1984

1984… the story of our times?

The play is shocking and violent. Several reviews describe audience members fainting, vomiting, and even begging the cast to stop. With scenes of execution, torture, blood everywhere, this show is definitely not for the faint of heart.

The set design was creative, peeling away to reveal how our private space is not what we think it is, in a society under surveillance.

But the actual content was… not super shocking??? Or, not as shocking as the book? Or, not as shocking as the current news? I read the book a long time ago, but remembered it as being more about the danger of thoughts (than the physical violence). Of course, the latter is used to suppress the former. However, for all the extreme violence on stage, I just felt the play could have done more with less.