Look Back in Anger

Old Fire Station Theatre 26th-30th November 2002

The atmosphere is created the moment you take your seat in the theatre. The
actors are already settled in the Porters tiny crowded flat with the papers
as you take your seat with the soundtrack to the 50's drifting across the
theatre. The costumes and set are exactly right, with nothing that feels
out of place. The play itself tells the story of Jimmy Porter, the original
angry young man, and his relationship with his wife, whom he can never quite
forgive for being from the upper classes. The class distinctions were
beautifully played, with the clipped neat accent of Alison Porter and her
friend Helena contrasting perfectly with the more common accents of Jimmy
and his business partner Cliff (who managed a creditable Welsh accent).

The action takes a while to get into its stride, with Jimmy's hectoring
rants initially sounding a little forced. However, as the characters begin
to develop the cast relax into their roles and some excellent performances
emerge, particularly from Laura McNaught as Jimmy's put-upon and distressed
wife. John Walton takes Jimmy Porter, the "angry young man", and shows us
some of the emotions moving beneath the surface taking us from frustration
and dislike of him for his treatment of Alison to an unexpected sympathy
with him by the end of the performance. Although ostensibly a student
production, the experience and skill of the cast, about 1/2 of whom are now
past their student days, gives the play a polish and depth that a complex
text like this requires.

At almost 3 hours including the interval, this is a weighty play (I don't
think anything has been cut from the original text) but it is absorbing all
the way through. You might want to take a cushion with you to make yourself
comfortable but this is well worth settling down for.

Jo Charman