Review: 1984 (Summerhall)

An all-too-real Orwellian hell

George Orwell’s 1949 novel about a dystopian society is the favourite reference point of every ill-informed free speech advocate. The ratio of people who cite it to the people who have read it would put angry podcasters and journalists to shame. This is not the case for Within Theatre. Their adaptation of 1984 draws on their experiences living in Slavic countries. For them, this is not a looming threat, a distant dystopia, but a lived reality with real-world examples every step of the way.

During the preamble, the famous “War is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength” quote is displayed side-by-side with a quote from a Russian politician and lawyer – “ a prohibition is where a person is free…a right is the greatest lack of freedom.” Throughout, scenes are performed (often word-for-word from Orwell's novel) and a real-world instance mirroring that situation from Russia or Belarus is projected on the wall behind the scene. It is bleak, un-ignorable, and captivating. It doesn't just tie our feelings during the play to the idea of totalitarian oppression in another country, but the fact of it.

But this is not a straightforward telling of the story. We begin from within the Ministry of Love, the interior ministry in charge of brainwashing and enforcing loyalty. There we watch Winston Smith’s crimes enacted by other prisoners so that we – an audience of fellow thought criminals – may learn from his mistakes. Unlike most performances, where tiny shifts and disturbances in the audience or outside the venue are ignored, here they are highlighted. A woman taking production photos in the front row gets a glare as she snaps away, a late audience member is put on the spot with a cold, clinical menace, and when a siren can be heard one cast member says “Shh…thought police”. This last one earns a chuckle, but this break of conduct creates an extra layer of tension. Sitting in an audience is usually a space to blend into the background, but Within Theatre make us feel watched.

Photo Credit: Tanya Paleeva

The performance balances this calculated oppression of the Party with the untethered anger of its political prisoners. Winston and Julia are not lovable, heroic rebels; they are terrorists in the making. Anger poisons all other feelings, and you can see that in the dramaturgy and physicality of the performance: every moment of contact has a violent edge. It’s especially noticeable how gendered each interaction is; every touch placed on a woman feels somehow predatory, every touch placed on a man aggressive. When they scuffle, which is frequently, it is uncomfortable to watch because it genuinely looks like someone will get hurt. Yet you feel like you cannot look away; the performances, the themes, the staging, all come together in grotesque harmony. Four stars.

Whispers from the Crowd: "Very visceral. Very sensory. They were dealing with heavy subject matter, and it is more grounded than the book."

1984 has completed its run at Summerhall