1984 @ Citizens Theatre

The Citizens Theatre presents 1984, as adapted and directed by Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan from the 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell, which depicts a world where Big Brother is always watching and monitoring everything the citizens say, do and even think. 

Their take on the classic may well jar with that of the masses, however that is not something that seems to concern them. Icke and Macmillan are looking to challenge the conventions and have delved deep into the book to pull out threads that may have been missed or understood differently.

Having had input into the deconstruction and reimagining of the novel, it's expected the cast will have a deep understanding of the vision created and how best to perform it. Team that with arduous rehearsals where the cast undergo mental tasks and tests, have their dreams analysed, their phobias confronted and are encouraged to lie to each other, there is bound to be a rich performance at the end of it.

The surface themes from the novel of surveillance, identity and rebellion are still very relevant today with CCTV being an accepted part of daily life, the revelations of Edward Snowdon still fresh in people's minds and the constant struggle between cultures to conform to their surroundings. With this in mind it is easy to forget the novel is 65 years old and was written at a time when totalitarianism was a heavy threat. This performance may well raise debate on how much society has changed since it was first published, yet with the core themes still a threat today, how far have we come really? Have we avoided the dystopia that George Orwell depicted or are we all just in denial? [Christine Lawler]