Angry young men

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by AMY BARRATT

Look Back in Anger first created shock-waves in England in 1957, just because it was so rooted in that time and place. But the young Dawson grads of Untimely Ripped Productions believe the play still has something to say. First-time director Andrew Farrar has adapted the script to the present day (1999, actually) and set it in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (?!).

 For the most part, the adaptation works well, as do the cuts to John Osborne's wordy original. The biggest problem is with the play itself. The original "angry young man" vehicle, it only has one fully realized character, the AYM himself. The other characters are there as foils and as fodder for his ranting. Melanie St-Jacques as the wife, Allison, and Catherine Lemieux as Helena, her actress friend, struggle valiantly against the misogyny in the play and come as close as can be expected to creating fully rounded characters. As the AYM, Elan Zafir manages near the end to evoke some sympathy for the obnoxious Jimmy--no mean feat. Mat Courtemanche as Cliff brings some welcome levity to the grim proceedings.

 

At the Atwater Library, to Feb. 6, 8 p.m. (Sunday, 2 p.m.), $8-10. Info: 450-682-2549. :