Look Back in Anger (Edinburgh & Bath)

This Royal Lyceum revival, co-produced with Theatre Royal Bath, of the John Osborne play that changed the face of British theatre could never have the impact of the 1956 premiere. But, under the direction of Richard Baron, it certainly has fire in its belly and a willingness to speak out loudly to the current generation of angry young people.

David Tennant and Kelly Reilly star as Jimmy and Alison Porter, the young couple in whose bedsit the whole play is set. The time is 1956, the place is the English Midlands and the day, invariably, is a Sunday. A long, weary afternoon during which the Porters and their friend and neighbour across the landing, Cliff (Steve McNicoll), read the papers, drink tea and argue.

Jimmy is the original angry young man. As the first act develops, you realise his marriage is not for love, but as part of a battle in the class war. In Alison, he has taken as prisoner a member of the hated middle classes. And he still hates her for it. Just as he hates everything that stands for the indolent quagmire which post-war Britain has become.

This central trio are brought to such startling life that the production would be worth seeing just for the performances. Tennant is clearly enjoying himself as he lopes around the stage like a caged beast, but he never over-eggs it. Indeed, Reilly and McNicoll absorb most of the audience’s attention along with his ire in the first act.

If Alison seems a punch-bag of a character, Reilly succeeds in making her arc within the plot its driving force. She creates a delicate balance between victim and strong-willed fighter, which stops Jimmy from appearing to be nothing more than a bully. McNicoll’s natural clowning is also key, bringing out the play’s comedy and tempering Jimmy’s worst excesses.

The arrival of Alexandra Moen as Alison’s best friend, Helena, provokes even more anger in Jimmy. Moen is deliciously catty and vicious, upping the ante as she persuades a pregnant Alison to go home to mum – and then finds an excuse to stay on, alone, with sexy bit of rough, Jimmy.

With a set by Trevor Coe that’s deceptively spacious but feels claustrophobic, and precisely judged costumes by Monika Nisbet, Baron’s production also great to look at. But in the end, it’s what Looks Back in Anger still has to say which turns a potential period piece into a great night out.

– Thom Dibdin (reviewed at Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh)