1984

 

 

 

1984 adapted from the novel by George Orwell by Nelle Lee and Nick Skubij.  . 

Directed by Michael Futcher Creative producer Ross Balbuziente. Designer Josh McIntosh. Lighting designer Jason Glenwright. Sound designer Guy Webster.Video designer  Craig Wilkinson. Cast: Chloe , Tony Cogin, Abhilash Kaimal, Steven Rooke, Michael Whalley and David Whitney  The Canberra Theatre, June 6-7 2025. Bookings 62752700.

Reviewed by Peter Wilkins

 

George Orwell described his dystopian novel about the destructive nature of power as a satire. Shake &Stir’s adaptation of 1984 is a terrifying glimpse of a stark reality. Orwell’s cautionary prophesy assumes  a heart-stopping significance 40 years after  Winston Smith’s desperate attempt to combat the authoritarian control of omnipresent Big Brother, constantly watching over the citizens of Oceana from a huge screen. Written in 1949, 1984 is an attack on the regime of Nazi Germany and post war Stalinism. Oceana controlled by the state is at war with Eurasia. The Brotherhood resistance movement under leader Emanuel Goldsteinstruggles to incite the proletariat Prols to stand up to the forces of Big Brother and the Thought Police who hunt out thought criminals, subject them to torture and eventually vaporize them into non-existence. Propaganda pronounces that War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery and Who controls the past controls the present. Who controls the present controls the future.

Shake & Stir’s discomforting adaptation by Nelle Lee and Nick Skubij resonates with chilling relevance in this era of fake news and social media influencers. Michael Futcher’s electrifying direction is aided by designer Josh McIntosh’s war-torn set, sound designer  Guy Webster’s ominous sound and effects and video designer Craig Wilkinson’s overpowering video imagery, accompanied by Jason Glenwright’s eerily evocative lighting design. This is a perfectly integrated production of theatrical elements to heighten the tension, increase the suspense and underscore the riveting performances of Shake & Stir’s excellent cast. For one hour and forty minutes without an interval, 1984 grips the audience with unrelenting involvement in Orwell’s dire and all too real prophesy. This dystopic view of a world entrenched in the threat of fascism and state control strikes a fearful chord for a 2025 audience cognisant of the fragile balance in the world order.

Michael Walley as Winston Smith

Josh McIntosh’s austere setting captures the bleak desolation of a post apocalyptic society, denied any pleasure, luxury or sexual freedom. The design is a depressing grey, the images of war, death and  destruction  on the large screen a lifeless monochrome. Protagonist  Winston Smith’s dreams of a world free of the darkness appear in vivid colour before dissolving into the gritty greyness. The inescapable irony of a Ministry of Love that preaches hate or the Ministry of Truth that propagates lies may remind us of the wisdom of hindsight, but Orwell reminds us that who controls the present controls the future.

Shake & Stir project Orwell’s forewarning with an excellent company of five actors. The performances are highlighted by the use of video close-ups and historical footage of World War ll horror and atrocity. Every aspect of the production compels thought and reflection. As Winston Smith, Michael Whalley traverses with absolute conviction the doubtful editor of Newspeak to trusting ally of O’Brien (David Whitney) to the lover of Julia (Chloe Bayliss) and the eventual captive in Room 101. Bayliss gives a coquettish and fiercely independent performance as Julia and Whitney is invidious as the cold and sadistic interrogator O’Brien. They are well supported by Abhilash Kaimal as the informer Charrington and Tony Cogin and Steven Rooke in a number of roles.

Chloe Bayliss as Julia. Michael Whalley as Winston Smith

Shake & Stir’s powerful production of Orwell’s cautionary classic is a shocking indictment of man’s inhumanity to man. It is impossible to escape its warning at a time when the world confronts the dangers of international conflict and insatiable quest for power. The production closes with  Orwell‘s words projected on the screen: Power is not a Means. Power is an End. It is power for power’s sake that O’Brien employs as he reduces Smith to a victim of the state’s will. Shake & Stir’s production is a grim reminder that Big Brother still exists and the only hope for the future lies in the memory of a better past and the existence of the Brotherhood. Shake & Stir have once again shaken us out of our complacency and stirred up our awareness. 1984 is Shake & Stir’s warning to our time. Don’t miss it.