1984

George Orwell’s 1984 was a vision of a dystopian future England, enduring repression and mass surveillance by the totalitarian government. The regime echoes fascism and communism, but is even more cruel and invasive.

DDOS’ production of 1984 is the astonishing creation of Dan and Toby Silver, with substantial assistance from Cathy Hudson. The script creation was a lengthy and iterative process, involving some six versions.

The opening was deliberately discomforting. The audience was ushered in, by brutal security guards, to meet a scene of red glaring lights, telescreens with strident messages and disconcerting repetitive sounds.

Straightaway, the mood of fear and forceful control pervaded the auditorium.

The Narrators (Nancy Lund & Victoria Brooks) took the story forward, clearly and dispassionately. As practitioners in the Ministry of Love, they retained this unemotional mien very effectively.

A common theme was people’s deference to their masters, whilst oppressing their peers and inferiors. Characters tried to outdo each other in their coarseness and cruelty.

Syme (played by Sasha Silver) was chilling…savage yet subservient. She exulted in the destruction of history and literature; and revelled in the public hangings.

Jason Spiller’s Parsons was cocky and bullying. He loved the sound of his own voice; and related, with gusto, horror stories of his horrid children.

And then, the powerful Two Minutes of Hate outdid all the spite and ferocity that had gone before. It was a terrifying vision of a people whipped into psychopathy by the Ministry of Truth. Giles Sparkes played Goldstein, the object of this tirade. He delivered a clear and succinct description of the three levels of society and their interaction.

Winston (Mike Cottrell) made an extraordinary journey. Initially, he was nervy, questioning, hardly daring to hope. His relationship with Julia boosted his self-assurance and he embraced the Brotherhood with enthusiasm. But after his detection by the Thought Police, his resistance and then deterioration under torture made a cruel contrast to his earlier budding optimism.

Helena Pardey Yaralli’s Julia was, by contrast, a confident, experienced and hedonistic character. More concerned with living life than fomenting rebellion, she followed Winston into the Brotherhood from love rather than dogma.

O’Brien (Oscar Heron) radiated enormous authority. Scheming and manipulative, his seduction of Winston and Julia was slick and practised and inevitable. His behaviour, in the Ministry of Love, was almost avuncular. Torturing his victim seemed matter-of-fact and procedural.

The entire cast gave outstanding performances; and, although some of the characters were caricatures, they were always believable.

Props were excellent…especially the equipment in the Ministry of Love that had an almost steampunk vibe. Costumes were generally drab overalls. This emphasised the state-sponsored conformity and scarcity of resources. 

The whole technical aspect deserves special mention. The co-ordination of sound, lighting and projections was extremely sophisticated and effective. The sets were beautifully imagined; and the transition between them was neatly done. This plus the management of the revolving section required a large and competent stage crew. Images at the end related the telescreens and their disinformation to modern smartphones.

Thank you everyone.

It wasn’t a cheerful evening…but a thoroughly satisfying one.

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