It is little wonder Robert Icke is considered ‘the great hope of British theatre’.
His and Robert Macmillan’s stage adaptation of George Orwell’s seminal novel ‘1984’ is a modern triumph of storytelling and stagecraft. To say my own anticipation for this particular production was high is an understatement, having maintained something of a morbid fascination since first reading the enduring tale of Winston Smith and his private war against Big Brother. While there have been numerous adaptations to film, stage and radio since its publication in 1949, Icke & Macmillan’s is the first to include a dramatisation of the book’s appendix, ‘The Principles Of Newspeak’. This unique point-of-difference served as a source of curiosity as to how the dry and academic language of what is essentially an essay expounding the linguistic construction of Newspeak would translate into engaging and purposeful dialogue. Needless to say, it was done seamlessly with impeccable style and finesse.
Opening just like the book, with thirteen strikes of the clock, the play immediately casts the audience headlong into the Orwellian nightmare, effectively controlling our reality throughout. Rather than presenting a chronological retelling of Orwell’s densely populated story, it was instead presented in condensed clusters which combined the book’s key plot points with some of its finer details. It shuffled the audience between the realities of Winston’s narrative as he navigates the dystopian system against which he yearns to rebel, and that of the dramatised appendix which took the form of a conversation occurring externally to Winston’s action. As the play progressed however, it became harder to discern one from the other – just as Party members’ understanding of the nature of reality is augmented through the control of information, so too was that of the audience. This encapsulated the true message of the inextricable link between language and power.
All players performed their roles without exception, from lead actor Tom Conroy’s soul-crushing performance as Winston, right down to the supporting cast who took on various roles throughout the world. However, highest praise must be reserved for Terence Crawford’s chilling portrayal of O’Brien. His embodiment of the duplicitous and manipulative Inner Party member was immaculate, a masterclass in gripping fear and blind terror. Terence harnessed the dark charisma and ferocious energy of O’Brien so absolutely that we were transfixed by his dialogue, of which he has the best in the play. His cataclysmic tirades against Winston in Room 101 during the play’s extended climax were as if spoken to the audience themselves, his words reverberating a savage truth of our modern world.
Never before have I witnessed a more cunning, even deceptive, use of a performance space and stage design. Designer Chloe Lamford excelled all expectation in the construction of an entire world within the confines of a theatre, harnessing multi-dimensional aspects to assert depth in the scene and relate Winston’s interior fear with the use of screens, projections, hand-held cameras and concealed rooms. Simultaneously, a restrained and precise use of lighting and sound effects elicited a visceral reaction from the audience in tandem with the action of the characters on stage. As much as it truly thrilled and ensnared my attention, little can be said of the transformation of the set to that of Room 101 without causing some spoilage. Just know that minds were irreparably blown to smithereens.
Within the quagmire of reality, sanity, love, fear and loyalty swirls just one certainty: this production has not been designed and staged for the casual observer or passer-by to ‘1984’. It seems crafted for the scholars and the fanatics – perhaps even the obsessed – and I highly recommend having read the book recently in order to gain the most from this intricately detailed adaptation.
By any measure, this is not a play that you see, but one you experience. As the lights cut to black on the final scene, a moment of true awed silence hung in the air before rapturous applause burst forth from the audience. We were just like Winston, sitting in almost catatonic bliss at the Chestnut Tree Café: we had won the victory over ourselves – we loved Big Brother.
'1984' Tour Dates
14-18 June – Queensland Performing Arts Centre28 June-22 July – Roslyn Packer Theatre (Sydney)
25-29 July – Canberra Theatre Centre
4-13 August – His Majesty's Theatre (Perth)
