1984 at the Oxford Playhouse

Who Controls the Past Controls the Future, Who Controls the Present Controls the Past

More memorable to me than the novel by George Orwell was the movie that was released in 1984. John Hurt gave one of his best performances as Winston Smith and Richard Burton matched him as O'Brian. In the Nottingham Playhouse production at the Oxford Playhouse, we have a highly theatrical adaptation of the novel. This has been created by Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan for Headlong, the company that presents provocative and dynamic work, such as The Seagull that I enjoyed in May this year.

This production presents a multi media experience, with filmed images, both recorded and realtime, and dramatic sound and lighting effects. This is not for the faint hearted, nor should it be given the crux of the story. Just thank goodness we didn't get real rats! There are many thought provoking moments. The all seeing state, can terrorism be ever justified, who can we trust.

I found the dialogue a little stilted, which may have been why the classy cast seemed to slightly struggle. But I was impressed by the direction and the last half hour was superb. It was strange to see that the audience was 80% under eighteen. It must have been a set book for their English Literature exams.