John Osborne's 1956 play Look Back in Anger has often been hailed as a turning point in British theatre. Its legacy of the original angry young man in the form of its main character, Jimmy Porter, was a familiar one to those of us growing up in the next decade. But the play remains, in my view, a product of those years of change, and it takes a very special production to revive it successfully.

Last week's student production at the Playhouse was good on historical interest but lacked conviction. That was not entirely the fault of the actors. But the romantic anger we once saw now looks suspiciously like domestic abuse, and the famous ironing board which enslaves first Jimmy's wife and then, improbably, his mistress has become almost laughable in this age of gender equality. It was not helped by the fact that Tom Palmer, as Jimmy, was so softly spoken as to be at times almost inaudible, and Beth Williams, as his wife Alison, all too often dropped her voice to the same level. Happily, there were no such problems for Nick Budd, as the gentle Welshman Cliff Lewis who lives with the young couple and is something of a calming influence.

Osborne's best lines still have a special ring to them, although even they at times feel dated, such as the reference to Jimmy's university being not so much red brick as white tile. Alison's father, the retired army colonel who is largely mystified by modern life, is seen by Jimmy as "an old plant left over from the Edwardian wilderness who can't understand why the sun isn't shining". Yet Peter Clapp failed to develop this interesting character, and his lack of authority was not helped by the worst-fitting pair of trousers I think I have ever seen on stage. The class difference, that was such a marked feature of life at the time, and is a crucial element in Osborne's work, remained largely understated.

A special word of praise for Alev Scott, the assistant director, who stepped into the role of Alison's posh friend Helena on the opening night. Hers was a confident performance that succeeded in conveying some of the emotion that her colleagues lacked. In all other respects this was a competent production, although the spacious set suggested a luxury far removed from the reality of student bedsits of the time.