1984 – Omnibus Theatre

George Orwell’s 1984 is prescribed reading for most schools in Britain, but it is still banned in Russia. To mark the 40th anniversary of Orwell’s narrative, inspired by Nick Hern’s play, Withintheatre, a London-based collective of professional Slavic performers, has assembled a physical theatre interpretation of the piece. Founded in 2022 by Sofia Barysevich, Withintheatre’s performance platforms the play as an act of defiance and activism.

The play lasts until 2nd February at the Omnibus Theatre, London, following their sold-out, award-winning run at the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe. Recreating moments of violence, subjugation, and interrogation, The play’s themes are topical. Observing authoritarian regimes around us twist facts and swoop in to control private lives increasingly. ‘1984’ serves as a history lesson and a grim warning if we collectively don’t find methods to hold off consolidation of capital and power. The play shines an impressive spotlight on the oppressive world of totalitarianism. Springing of Orwell’s original dialogue, it centres on Winston and Julia’s doomed love story.

The Slavic actors, now based in London, attribute their memory of landlocked Belarus to the hunger for wine and the removal of personal expression. The physicality, chorus work, and light choices definitely stay with us. Nikolay Mulakov’s movement and character catch one’s eye.

However, the Omnibus theatre has previously hosted plays like ‘Surfacing’ that used projection so innovatively that it has raised the bar to engage the audience with this tool. It was delightful to see vintage computers on stage. The play is both a creative expression and a vital warning. A play about the omnipresence of technology, staying away from any comment about ‘the flow of capital and power that often transcend geopolitical rivalries, uniting supposed competitors under a shared technocratic vision for humanity’s future’. It also misses an opportunity to call out ‘the global technocratic elites who use long-term narratives to justify policies and technologies that often sideline accountability, equity, and privacy.’ 

1984 highlights how Governments appointed by the people often forget their duty to the people while competing for dominance, prioritizing control and efficiency, and eroding the rights and freedoms of the people at large. The play leaves out of its scope how this invariably further entrenches systems of inequality and exclusion and does not provide any respite in its future imagination.

Reviewer: Anisha Pucadyil

Reviewed: 28th January 2025

North West End UK Rating: