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It is not easy to come fresh to such a well known work. My memories
of reading Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London or The Road to Wigan Pier are part of what made me a
socialist. With the catastrophic Spanish Civil War (and my father explaining to me, aged 6-7, what a Civil War was) with
not just Republicans fighting Nationalists, but Syndicalists, Communists, Trade Unionists, Trotskyists, Catholics all
fighting each other. The Condor League of Germany sent 600 planes and 200 tanks to help the fascists ... such a useful trying out ground for the forthcoming world war! The International Brigade sent a few thousand young men to help beat Franco, many of them British and American communists. Hemingway, enchanted by the "romance" of it all, wrote For Whom the Bell Tolls. Orwell, fighting with POUM the Trotskyists, was radicalised by his experiences and became virulently anti-communist.
I never liked the political thriller 1984 but then, I don't like
any dystopian novels, from Koestler's Darkness at Noon to The Manchurian Candidate to The Handmaid's Tale. Interestingly, therefore, I think it is a much better play than book.
Director Angharad Ormond has put together a brilliantly inventive, nerve-wracking and truth revealing production. The cast, led by a harrowing
and moving Paul Graves as Winston Smith, is drilled to perfection, moving
as automatons on a crowded stage. The gravitas concealing cruelty shown
by Martin South is duly menacing, and even as he reveals that Room 101
contains that which frightens the viewer most, (in Winston Smith's case,
RATS) it is hard not to suppress a sneaky thought that actually, it is a
silly/funny Friday night TV show.
As in Kindertransport, the use of puppets and masks effortlessly bring thoughts and memories to life.
Newsreels of real wars, real armies, real enemies served to enhance the horribly enclosed nature of 1984's world, and even
though it is not the world we live in, parts of it certainly are: Edward Snowden and Manning proved mass observation, i.e.
"Big Brother is Watching You". Britain has more street cameras than any other country. What we buy, where we buy it and when
we buy it is all revealed to us in the form of "bonuses". We all know what "Doublespeak" means - Newspeak, Big Brother, Orwellian, Thought Police, all these daily phrases come from 1984 and are given life on stage.
The forbidden love affair between Winston and Julia seemed a touch lifeless. Perhaps fear held them back, but I
did like their little "den" with a bit of Persian-type stair carpet. Similarly, Annemarie's sweet singing as she
endlessly hung and removed the washing. I'm guessing Ruth Sullivan was responsible for choreography : millimetre perfect, as usual.
And now the caveats :
I don't like "immersive production" if it means grabbing every audience
member as they arrive, asking them to register, telling them to wear an
armband, and do as they are told from that moment on. My idea of
audience participation is confined to shouting "He's Behind You!" at a panto. I am a firm believer in Brecht's Theory of Alienation.
I don't like programmes where the photo reveals the name and "party number" but not what part he/she played. I wanted to mention someone
who wore a collar and tie under their blue overalls uniform, but who was he?
The technical brilliance of the production deserves praise - the lighting, the music, the videos, the cameras, the stage set, ....but it is too complicated for me to work out from the programme, so just a collective Well Done to you all. One item must be mentioned : was Sam Jones responsible for
Wardrobe? It was excellent - brilliantly effective.
Finally, the show opened at 3.00 and came down at 5.50 (including an interval.) That is simply too long. Other productions managed 1 hour 30 mins. It may be hard not to be "in love" with a piece, but ruthless pruning can improve, not detract.
All the caveats could be due to extreme crabbiness in old age. And yet,
honestly guys - do you really think an armband improved my enjoyment or understanding?
Thank you very much to everyone concerned with the production. It was clever, interesting, very well done, and proves that even a difficult, political play can pull in big audiences.
Photography by Robert Piwko
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