Upon first glimpse of the stage at the Laura Pels Theatre, you know immediately that John Osborne's play "Look Back in Anger" is anything but typical.
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The platform juts out no more than eight feet from the wall. The play's four actors must scuttle and shimmy past each other to avoid falling into the audience, and they seem to execute the task almost effortlessly. And Andrew Lieberman's set design is especially fitting. The narrow stage — dirty and cluttered with objects — is a perfect representation of the tight space these characters must navigate, physically and intellectually.
"Anger" is the story of James "Jimmy" Porter, the epitome of a disenchanted youth. He maintains that his world is suffering from a dire lack of enthusiasm. He also insists that his wife and roommate are prime examples of a modern society that lacks firmness of mind.
When John Osborne wrote "Anger" in 1956, England was decidedly entrenched in an era of angry young men. Osborne was one such youth, and the action of the play is mostly autobiographical, which lends the dialogue a sharp and real quality. Unbearably witty at times, "Anger" is so chock-full of clever one-liners and references that it deserves to be read as well as seen.
Despite its shrewdness, Osborne's masterpiece could easily transfer to the stage as an anachronistic mess. With Sam Gold's direction, it seems that the Roundabout Theatre Company has dodged that bullet. The titular anger is brought to life in such fashion that the disillusioned characters feel timeless.
Matthew Rhys delivers his performance as Jimmy with such acidity that even when he calls his wife beautiful, it sounds more like a scathing insult than a compliment. His near-flawless acting is powerful from beginning to end, and his whispering to spouse Alison (Sarah Goldberg) in the final moments of the play commands absolute silence.
The brilliant portrayal of Alison is nearly as embittered as that of her husband's, requiring only a poisonous glance to convey her dissatisfaction. As Rhys sneers at one point, "That girl can twist your arm off with her silence." And the other two roles — Jimmy's oafish roommate Cliff and Alison's meddling friend Helena — are also well cast.
At the crux of this strange play is its ability to portray four people trapped within their own psyches and yet have them interact with such a range of emotion. Looking back on Gold's production, I feel no anger — only a desire to see it a second time.
"Look Back in Anger" opens on Feb. 2 and will run through April 8.
