Look back in anger
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| Title: | Look back in anger |
| Original title: | Look back in Anger |
| Genus: | play |
| Original language: | English |
| Author: | John Osborne |
| Publishing year: | 1956 |
| Premiere: | May 8, 1956 |
| Place of premiere: | Royal Court Theater, London |
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Blick zurück im Zorn (original title: Look back in Anger ) is a play by the British playwright John Osborne in three acts , which was premiered on May 8, 1956 in London and is considered to be the core work of the Angry Young Men in literary history.
action
Jimmy Porter is a 25-year-old college graduate who runs a candy stand and lives in a cramped attic apartment with his wife, Alison, who married him against their parents' wishes . There are large class differences between the spouses : while Jimmy comes from the working class, Alison's family is a member of the upper middle class , and her father works for the military. The contrast between the two becomes clear in the character as well: Alison is reserved and apathetic , while Jimmy often has tantrums that can be traced back to the coldness of his own mother, who had left his father. Jimmy's anger is directed primarily at representatives of the middle class, to which Alison also belongs.
In Act 1 , Jimmy and Cliff, who lives with the Porters, read the Sunday paper while Alison does the ironing. As the act progresses, Jimmy becomes increasingly abusive towards her and downright humiliates her towards Cliff. The whole situation becomes more and more uncontrollable until the mischief Jimmy is up to ends with the iron burning Alison's arm. Jimmy storms off the stage and plays the trumpet in secret. In a more intimate moment, Alison explains to Cliff that she is unintentionally pregnant and doesn't know how to tell Jimmy. In any case, Cliff encourages them to do so soon. When Jimmy comes back on stage, Alison says her friend Helena will be over. From Jimmy's angry reaction, one can infer that he despises her.
Act 2 starts again on a Sunday. Helena and Alison are sitting together in the kitchen and Alison explains why she chose Jimmy: his rebellious nature made him seem like a "knight" to her. Jimmy enters the stage and scolds the two women, especially Helena. When the two want to leave, he thinks he has been betrayed. He is distracted by an important phone call, so Helena takes the opportunity to tell her friend that she called her parents so that they can "save" her. After a break in the scene, Alison can be seen with her father, who is a personable character and who takes her home again. Helena reappears and gives Cliff a note for Jimmy, but Jimmy refuses to hand it over. Then Jimmy storms in and threatens her to get out of his way. She, in turn, tells him that Alison is pregnant, which surprises him but doesn't prevent him from getting upset. But finally the two begin to kiss passionately and let themselves fall on the bed.
Act 3 , which starts months later, is similar to Act 1, except that Helena is at the ironing board and is treated much more benevolently by Jimmy than Alison once did. The two and Cliff go to a vaudeville show and he tells them he's going to move out. The three of them want to spend one last night with friends, and when Jimmy opens the door to the apartment, a battered-looking Alison is standing there. But he is not interested in her and leaves. There is another break, after which Alison Helena describes that she had lost the baby - this was what Jimmy had wished her in the first act. The two make up, but Helena realizes that she was immoral and decides to leave. She explains the situation to Jimmy and he sarcastically says goodbye to her.
The play ends surprisingly: Jimmy and Alison, who has matured through the loss of a child, make up again.
Performances
- Kenneth Haigh played Jimmy , Mary Ure Alison , Alan Bates Cliff , Helena Hughes Helena and John Welsh Colonel Redfern at the premiere in 1956 at the Royal Court Theater in London . Allegedly you could hear the audience gasping for air when they saw the ironing board on stage.
- A year later the play moved to Broadway , where it was directed by Tony Richardson . Vivienne Drummond replaced Helena Hughes, and the play has subsequently received three Tony Awards nominations. Haigh's portrayal of Jimmy moved a young audience member to climb the stage and slap him.
- The play made its debut in Germany on October 7, 1957 in the Schlossparktheater in Berlin .
- Werner Johst played Jimmy , Anneliese Doll Alison , Tom Witkowski Cliff , Gerda Kramer Helena and Fred Raben Colonel Redfern at the founding premiere of the Zimmertheater Tübingen on December 6, 1958 .
reception
The piece was received differently. On the one hand, it was reviled because the character Jimmy Porter was accused of being self-pitying and lengthy. Cecil Wilson of the Daily Mail criticized, among other things, that Mary Ure's beauty had been wasted and that the actress had to constantly iron on stage. Alan Sillitoe , author of The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner , who, like Osborne , was counted among the Angry Young Men , said Osborne “... didn't contribute to British theater, he set off a landmine and blew up most of it. "
"I was angry because it [the piece] wasted my time."
On the other hand, the piece also earned praise for its view of the youth of the time.
“I admit that looking back in anger will probably remain a piece for the taste of the minority. I doubt if I could like someone who doesn't want to look back in anger . It's the best youth piece of the decade. "
"It's impressive, angry, feverishly undisciplined and above all young ..."
inspiration
Looking Back in Anger was heavily influenced by Osborne's own biography. In his marriage to Pamela Lane, he himself lived in a cramped apartment in Derby and his wife did not take his ambitions to write for the theater seriously. Madeline, Jimmy's lost love, is based on Stella Linden, a stage actress who was the first to encourage him to write.
influence
After the premiere, John Osborne became the first writer to be referred to as the " angry young man ". After the success of the play, this journalistic catchphrase was associated with writers whose political views were radical or even anarchist and whose works were characterized by social criticism and dealt with issues such as social alienation.
Furthermore, after the premiere, Osborne entered into a relationship with the Alison actress Mary Ure and left his wife for her (1957).
filming
In 1959 a film version of the play was released. Mary Ure took up her role again, Jimmy Porter was played by Richard Burton .