1984 Uplate
1984 Uplate
Eagle’s Nest Theatre
The Open Stage
2 August 2008
Egle’s Nest Theatre break new ground this week, with a reimagining of George Orwell’s classic tale, 1984, sewn into the infamous reality TV show that it inspired, Big Brother. With an entirely new original score, and James Adler’s script based on the novel, the show deals with issues of truth, politics, freedom and love.
The primarily young cast attack the difficult material well, but are let down by a lack of sound production. Without the benefit of sound amplification, their words are often lost in a melee of background noise, music and ‘ad libs.’ With much of the dialogue incomprehensible or inaudible, the complicated and character-driven story is difficult for an audience, and loses much of its potency.
The concept of melding 1984 with Big Brother is a good one, giving the show an amusing and impressive opening. The concept gives rise to some of the best performances in the show, with Ali Bonelle’s Grettle (a takeoff of long-term Big Brother host Gretel Killeen) bouncing onto the stage, engaging and a lot of fun. Her off-stage off-sider, Big Brother, is perfectly played by Paul Bongiorno, capturing the dry, unaffected tone of the original. It is a shame that the idea was not carried quite to the end, with the show finishing in the world of 1984 rather than being brought back to the television world.
Unfortunately, the major thrust of this opening is lost rather by the strangely flat and unsubtle character of George Orwell himself. The lack of nuance then continues into the major plot, with cast often going for ‘shock value’ rather than allowing their audience to be horrified by the warped and disturbing story.
Farhad Zaiwala and Becca Posterino had clear chemistry as Winston and Julia, and their romance was well-portrayed on the stage. The interaction between them and John Latham’s O’Brien was probably my favourite moment of the show, and Latham’s character continued to be a great source of enjoyment for the remainder of the show.
Nela Trifkovic’s music is used to good effect, with music often underscoring major moments of conflict or turmoil to good effect. Again, it is a shame that inadequate sound production made much of the vocal music overshadowed by the instrumental.
With a great concept and fantastic music, Eagle’s Nest Theatre’s 1984 Uplate is full of moments of beauty that make its rather sad story all the more poignant. The story of 1984 has all the more meaning in today’s world of media and near-constant war, and is one that shall continue to have relevance for a very long time.