Patrick Knowles is to play the central role of Jimmy Porter in Derby Theatre and Octagon Theatre Bolton’s revival of John Osborne’s seminal play Look Back in Anger.
The two theatres are getting together to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the ground-breaking classic which will be directed by Derby Theatre’s artistic director Sarah Brigham.
Patrick Knowles appeared as Mitch in Tennessee Williams’s A Streetcar Named Desire at Leicester’s Curve in October 2015 and played Arthur in Amanda Whittington’s adaptation of Alan Sillitoe’s Saturday Night and Sunday Morning at the Mercury Theatre Colchester in May 2014.
Augustina Seymour will play Alison. Her credits include Arthur Miller’s Playing for Time at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield in March 2015.
Daisy Badger, who plays Pip Archer in the BBC Radio 4 series The Archers and regular Claire Hillman in the ITV series Home Fires, will play Helena.
Jimmy Fairhurst will play Cliff. He played Phil in Derby Theatre’s production of Brassed Off in September 2015 and Jud in the theatre’s production of Kes by Barry Hines in 2013.
Look Back in Anger changed the face of British theatre in the mid-1950s by placing on stage the voice of the “angry young man”. The play is reportedly based on Osborne's unhappy marriage to actress Pamela Lane and their life living in a cramped flat in Derby.
Osborne worked as an actor and stage manager at Derby Playhouse, now Derby Theatre, during the 1950s. He pitched Look Back in Anger to the Playhouse but the theatre’s board turned it down.
Derby Theatre’s artistic director Sarah Brigham who directs said, “Look Back in Anger changed the face of British theatre by putting working-class voices centre stage and I’m keen to get my teeth into this influential work to discover what impact our version may offer audiences today.”
Look Back in Anger will be designed by Neil Irish. Lighting design is by Arnim Friess and music will be composed by Ivan Stott.
The play runs at Derby Theatre from Friday 4 March until Saturday 26 March. It then transfers to Octagon Theatre Bolton from Tuesday 7 April until Saturday 30 April.
As a companion piece, Derby Theatre will present a new play, Jinny, written by Derbyshire playwright Jane Wainwright. She will aim to discover what the female Jimmy Porters of 2016 are angry about. It will run at Derby Theatre from Monday 7 March until Wednesday 23 March on selected days.