Presented by Next Stage Theatre Company
Tuesday 28th November - Saturday 2nd December 7:30pm
Matinee Saturday 2nd December 2:00pm
War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength.
Winston Smith Rewrites history for the Ministry of Truth, but when he’s handed a note that says simply ‘I love you’ by a woman he hardly knows, he decides to risk everything in a search for the real truth. In a world where cheap entertainment keeps the proles ignorant but content, where a war without end is always fought and the government is always watching, can Winston possibly hold onto what he feels inside? Or will he renounce everything, accept the Party’s reality and learn to love Big Brother?
Cast
REVIEW
1984
adapted from the George Orwell novel by Matthew Dunster
performed by Next Stage Theatre Company at The Mission Theatre, Bath
29th November 2023
Reviewed by Rebecca Beard
It was a bright cold day in November, and the clocks were striking nineteen.
This prescient choice of play for our uncertain times beckoned me to the charming and ever welcoming Mission Theatre for an evening of two-minute's hate, doublethink, room 101, and possibly the most disturbing but important piece of theatre I have seen in many a year. Syme's Newspeak may be in the ascendant, but I shall endeavour to do justice to this dark and disturbing play while I still have the words to express it.
This excellent adaptation by Matthew Dunster was confidently directed by Brian Hudd and delivered by a tight ensemble, doubling parts and moving scenery for seamless changes. Effective use of the projector for both scene setting and the ubiquitous telescreen enhanced the stark, stripped back set. Big Brother was watching us. Pre-recorded voices worked well to give us inner thoughts and public announcements. I was particularly impressed by the speak-write machines and the other terrifyingly believable creations of the props department.
No time was wasted in establishing the drab, dystopian world of Oceania, so the optimism and frisson of disobedience in act one quickly gave way to the visceral violence of act two, which did not pull its punches literally or metaphorically. The limits of a small theatre reduced the physical violence described in the script, but did not affect its impact. The differing reactions of disbelief, fear, and desperation of the other prisoners in the Ministry of Love brought me to tears with their intensity, while the silence of the guards and doctors spoke volumes. Breaking the human body and spirit comes easily to those who believe they are doing the right thing, a boot stamping on a human face forever. O' Brien, played by Brian Fisher had an air of quiet menace which pervaded his scenes. It is not enough to obey; one must emote and embrace doublethink, lest one is found wanting. There will be no private thoughts, no place where there is no darkness and no respite from enthusiasm.
Every actor established a believable character, snapshots of Goldstein's social order, from the moments of humour and pathos with the proles to the ministry drones. While I don't like to single out individual performances (and I cannot fault a single one), credit must go to Richard Chivers who gave a moving performance as Winston, from his questioning of the status quo, the joy of his short-lived freedom with Liz Wilson's passionate Julia, through the terrors of his torture to the final pitiful sadness of his inevitable conformity. I must also congratulate Ed and Sophia Punt who gave chilling performances as the Parsons' children. Reminiscent of the Red Guard/Hitler Youth, their smart and colourful uniforms contrasted with their puritanical zeal in denouncing enemies of the party and their lust for violence towards those they judged unworthy. Small wonder that their parents were wary of them.
It is an irony as old as humanity that stories deliver reality in ways that transcend facts. This story presents us with the truth of human nature. Is Orwell's vision one of bleak nihilism or a cautionary tale serving to remind us where our worst traits, if unchecked, could lead? Ultimately it invites us to ask the question of ourselves- what would I have done were I in Winston's worn-out boots? Perhaps what makes this deeply uncomfortable is that, while we like to paint ourselves in a favourable light, deep down we suspect that we won't like the answer. Do it to Julia.
It was never going to be an easy watch, but people need to see this play more than ever. I urge you to get down to the theatre this week and prepare to be challenged. Avoid a visit from the Thought Police. Learn to love Big Brother.
Rehearsal Photos
