Dorset, Somerset &amp; Bristol

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="750" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/09/1984-Keith-Allen-as-OBrien-and-Mark-Quartley-as-Winston-Photo-credit-Simon-Annand-1000x750.jpg" alt="Keith Allen George orwell's 1984" class="wp-image-100852" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/09/1984-Keith-Allen-as-OBrien-and-Mark-Quartley-as-Winston-Photo-credit-Simon-Annand-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/09/1984-Keith-Allen-as-OBrien-and-Mark-Quartley-as-Winston-Photo-credit-Simon-Annand-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/09/1984-Keith-Allen-as-OBrien-and-Mark-Quartley-as-Winston-Photo-credit-Simon-Annand-400x300.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/09/1984-Keith-Allen-as-OBrien-and-Mark-Quartley-as-Winston-Photo-credit-Simon-Annand-768x576.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/09/1984-Keith-Allen-as-OBrien-and-Mark-Quartley-as-Winston-Photo-credit-Simon-Annand.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



Marking the 75th anniversary of the publication of Orwell’s hauntingly prescient book, this <a href="https://www.theatreroyal.org.uk/events/1984/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">brand-new production</a> kicks off a national tour in Bath this week.



Directed by the award-winning Theatre Royal stalwart Lindsay Posner, the daunting feat of adapting this most famous of works for the stage has been assuredly taken on by Ryan Craig. How will they do the rats is my first thought, but never fear, we’re in safe hands dramatically.



Aspects of 1984 have entered the popular lexicon like no other. Big Brother, Room 101, the thought police – It’s essentially a book of ideas, which could make it a tricky proposition to enact, but an imaginative staging here has successfully managed to bring those familiar tropes to life.



Mark Quartley (The Tempest, Measure for Measure, RSC) takes the lead of Winston Smith, a 39-year old man in poor health (not unlike Orwell). Winston is a relatable everyman, an innocent caught in the horror of a tyrannical regime. Quartley convincingly conveys his hope, vulnerability and intelligence, as he behaves as we hope we might in that situation, with rebellious bravery.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/09/1984-Mark-Quartley-as-Winston-Photo-credit-Simon-Annand.jpg" alt="Keith Allen George orwell's 1984" class="wp-image-100853" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/09/1984-Mark-Quartley-as-Winston-Photo-credit-Simon-Annand.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/09/1984-Mark-Quartley-as-Winston-Photo-credit-Simon-Annand-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/09/1984-Mark-Quartley-as-Winston-Photo-credit-Simon-Annand-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/09/1984-Mark-Quartley-as-Winston-Photo-credit-Simon-Annand-400x300.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/09/1984-Mark-Quartley-as-Winston-Photo-credit-Simon-Annand-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



Set in the dystopian future of a totalitarian state, failure to obey The Party, even in your thoughts or dreams, can lead to imprisonment, torture, even death. Winston works in the Records Department, essentially editing history to suit the administration as he obediently repeats &#8216;Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.&#8217; But inside he is a rebel, he visits the &#8216;unauthorised district&#8217; and illegally purchases a diary to record his illicit thoughts. He meets Julia, a fellow rebel, and together they seek out spaces away from Big Brother’s all-seeing cameras.



Winston’s foil is O’Brien, a Party superior of the Inner Circle, and played by the star of the show, Keith Allen. Famously of Comic Strip Presents, father of Lily and general rabble-rouser, all of which tends to overshadow that Allen has a solid list of acting credits as long as your arm (From Trainspotting to Robin Hood). The audience of this show won’t be overlooking again in a hurry. Allen’s performance as the mysterious O’Brien, maybe-mentor to Winston, has an authority and sinister watchability that anchors the whole show. He’s ably supported by Eleanor Wyld as a Julia and David Birrell as neighbour Parsons.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/09/1984-Keith-Allen-as-OBrien-Photo-credit-Simon-Annand.jpg" alt="Keith Allen George orwell's 1984" class="wp-image-100850" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/09/1984-Keith-Allen-as-OBrien-Photo-credit-Simon-Annand.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/09/1984-Keith-Allen-as-OBrien-Photo-credit-Simon-Annand-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/09/1984-Keith-Allen-as-OBrien-Photo-credit-Simon-Annand-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/09/1984-Keith-Allen-as-OBrien-Photo-credit-Simon-Annand-400x300.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/09/1984-Keith-Allen-as-OBrien-Photo-credit-Simon-Annand-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



The other star is the set, costume and video designer, Justin Nardella. No spoilers here, but my design graduate son was impressed, describing the design as impressively 4D. It’s minimalist, modern, and utilizes the whole theatre rather than just the stage, with LED projection and transparent screens. Similarly lighting by Paul Pyant is at once understated and immersive.



The relevance to today’s populist politics will escape no-one, with the state’s &#8216;Post-Truth&#8217; policy. It’s a terrifying and valuable lesson to be reminded where that can lead.



Older teens and young people of the household will especially appreciate the cool design, the relevance to the world today and examination of the ever-present takeaways. Perhaps not for younger kids or the very sensitive, however, as parts are necessarily gruesome.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/09/1984-Eleanor-Wyld-as-Julia-Keith-Allen-as-OBrien-Mark-Quartley-as-Winston-David-Birrell-as-Parsons-Credit-Simon-Annand.jpg" alt="Keith Allen George orwell's 1984" class="wp-image-100849" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/09/1984-Eleanor-Wyld-as-Julia-Keith-Allen-as-OBrien-Mark-Quartley-as-Winston-David-Birrell-as-Parsons-Credit-Simon-Annand.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/09/1984-Eleanor-Wyld-as-Julia-Keith-Allen-as-OBrien-Mark-Quartley-as-Winston-David-Birrell-as-Parsons-Credit-Simon-Annand-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/09/1984-Eleanor-Wyld-as-Julia-Keith-Allen-as-OBrien-Mark-Quartley-as-Winston-David-Birrell-as-Parsons-Credit-Simon-Annand-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/09/1984-Eleanor-Wyld-as-Julia-Keith-Allen-as-OBrien-Mark-Quartley-as-Winston-David-Birrell-as-Parsons-Credit-Simon-Annand-400x300.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/09/1984-Eleanor-Wyld-as-Julia-Keith-Allen-as-OBrien-Mark-Quartley-as-Winston-David-Birrell-as-Parsons-Credit-Simon-Annand-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



A round of applause to the Theatre Royal for mastering a tricky classic. Never got round to reading the book? Here’s your chance to sit back and take in its messages, at a time when they really need to be heard.







1984 is on at the <a href="https://www.theatreroyal.org.uk/events/1984/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Theatre Royal Bath</a> until Saturday 28 September, before embarking on a national tour.



 Words: Rosie Meachin. Photos: Simon Annand

Review: Keith Allen in Orwell’s ‘1984’ at the Theatre Royal in Bath

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