his personal life and his failed marriage to Pamela Lane. In reference to Osborne and his generation, who used the harshness of reality in the theater as opposed to the more escapist theatre that characterized the preceding generation, the play gave origin to the term "angry young men." Look Back in Anger is regarded as one of the earliest examples of kitchen sink drama in theatre because of its brutal realism.
The play garnered positive reviews from the theater community, enjoyed great commercial success, was moved to the West End and Broadway, and even went on tour to Moscow. It is said to have transformed Osborne from a struggling playwright into a rich and well-known figure. It also helped him win the Evening Standard Drama Award for 1956's most promising dramatist. Tony Richardson turned the play into a film with the same name, starring Richard Burton and Mary Ure, and it was released in 1959. A 1958 film's production is credited.
Written by: John Osborne
Created: 1956
