1984 at Cambridge Arts Theatre

★★★★

“As he twitches and screams, the audience responds with a petrified silence at the horror. It is a deserving accolade for Quartley’s stunning performance”

Marking seventy-five years since the first publication of George Orwell’s sensational dystopian novel, Ryan Craig newly adapts the work for the stage in this production directed by Lindsay Posner.

On entering the theatre, a huge screen at the rear of the stage is projecting images of members of the audience as they take their seats. Initially I am unsure whether the coverage is live or recorded until I am picked out on screen scribbling down these very notes. This is not a playful kiss-cam but something much more sinister: Big Brother is watching you. And if we are in any doubt of this at all the telescreen is in the shape of a giant eye (Justin Nardella designer).

Winston Smith (Mark Quartley) works in the Ministry of Truth where he abets the totalitarian state’s control of the past by rewriting historical records and airbrushing former heroes into insignificance. Dressed in the official uniform of blue overalls and black boots, he already looks worn-out. And he has a secret… despite living under the constant scrutiny of telescreens, spies and informers, he has purchased a vintage journal in which he is writing down seditious thoughts. This is brilliantly portrayed in retrospect, behind gauze at the rear of the stage, almost as a dream sequence.

Winston catches the eye of co-worker Julia (Eleanor Wyld) who proudly wears the red sash, somewhat ironically we will discover, of a member of the anti-sex league (and, therefore, almost certainly not to be trusted, says Parsons). They begin an affair in which their illicit trysts are rare moments of colour in a production in which all else is in different shades of grey. A beautiful projected backdrop of the sun’s rays peeping through into green woodland has an unreal quality about it which emphasises the fantastical nature of their impossible relationship. Julia’s naivete is summed up with her line, “They can’t stop me loving you”, because, of course, they can.

It’s a shock to come back after the interval for Act II. The backdrop is now a huge steel wall, the face of Big Brother faintly etched upon it. Parsons (David Birrell) is lying on the floor of his prison cell, his clothes soiled, his body disabled, his mind broken. It’s a fine performance from Birrell and a brilliant transformation; Parsons’ earlier joy and ebullience replaced with fear and desperation.

Winston’s interrogation is one of the most gruesome scenes I have ever seen on stage. O’Brien (Keith Allen) interrogates with a driving patience, so confident that he will win however long it takes and his suppressed brutality is chilling. Live aerial shots of Winston’s torture are projected onto the back screen as his body is electrocuted again and again. As he twitches and screams, the audience responds with a petrified silence at the horror. It is a deserving accolade for Quartley’s stunning performance.

But there is a limit to how much we can bear and Winston facing up to his ultimate fear in Room 101 is performed in a total blackout. O’Brien’s audio description of the terrors within is almost drowned out by the sounds of Winston’s screams and, despite the blackout, the scene is close to unbearable.

As well as the actors on stage, there are recorded elements from other named characters shown only on screen and the technical aspects of this production are of high importance. With so much going on, both on stage and on the telescreen and with recorded files as well as live camera action, it is sometimes hard to see where to focus the attention.

The necessary abridgment of the text means the love affair between Julia and Winston doesn’t entirely convince, nor the ease with which they commit to betraying themselves to O’Brien. But the production as a whole and Mark Quartley’s performance especially will live long in the memory. As the state continually rewrites the dictionary, removing all unnecessary words from usage, I am only left to say that this production is double-plus-good.

1984 at Cambridge Arts Theatre then UK Tour continues

Reviewed on 22nd October 2024

by Phillip Money

Photography by Simon Annand

Previously reviewed at this venue:

THE HISTORY BOYS | ★★★★ | October 2024

REBUS: A GAME CALLED MALICE | ★★★ | September 2024

CLUEDO 2: THE NEXT CHAPTER | ★★ | March 2024

MOTHER GOOSE | ★★★★ | December 2023

FAITH HEALER | ★★★ | October 2023

A VOYAGE AROUND MY FATHER | ★★★ | October 2023

FRANKENSTEIN | ★★★★ | October 2023

THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION | ★★★ | March 2023

THE HOMECOMING | ★★★★★ | April 2022

ANIMAL FARM | ★★★★ | February 2022

1984

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★★★

“thumpingly well executed and fervently pursued”

“The enemy within.” Has a ring to it, no? Or what about this? “See It. Say It. Sorted.” Another hoary command broadcast by The Party and also by TfL on the way home. That’s immersive for you.

The relevance of George Orwell’s dystopian how-to guide 1984 rarely has to be overworked. There’s always a poisonous little despot in some benighted land somewhere trying to expunge disloyal thoughts by means of semantic trickery or a bag of rats.

For the purposes of this site specific interpretation of Orwell’s evergreen nightmare, Hackney Town Hall doubled as the Ministry of Truth. A great choice. With its restored art deco panels, plush carpeting and infusion of civic duty, the council chamber supplied the architecture of grand coercion.

Soon you’re believing – as mandated – that our beloved Oceania has always been at war with Eurasia even though someone sidled up to you in the atrium over pre-show drinks and told you that was a lie. A few minutes later he was carted off by party apparatchiks only to return to the production later, bloodied, bruised but presumably purified.

That was also the fate awaiting 6079 Winston Smith (an effective Joe Anderson) who indulged in rebellious pleasures with 2374 Julia (a bewitching Neetika Knight) bringing him to the attention of steel-eyed party enforcer O’Brien (a chillingly smooth Dominic Carter).

O’Brien had earlier occupied the council chamber exhorting us to give ourselves fully to the Party and this production was, in conceit, an assessment of our suitability to work for the Ministry. To that end, perma-smiling cultists greeted us with the disturbing vacancy of the true believer. Later they would brandish the lights, mics and cams of Big Brotherly voyeurism. And later still they would clutch the instruments of blissful torture. Made no difference to them as long as they were serving the Party.

We were numbered, divided and drilled around Hackney Town Hall like the sheeple that we were. The interactive immersion of the prelude gave way to a more conventional, if a tad duller, dichotomy of entertainers and entertained.

That’s the flaw in this immersive process. There’s always a lingering sense of confusion – are we supposed to be saying something? Or simply enjoying the show as docile recipients? Is that the point? The complicity?

That’s not to criticise director Jack Reardon’s snappy production which was thumpingly well executed and fervently pursued. The sound and lighting (Munotida Chinyanga and Ben Jacobs) were mightily impressive. The back projections on a vast wall (Dan Light) were particularly effective in emulating the real-time myth-making so beloved of dictators.

Full credit to the creative team for staging something so steeped in familiar iconography but in a fresh and stimulating way.

However, for all the logistical wizardry and lurid fascistic paraphernalia, the production was at its most engaging when depicting the simple story of two people falling in love against the odds. Despite the eye-catching techno trappings and bleak tarpaulin torture scenes, it was the indomitable need for human connection that made most impact. That was the thoughtcrime we successfully smuggled out into the London evening, right under the watchful eye of Big Brother.

1984 at Cambridge Arts Theatre

★★★★

“As he twitches and screams, the audience responds with a petrified silence at the horror. It is a deserving accolade for Quartley’s stunning performance”

1984 at Cambridge Arts Theatre then UK Tour continues

Reviewed on 22nd October 2024

by Phillip Money

Photography by Simon Annand

Previously reviewed at this venue:

1984

1984

1984 at Hackney Town Hall

★★★

“thumpingly well executed and fervently pursued”

1984 at Hackney Town Hall

Reviewed on 17th October 2024

by Giles Broadbent

Photography by Maggie Jupe

Previously reviewed by Giles:

1984

1984