Patrick Wilde directs his award-winning, funny, heart-breaking and ultimately triumphant tale of courage and defiance.

When this play opened at a small fringe theatre in London in 1993 it played to six people. By the end of the three-week run, thanks to some rave reviews and word of mouth, people (including Sir Ian McKellen) were queuing round the block.

Now What’s Wrong With Angry makes its triumphant and long-awaited return to London after over 15 years playing all around the world. Hartshorn – Hook Productions and Patrick Wilde are challenging everyone to stop and think about how things once were, and how it is essential that we keep fighting for equality when there are still places where a society of oppression exists.

Even in the UK, with the BNP winning seats despite policies aimed at re-criminalizing homosexuality, Wilde’s play is as important as it was when it was first written. As a piece of political theatre it was a huge part of the movement towards real equality for gay people. The laws started to be relaxed, but inequality persisted. Writer Patrick Wilde was commissioned to write a multiple award-winning feature film version, and the play finally made it into the West End at The Arts Theatre.

The combination of politics, humour, a fantastic pumping soundtrack and a heart breaking love story has meant it has sold out almost everywhere it has played, and was described by Time Out as “popular theatre at it’s best – a real crowd pleaser”. Though it tells of a time when things in theory were much tougher for young gay people, it still stands a celebration of the human spirit and determination to triumph. This slicker, shorter version directed by the playwright himself remains a poignant reminder of how recently things were very, very different.