George Orwell's Animal Farm

George Orwell's Animal Farm As the production opens, a group of political refugees begin to tell

the story. But they gradually convert themselves into an amazing range

of characters, so vividly portrayed that your believe yourself to be

actually in the novel. The inspired acting company uses their bodies

and heavy boots to create the animals in this acutely physical

production.

Animal Farm was performed at the Lowry end on, a direct suggestion

that we were about to be told a story. This stage form also brought up

the metatheatrical question of who would be watching whom.

The audience was made up of school groups, a particularly hard

audience to "hook". This would prove whether or not the company could

hold an audience of this age (14-18 year olds mainly). Their reception

was, as expected from the age group, very vocal and active, and

despite the occasional time when thing just flew over their heads they

were held entranced.

The tall, bomb shelter style set was already shown as we walked into

the auditorium, inspiring hostile images of caged animals, and an

industrial poverty.

The play was based on George Orwell's highly successful and

hard-hitting "fairytale"; Animal Farm. This satirical assertion of the

horrors and repression of the Russian Revolution has unnervingly

coincidental links to modern day societal conflicts as well as

revolutional occurrences and fascist dictators' rise and fall all

through the ages. The story hits you with it's direct connection to

the current situation in Iraq, as well as Saddam Hussein and Hitler's

cruel ...

... middle of paper ...

...estep", with rigid arm movements and straight backs, like puppets

held firmly in reign. The unison of the movements show them as all

being equal, but Napoleon being exempt from the need to march is

proved as much stronger, and much more important than the rest.

This was a performance not to be missed, its epic proportions, echoed

by the huge staging and the towering windmill constructed before your

very eyes. A bitter reflection on our human "civilised" ways,

emotional charged, with moments of utter and complete suspension of

disbelief.

The whole feat was a thoroughly enjoyable experience - whether a drama

student or an Orwell virgin, a teacher or a high school drop-out the

sheer perfection of symbolic representation, and a polished

performance from this talented northern cast - you'd be barking mad to

miss it!