MAYER WAKEFIELD is entertained but let down by an audacious production that, sadly, doesn't ring true
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Still angry
MARY CONWAY relishes the revival of two classics for the naked expression of truthful thoughts and class anger
GAME CHANGER: Billy Howle (Jimmy) and Ellora Torchia (Alison) in Look Back In Anger
[Marc Brenner]
MARY CONWAY is disappointed by drama that, despite accomplished performances, cannot overcome an unfocused script
New releases from Sam Carter, Spell Songs and Les Thomas
KEN COCKBURN traces the one original language – that of the Yamnaya pastoral nomads – from which all European and Indian languages derive
PAUL DONOVAN is fascinated by the debunking of the iconic British war hero
ALEX HALL recommends a searing panorama of our global predicament
Roots / Look Back in Anger
The Almeida, London
THE era of the angry young man. The 1950s.
All seems so long ago. But if you’re wondering why to revisit them now, the Almeida will tell you, as they bring us two towering classics tuned to the modern age.
Performed in rep at the Almeida until November 23, Arnold Wesker’s Roots (★★★★) and John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger (★★★★), in symbiosis together, hold an unassailable position in the history of British theatre.
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MARY CONWAY becomes impatient with the intellectual self-indulgence of Tom Stoppard in a production that is, nevertheless, total class
Although this production was in rehearsal before the playwright’s death, it allows us to pay homage to his life, suggests MARY CONWAY