This was a play I was very much looking forward to seeing. Having studied Orwell in some depth years ago, and having read the book several times and seen the film, I was more than curious to see how this would translate onto stage.
In this, Peter Hall's reworking of the novel, he stays extremely close to the original story, and for those who don't know the story, then in a nutshell it is one long and masterful political allegory warning us of the dangers of indoctrination and brainwashing based society, with specific reference to Communism and the Russian Revolution. Although the protagonists of this story are animals, (which walk and talk and think like humans) the events which unfold in this play closely mirror those of the events which lead up to and during Russia's 1917 Revolution. It is stark and surprisingly clear when the story is told this way.
On entering the theatre this evening we were presented with a very detailed and realistic looking farm set. The farmer's cottage to one side, the barn in the rear and a stage full of hay bales and wooden slatted fencing, and the all important flag pole DSL. What also impressed me very much this evening was director Les Williams' choice of incidental music to accompany the play. Mostly (or even perhaps all - I was listening only subliminally) were pieces of late Romantic / Early 20th century classical works by Russian composers such as Prokofiev, and so very much in keeping with Russia / Revolution and dissonance. What didn't work so well however were the three small black tables used as podia for the speeches etc. They were not part of a farm's accoutrements and therefore looked out of place and very 'stagey'.
The biggest challenge with this play however, is not the stage (although the building of a windmill must have caused a few anxious looks from the technical department!), but the fact that the vast majority of the cast are all farm animals. And herein lies a directorial nightmare - how to make this happen and be believable and watchable. Having never seen the play before I have no yardstick from which to gauge, but have seen countless plays and shows for children where actors have played animals in what have become known as 'skins'. This premise works well enough when only one or two of the cast are animals, and so Williams wisely chose not to deploy such an idea here, and instead make the animals altogther much more human in both demeanor and look.
The problem with this idea was that it took too long a time to understand what each animal was. Hens were the same size as pigs who were the same size as shire horses, and the costuming, although clever - light pink boiler suits for the pigs, brown dungarees for horses, white woolly jumpers for sheep etc - there was not enough distinction in there at the start, it took a long while before we actually knew each animal. This might also be down to the fact that the first scene of the play is extremely long-winded and perhaps not strictly necessary either. It could easily have been omitted and reported. Such a static and wordy scene at the very start of the play did nothing to pique my interest, despite knowing the story very well. I also did not understand the need for a narrator either. The role was completely unnecessary. [I have also seen Poppy Waxman on stage before, and know that she can do much better than the seeming 'sightreading' she gave us this evening].
Once the play did get going however, it was excellent and very enjoyable. Attention to detail given in so many areas, down to specific and nuanced mannerisms both physical and vocal, as well as some interesting group work. Of course the pigs were the 'stars' of the play, and Max Race's Squealor and Connor O'Brien's Snowball were superbly measured performances. Leon Jackson gave us a 'worker', a 'commoner' - one of the masses who just happened to have "greatness thrust upon him" with ease. His droning monotonous voice and dogged slouch matching perfectly the affected 'one of you' poses communist leaders tend to adopt. His development from pig to leader to quasi-human was astounding.
Other very notable performances - in a hugely talented ensemble cast - came from Elliot Blyth's portrayal of Boxer (wonderfully sympathetic and relatable), Amelia Ball's Clover who becomes more and more suspicious with every entrance but finds herself, like every other animal, unable to rail against the oppression. Phoebe Fitton and Ella Mecks were perfectly cast as a couple of hens. Their physicality and voices pitched perfectly and dressed identically, they could so easily have descended into a comedy routine, but quite rightly never did and delivered lovely performances. It was the four sheep, acting as one, which provided the light relief and their unison chanting - despite their ignorance of understanding - was delightful.
Williams' direction was tight, secure, and I really enjoyed all the unison chants and signs of solidarity with arms high in the air, which would get visibly less and less high as the play progressed - a beautiful touch which worked so well.
Perhaps (for me at least) Peter Hall's script is not the best, but it did certainly stick very closely to the novel and kept everything in the right order, making it a clear and undiffused watch for first-timers to the narrative, and under Williams' sympathetic direction these students (16 and 17 years old I believe) flourished and produced an outstanding piece of theatre which deserves a wider audience.
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 26/2/19
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