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Last night, I was invited to attend a performance of George Owell’s 1984, at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford, and in this review I will outline my thoughts and opinions about this show - with as little spoilers as physically possible.
Known for often being a literature set text, George Owell’s1984 follows takes us into a dystopian ‘future’ where everything you think, feel and do is being observed by “Big Brother”. This allows for no rebellion and thoughts against the party - but our leading character ‘Winston’ is de-railed by a beautiful woman named ‘Julia’ and from that point onwards.. Nothing is the same!
The play was adapted for stage by Ryan Craig, taking the popular Owell novel and bringing it to life. The writing was perfect for placing this series of events on the stage - I was on the edge of my seat throughout, often with my hand over my mouth! It could not have been more brilliant! This production was directed by Lindsay Posner - who gave this show the edge it needed - it was extremely moving and terrifying at the same time!
I know that many people, including myself, enjoy theatre as a form of escapism, and with this play… it is not quite the escapism you want as I felt my heart pounding through the many twists and turns within the play. I did not come out feeling the way I have with many shows before this with a smile on my face and a spring in my step - but instead with thoughts in my head and a little bit of shock in my mind. This is exactly what George Owell’s 1984 is supposed to do, and therefore in my eyes, the stage play does this perfectly.
The lighting was designed by Paul Pyant and was simple but effective often giving the sense of clinical rooms with a mundane everyday feel to their lives, then when this changed to accommodate for other moments it really shifted the mood and feel of a scene. The lighting was paired with the other technical aspects including a mixture of live and pre-recorded video use designed by Justin Nardella. This was possibly my favourite choice in the play. The videos gave the show the dystopian future feel that it was going for and also showed the audience the full extent of what was going on, even when it might have been easier for us to look away during some particularly difficult to watch scenes.
As far as spoilers go, I don’t want to give anything away, but I would warn for the full frontal nudity! I wasn’t expecting that.. But the scene in which it comes is absolutely shocking - no pun intended - and I was squirming in my seat. Brilliantly acted, designed and created…
The cast for this play were second to none, you need a great set of actors to perform such a story with respect and dignity - and that is exactly what we got as an audience.
The utmost standout performance for me was Mark Quartley in the role of ‘Winston’. Quartley gave us an intelligently developed character which some really emotional moments. He is a master of his craft and this really comes out during the more difficult moments that ‘Winston’ faces - Especially the majority of act 2 when he is being tortured, Quartley made that seem all too real therefore making it even harder to watch.
Keith Allen played the stern but cool ‘O’Brien’ - His portrayal of this character was clever and exciting to watch, you really were unable to tell what he was going to do next. He played sinister and manipulative extremely well!
Eleanor Wyld played Julia… at first giving her a sense of naivety and love for the leader but further in, she proved her rebellious ways and Wyld brought a great energy and dynamic to the piece.
David Birrell completed the leading cast in the role of Winston’s neighbour ‘Parsons’ who gave a wonderful performance of a friendly neighbour and showed his downfall in act 2 as he descended into madness, another fantastic performer!
We were also treat to short cameos from other brilliant actors over the video recordings including Matthew Horne, Janie Dee and Dona Croll.. All of which has me checking my programme, thinking “is that who I think it is?”.
Overall, if you’re looking for a feel-good piece of theatre, this is not it! This is an incredibly well developed, thought provoking and edge of your seat play. I can’t recommend it enough, especially if you’ve read the original material - but even if you haven’t, it really leaves you thinking, and has you gasping from shock throughout the play!
George Orwell’s 1984 runs at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford until Saturday, before continuing onto the rest of their tour, so check your local to see if it will be coming near you.
Grab some tickets for Guildford today: https://www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk/whats-on/george-orwells-1984
17th October 2024
Robbie Davies | Robbie’s Backstage Bants
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