Review: 1984 Revolution of the Soul

Written and produced by Junayd Islam, and directed by Angelo Alcazar and Pips Collins, 1984 Revolution of the Soul is a radical adaptation of George Orwell’s literary classic.

While true to the plot, with the first lines being the George Orwell’s iconic introductory lines, Junayd does not shy away from shocking or disturbing and uses the small square stage to explore the oppressive powers of an authoritarian government and the dangers of lost humanity.

via Zareen Taj

Special mention is owed to Jake Hughes, lighting designer who used lighting to powerfully express violent or tender emotions.  The stage was often suddenly cloaked in darkness, presenting small snippets of the horrific lives of those in this repressive society.

An example which comes to mind is a brief moment between a mother and daughter and the gut-wrenching, shrill grief which is presented by the shower of red lighting – the literal, visual darkness of the lighting often perfectly complementing the spectrum of emotions and scenarios presented.

The stage was transformed from a mundane office space, or a quaint home to terrifying institutional settings, where the audience is shown the oppression of creative expression, and forced conformity.

The power of lighting is used most memorably in the scene where Winston is tortured. It is extremely unsettling and poignant – with flashing lights accompanied by shrill noises creating a nightmarish scene; the audience is frightened and privy to the unspeakable actions of the government alongside Winston.

The lighting and sound made emotion and pain palpable. Props and lighting, though simple, are effective in creating different yet equally powerful and disturbing settings.

via Zareen Taj

Winston, our protagonist was played by Krish Misra who capably explored the relatable, human, thoughtful, conscious, and passionate aspects of his character. He made our everyman seem to be one of only characters awake and desensitized to the censorship and repression from the government in this dystopian world. He was emotionally strong and expressive. Playing opposite as Julia was Maddie Lock who was vivacious, determined and stubborn.

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Maddie and Krish complemented each other and successfully conveyed the futility of young love and rebellion against the iron fist of Big Brother, and oppressive power as physically embodied by Felix Warren’s O’Brien.

Felix was chillingly inhumane with a robotic voice and a cruel, unforgiving implementation of authority which is presented in the form of torture and the forcible erasure of free thought and expression.

via Megan Myers-Finnegan

Junayd, as well as writing and producing, adopted the role of Goldstein and was an elusive, somehow all-knowing character. They who seemed to exist both within Winston’s mind, the dystopian society and within our society, as they frequently addressed the audience.

They infused certain isolated scenes with culture: They were the voice of literature, freedom humanity – sporadically singing and adding what remains an echo or dream of literature and creative expression such as Shakespeare’s sonnets to the increasingly digitized and censored world of 1984.

This cultural humanity seems to be going gradually extinct in our modern-day, digital age. The use of phones, modern technology forced us to confront the ways in which AI and social media are replacing creativity with a disconnected, unfeeling digital society.

The rigid, authoritarian state of Orwell’s design, where even thought and memory is controlled, is given life, breath and motion within 1984 Revolution of the Soul. While the use of dialogue was sometimes ineffective or unnecessary, it was ultimately a production that completely engulfed the audience and was engaging and provocative. Truly memorable.

Showing in the Corpus Playroom from Tuesday 27nd to Saturday 31st October.

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