Blind Summit's 1984

Went to see Blind Summit's new show, 1984, at the Battersea Arts Centre on Saturday night, after taking in the Little Angel show Petrushka. I'm reviewing the latter for Animations Online, but wanted to blog briefly about 1984.

Blind Summit, after the mainstream success of Low Life (based on Charles Bukowski's work), has made a huge reputation for collaborative work with companies around the UK. 1984 is its first major solo show since Low Life. (I was supposed to review a scratch showing of Call of the Wild at ROH a year or two back.) The company has intentionally embraced a low-tech approach to Orwell's book - using a variety of cardboard cut-outs and props, and much mime, along with a handful of puppets. They frame the story of Winston by having him and his lover Julia act out their tale with a propaganda troupe as part of their punishment. (Winston enters with a dunce camp with the words 'Thought Criminal' on it while Julia wears a cardboard signs saying 'whore').

The second half is too long (is this emphasis on torture due to Amnesty International being the show's sponsor?) but the piece is beautifully theatrical on the whole. 'The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism' is acted out at breakneck speed with carboard props; Charrington is revealed to be a puppet; Winston is hoisted up by other actors to make love to Julia.

Bukwoski, Orwell and Jack London... reads like the contents of a teenage boy's bedside bookshelf. I am enjoying this return to my own past...