The seminal British drama of the 20th century, Look Back in Anger, written by young emerging playwright John Osborne, exploded onto London’s post-war theatrical landscape in the midst of silly comedies and splashy musicals. It took no prisoners and gave no quarter, mercilessly skewering the leftover relics of the Edwardian class system while blazing a trail for every British dramatist who followed. The play was a huge success, and spawned the term “angry young men” to describe Osborne and those of his generation who employed the harshness of realism in the theatre in contrast to the more escapist theatre that characterized the previous generation.

Look Back in Anger to the Old Fitz stage, co-directed by acclaimed award winning director Damien Ryan and actor Lizzie Schebesta, and starring Melissa Bonne (ABC’s Janet King), Robin Goldsworthy (All My Sons), Andrew Henry (Howie The Rookie) and Chantelle Jamieson (Belleville).

Look Back in Anger tells the story of a love triangle involving an intelligent and educated but disaffected young man of working-class origin (Jimmy Porter), his upper-middle-class, impassive wife (Alison), and her haughty best friend (Helena). Cliff, an amiable Welsh lodger, attempts to keep the peace.

“John Osborne didn’t contribute to British theatre: he set off a landmine called Look Back in Anger and blew most of it up. The bits have settled back into place, of course, but it can never be the same again.” – Alan Sillitoe