John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger

‘Look Back in Anger’ is one of the few works of drama that are indisputably central to British culture in general, and its name is one of the most well-known in postwar cultural history. Its premiere in 1956 sparked off the first ‘new wave’ of kitchen-sink drama and the cultural phenomenon of the Angry Young Man. The play’s anti-hero, Jimmy Porter, became the spokesman of a generation.

Osborne’s play is a key milestone in ‘new writing’ for British theatre, and the Royal Court – which produced the play – has since become one of the most important new writing theatres in the UK.This guide provides a comprehensive critical introduction to the play, giving students an overview of the background and context; detailed analysis of the play’s structure, style, characters etc; analysis of key production issues and choices; overview of the performance history from the 1956 Royal Court premiere to recent revivals; and an annotated guide to further reading highlighting key critical approaches.It offers accessible, informative critical introductions to modern plays for students in both TheatrePerformance Studies and English. Offering up-to-date coverage of a broad range of key plays throughout modern drama, the guides include accounts of performance history, production analysis, screen adaptations and summaries of important critical approaches and debates.