A young couple falls in love and wants to get married. There’s just one problem, it’s illegal. In this dystopian world created by George Orwell, the totalitarian government controls everything and watches everyone in the party all the time. It’s even illegal to think bad thoughts against the government.
This production is very well done and it is quite intense at times. It’s probably a good idea to leave the kids at home for this one. Even adults were squirming in their seats as the government tortured a man in order to get him to obey Big Brother. The agony is clearly visible in his face. “How many fingers am I holding up?” “2+2 = 4?” “No! 5!” This is repeated many times to break him.
The sound design by Samantha Barr successfully brought you into the dark future of the story. The alarms from the telescreen and the squeals of the rats were quite startling. Also, using a Muse song was a good choice as a transition between scenes. Finally, “Karma Police” by Radiohead was spot on as the closing number. “This is what you’ll get, when you mess with us.”
Quinn Delaney
Also, see our review of 1984 at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica here.
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