1984 UK Tour at Malvern Theatres - Review

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Tue 01 Oct 2024 - Sat 05 Oct 2024

Big Brother is watching everyone, even the audience, from the moment you enter the theatre through a big eye that's become synonymous with the TV reality show. It's one of the clever touches about this new stage version of the George Orwell classic by Bath Theatre Royal.

I caught 1984 early on during its UK tour at Malvern Theatres , where it stays until Saturday, October 5. It continues to venues including Guildford’s Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Richmond Theatre, Theatre Royal Brighton and Liverpool Playhouse until the end of November(full tour dates below).

Keith Allen is the big name as O'Brien but Mark Quartley as Winston and Eleanor Wyld as Julia hold their own in a strong, small cast. They've both impressed in recent years at the Royal Shakespeare Company(RSC) and do so again here. Allen is pictured with Quartley below.



Using a huge video screen in the big eye for communications and CCTV-style footage, director Lindsay Posner creates a sinister feeling of always being watched by Big Brother in this dystopian drama.

There's a menacing undercurrent from the start that verges on claustrophobic after the interval. Yet, it's contemporary enough to make this feel starkly relevant to current times.

It's not just Big Brother watching the players but many of the other cast members, who sit on the sidelines when not involved. A great touch to reinforce that feeling of always being under surveillance.



Quartley gives Winston plenty of depth, changing from shallow and cocky in early scenes when he's happy to be part of the machine to a broken man, standing naked in front of us all after trying to fight against it.

While Wyld's Julia has a beguiling free-spiritedness alongside the savviness to survive. Both feel realistic in a world where any emotion could give you away for committing a 'thought crime'. David Birrell, pictured above, impresses as Winston's neighbour Parsons, who helps build the tension.

Yet it is Allen who resonates the most with a chilling, beautifully crafted performance. Cunning, calm yet truly vicious, he makes O'Brien everyone's ultimate nightmare and shows the effort and violence it takes to keep a society subservient.



Added to the fine performances, there's a relentless pace that makes nearly two and a half hours skip by. Every angle is thoughtfully adapted, especially Room 101, when the sounds take over from the visuals. After all, people's imaginations will be far worse than what could be conjured up on stage.

With themes of war to distract the masses, fake news, rewriting history and government controls against protest, it's hard to believe this was written in 1949. It's so acutely poignant to what is happening right now across the world.

This is an unbelievably good production that makes 1984 essential viewing. It's tense, thrilling, relevant and clever. I can't help but feel George Orwell would have been proud. A must-see.

Rating: 5/5 stars


UK tour dates - 1984

8 - 12 October - Poole’s Lighthouse Theatre
15 - 19 October - Guildford’s Yvonne Arnaud Theatre
22 - 26 October - Cambridge Arts Theatre
29 October - 2 November - Theatre Royal Brighton
12 - 16 November - Richmond Theatre
19 - 23 November - Liverpool Playhouse

See the theatre websites for ticket information.

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