“This is a show that has, despite the odds, pulled a rabbit out of a hat and snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.”
Editorial Rating: 4 Stars (Outstanding)
In Fringe lore, Proletariat Productions’ production of ‘1984’ will be remembered as the little engine that could. Beset by off-stage problems, not the least of which was the sudden short-notice loss of their original O’Brien, this is a show that has, despite the odds, pulled a rabbit out of a hat and snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.
George Orwell’s masterpiece will always draw a crowd but it isn’t often that we get to see his work presented with such chilling clarity. This is a multimedia heavy, perhaps a little too multimedia heavy, rendering of ordinary people trapped in the brutality and squalor of a society gone wrong.
As Winston Smith, Orion Powell delivers the goods in a powerful performance which brings all the classic elements of the rebellious everyman together with fresh insights and pathos. In a story centred on artificiality and the breakdown of empathy, Powell reaches towards the light Smith detects in others. With both Julia and O’Brien there is a deeper humanity on show often missing in less well-observed adaptations.
Although not on stage, she is only ever seen in the video clips, Estelle Mey establishes herself as one to watch. She is neither too sexual, nor too unsensual. If Disney did Orwell, Mey would be the princess. The setting for her relationship with Smith is staged so as to highlight the escapism, the fantasy, and the impossibility of their love. It’s one of several devices which make this production so compelling.
In the other supporting roles Michael Keegan and Camber Sands buttress the drama with carefully considered yet dynamic character sketches which do much to shoulder the weight of this heavy script. This is entertainment after all. Having joined the production just two days before opening night, Daniel Llewelyn-Williams as O’Brien cannot be praised highly enough for his superb performance, the keystone on which all else rests. I’ve never understood people who enjoy potholing. I will never understand how Llewelyn-Williams can be having so much fun under so much pressure, but he is and it’s because he suspects what we all know – he is a great character actor of the auld skool in whose hands a script becomes a kite soaring skyward.
This is not a production without faults, but there are no unforced errors. This is a Herculean effort that has rolled the boulder up the hill where it stands in majesty. This is a troupe of players with something special on offer. Their chemistry is fresh, compelling, and hugely satisfying. If vampires fed off theatre companies this is the slender neck that would attract the most fangs. The pleasure of auld EdFringe is seeing something break out of the seed and start to grow. Where this group goes next I want to follow.
Come for a classic done proper. Stay for a fine ensemble. Get your blue boiler suits on comrades and go see this!
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