John Osborne's Look Back in Anger

by Aleks Sierz

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780826492012
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	05/10/2008
Series:	Modern Theatre Guides
Pages:	136
Product dimensions:	5.06(w) x 7.81(h) x 0.29(d)

About the Author

Aleks Sierz is Visiting Research Fellow at Rose Bruford College, and author of In-Yer-Face Theatre: British Drama Today (Faber, 2001) and The Theatre of Martin Crimp (Methuen Drama, 2006). He also works as a journalist, broadcaster, lecturer and theatre critic.

Table of Contents

Series Preface1. Background and Context2. Analysis and Commentary 3. Production history4. Workshopping the Play 5. ConclusionTimeline 1945-60Further ReadingReferencesIndex

Editorial Reviews

'An indispensable and comprehensive survey of this iconic play's history.'

Dominic Cooke, Artistic Director, Royal Court Theatre

Briefly reviewed in the Year's work in English Studies journal, vol 89, No. 1 'Sierz not only brings us up to date with current critical debates and controversies about the play ... but also discusses notable recent productions of the play and includes useful extracts from new interviews with actors such as David Tennant, Michael Sheen and Emma Fielding'

From the Publisher