1984

George Orwell’s “1984“, adapted by Matthew Dunster and performed by Leeds Arts Centre, was an incredibly gripping production. Director Sophie Clement, along with Production Manager Ben Hopwood and the team at LAC, created a show which had everyone on the edge of their seats. A talented team of performers showed what it would be like to live in a world of totalitarianism, mass surveillance and repressive regimentation of people and behaviours within society. Spike Marshall had already used technology in a great online marketing campaign to influence the incoming audience. Videographers Sasha Brovchenko Marlowe Mitchell, Veronika Sirka and photographer Mark Hillyer played a vital part in creating a feel of “Big Brother” watching. Before entering the venue, the feature on the Millennium Square outdoor screen had a big impact. Once inside, senses were bombarded with messages both visual and aural, hitting out from all angles and even coming up from below stairs. Straightaway, the mood of fear and forceful control pervaded.

Shirley Broadbent had assembled a team of threatening guards who not only wanted your money to buy the excellent Mitchell Perry publication “Big Brothers Guide to Staying Safe and Leading a Good Thoughtful Life”, but also wanted to scan and search. Fran Butler, Lindsay Leng, Jack Pickup, Charlotte Riley, Lauren Viligardi and Rachel Vernelle. even threatened to take away sweets and chocolate. Intimidation was expertly established. The whole technical aspect deserves special mention. The coordination of sound, lighting and projections was extremely well done.

There was simply no escape as the bombardment of messages and the presence of Big Brother really began to be felt. Jeremy Lommerse had firm control of projection and the all-seeing eye of Big Brother. The music and sound were superb quality and all cues were spot-on. Mark Whitehead and Steve Fryatt certainly did an exceptional job adding a great deal of impact and heightening tension, which built and built. Nicole Smith Steen had designed the lighting and Dan Clarkson ensured it punctuated the scenes, creating threatening shadows, added bursts of uncomfortable bright light, mysterious red glows and sudden glares. This played a key part in unsettling the audience further and reinforced the feeling of the bleakness of this world. Paul Comaish had steady Big Brother control, and Robert Curtis led a construction team including Sophie Curtis, Loulou Enright, Jeremy Lommerse, Aiman Salehuddin, Muhammad Shaharyar and Francis Simmons to create ingenious blocks that could be used to create anything the scene needed. The set reflected a clinical and oppressive environment as the blocks were moved by a well-costumed team choreographed perfectly in a smooth and timely fashion. Good props, including the all-important paperweight, which was to be the symbol of Winston and Julia’s fragile, private world. Well done Chelsea Issott and her team Jay Lockwood, Laura Marshall, Spike Marshall and Frank Stott.

Costumes provided uniformity and carefully placed colour emphasised the state sponsored conformity. A special shout-out to the all-in-black Figments who rocked the covered-face look. It can’t have been easy to have your face covered for a whole show. Great endurance to maintain the ideal look. It was clear that this production was a genuine company effort, with every element working cohesively to enhance the director's vision. The show was enhanced by the skills of fight choreographer Aimee Cross, choreography consultant Rebecca Millard and especially vital to this show, intimacy co-ordinators, Aimee Cross and Fran Butler.

This was an exceptional piece of theatre, directed with intelligence and creativity by Sophie Clement. It was continuously invasive; the audience was not allowed to relax for a single moment, trapped in a perfectly terrifying atmosphere, which led to a memorable scene of dreadful electric shock torture.

Connor Houlton played the everyman protagonist, representing resistance to oppression, Winston Smith, and was first-rate. Here was the ordinary man carrying on with his life and questioning everything about him. He leapt from love to fear, and from anger to confusion and gave a gut-wrenching performance when confronted with his worst fear, the rats, in room 101. His terror appeared genuine. This was an intensely charged performance conveying a broken spirit that resonated powerfully with the audience. Everyone actually felt his physical pain and mental anguish. His complex and confused emotions were clear to the audience from start to finish. Brilliantly played.

An excellent performance came from Sophie Curtis as Julia, the rebellious and passionate love interest who quietly and determinedly took Winston down the path of no return. Winston and Julia had a believable chemistry, effectively contrasting the oppressive present with moments of love, lust and fleeting freedom. Their intimate scenes were so well done the audience couldn’t help but be enthralled.

Francis Simmons delivered a chillingly composed mysterious O'Brien, a member of the Inner Party who posed as a member of The Brotherhood, the counter-revolutionary resistance, to deceive, trap and capture Winston and his lover. The torture was quite rightly uncomfortable to watch. A powerful, seductive performance.

Figments Adam Churchman, Kathryn Green, Kayleigh Littlemore, and Nicole Smith. gave an all-important glimpse into Winston’s head. Great expressive movements and portrayal of moods and feelings and were an excellent addition to the story.

 A forceful ensemble of actors all added to the drama by providing voices and an interesting array of characters. Well done to Howard Russell, Aiman Salehuddin, Pam Wilson, Barry Blatt, Michelle Whitaker, Matt Haines, Anna Middleton, Barry Green, Louise Redfearn, Dan Clarkson, Zoe Freedman, Marlowe Mitchell, Mitchell Perry, Fiona Galloway, Brian Diamond, Ben Hopwood and Rachel Vernell.

1984 was a powerful, thought provoking show that was not an easy watch but a compelling one with some memorable moments that will haunt for some while.

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