1984 review

When George Orwell his seminal novel, 1984, he envisaged a dystopian world where human emotion and nuance were all but eradicated in favour of the formulaic and controlled. This new stage adaptation, directed by Lindsay Posner and adapted by Ryan Craig to coincide with the book’s 75th anniversary, succeeds in creating the stilted, emotionless world of Big Brother – but not necessarily for the right reasons.

Mark Quartley’s Winston Smith is a repressed, nervous worker who first catches the Party’s attention for using one too many “old-fashioned” adjectives in his Newspeak rewritings of articles. Despite his unprepossessing attitude, he becomes romantically involved with Eleanor Wyld’s Julia, who has the air of someone who loves to chat to strangers on trains while sitting in the quiet coach.

Their love affair, conducted in woodland glades and a so-called safe house, happens at breakneck speed, although there appears to be little true chemistry between the pair. The architect of their downfall, O’Brien, is played by Keith Allen, who avoids being totally menacing and instead channels a sadistic schoolteacher. more pathetic than terrifying. But perhaps that is the point: the small-scale fascist who loves to use their limited amount of power is, in a sense, just as scary as the crazed political party leader.

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