Theater: Hudson Theatre / 145 W 44th St, New York, NY 10036
Synopsis:
Following four wildly successful U.K. runs, the new stage adaptation of George Orwell’s dystopian masterpiece opens at the Hudson Theatre (139-141 West 44th Street,New York, NY) on June 22nd (Previews began May 18th)
One of the most widely referenced and best known fiction titles of all time, 1984 has sold over 30 million copies worldwide and has been translated into more than 65 languages. Now, Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan have adapted this iconic novel into ‘a chilling, ingenious 101 minutes of theatre’ (The London Times).
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June 22, 2017: In periods when the world and its inhabitants seem too vicious to bear, some people find themselves drawn magnetically to what might be called feel-bad entertainment. I mean the sort of book, song or show that massages your anxiety the way your tongue might insistently probe an abscessed tooth.
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Long before the term “alternative facts” was coined, George Orwell introduced the concept of “doublethink” (being able to accept contradictory facts) in his 1949 dystopian novel “1984.” And before Donald Trump made claims about the size of his inaugural crowd that contradicted photographic evidence, Winston Smith, protagonist of “1984,” was instructed that if the government says two plus two equals five, it must be so.
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After President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, George Orwell’s 1984 flew off the shelves. Two days later, when senior adviser Kellyanne Conway used the phrase “alternative facts” to defend Press Secretary Sean Spicer making false claims about Trump’s inauguration crowd size, those sales continued, rising a nearly unfathomable 9,500 percent. It would seem like there couldn’t be a better time for Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan’s 1984 stage adaptation — which takes place in a world where thoughts can be considered crimes, and there are a designated two minutes each day for citizens to spew hate at national enemies — to storm Broadway, after successful runs in both the U.K. and Los Angeles.
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When was the last time you felt scared at the theater? Not disturbed or perturbed or provoked, but scared? The harrowing climactic torture scene of 1984, adapted from George Orwell’s novel by directors Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan, is intense in a way I’ve never seen on Broadway: It’s gut-churning. Children under 13 have been barred from the production; even adults may shake in their seats, or at least avert their eyes.
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Picture fun, escapist summer fare. Now, picture the exact opposite — that would be the powerful but grueling stage version of “1984,” which has just opened on Broadway.
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