It was an overcast morning in August, and the clocks were striking 11:25am for Box Tale Soup’s adaptation of !984, the classic novel by George Orwell. Winston Smith works within the outer layer of ‘the Party’ as he begins to desire change and rebellion. In a world where simple things such as thoughts become crimes, Winston must navigate his hope without getting caught while also finding others who share his dreams and want to launch a rebellion. This is never going to be easy as, of course, Big Brother is always watching.
On arrival into the theatre, the first striking detail of this piece is its set. Surrounded by wooden pillars, boxes and an ominous, white, tent-like structure, the space has been filled well. Moreover, all of these set pieces are used in very practical ways. Set pieces are slickly moved by the ensemble throughout the show proving there are many different ways you can creatively use a box. In addition, it is worth mentioning that all of the props and set pieces in 1984 are made by the company using recycled materials.
The cast of three actors are very strong and work well together. Mark Collier, who plays Winston Smith, expertly navigates Winston’s struggle of keeping up his charade of loyalty to the party. Collier creates a lot of tension between Winston and the other characters with great effect. Antonia Christophers, who plays Julia, and Noel Byrne, who plays O’Brien also multi-role as other minor ensemble characters. As Julia, Christophers does a great job of jumping between Julia’s desire for Winston and her ability to fit in within the party to a better extent than him. As O’Brien, Byrne is cunning and creates curiosity, luring the audience in. However, it is unfair to compare these three actors as it is their master skill at creating an ensemble that puts them ahead of other theatre companies.
Perhaps the most important thing to mention about this Orwell adaptation, and the most creative element, is the use of puppetry throughout. Human-like puppet variants are used in place of the actors throughout a large portion of the show – pushing the idea that they can’t be their true self in case they are arrested or worse. In the story’s more honest moments, the characters speak as themselves, free of their puppet counterparts. The creativity showcased by Box Tale Soup is simply genius and the sort of thing that retellings of classics should strive to do!
1984 is a faithful adaptation of George Orwell’s novel with a modern, creative twist so good that even Big Brother would be mesmerised while watching.
1984 runs until August 25th at Pleasance Courtyard (Above) and tickets are available at https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/1984
Reviewer: Dylan Mooney
Reviewed: 7th August 2025
North West End UK Rating: