Huge question - and one about which people have written entire books. When it premiered on the 8th May 1956 at the Royal Court, "Look Back" caused uproar - it opens, of course, with Alison Porter doing the ironing, and at the sight of an ironing board, the audience gasped.
The prevalent style before "Look Back" might be best seen by comparing it with another popular play from the period ("The Chalk Garden" by Enid Bagnold might be a good place to start) - but they tend to be set in drawing rooms, to be classified usually as comedies, and to focus on upper-class characters.
John Osborne actually started the movement with "Look Back" that came to be known as the "Angry Young Men" - who brought writing which, like Osborne's play, sparkled with energy and determination, eschewed politeness, and sympathetically depicted middle-class characters realistically - ironing boards and all!
Though critics like Dan Rebellato have since argued otherwise, the premiere of "Look Back" is traditionally seen as the beginning of the "Angry Young Men" movement in British Theatre.
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