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Preview: 1984

There are few books deserving of the words ‘modern classic’. George Orwell’s book 1984, however, truly deserves the accolade. The bleak tale of one man’s struggle for personal identity in a totalitarian state has never lost its vital relevancy. Thirty years after the book’s fictional date of dystopian control it remains as urgent and necessary as ever.

There have been a number of adaptations over the years.  The 1950s BBC version with Peter Cushing remains a landmark in TV broadcasting.  Cancelled after the first episode due to its disturbing content it took a personal letter from the Queen to have the last episode screened, such is the power of the story.resized_1984-BlackpoolGrand-d

The Grand Theatre hosts the latest adaptation by Headlong Theatre later this month. Previous reviews have lauded this version as one of the best ever undertaken. This adaptation promises to have lost none of the power and brutality of the book, to fully explore the world of sexcrime and personal surveillance taken to its extremes.  In today’s security camera heavy society and with forced erotic banality filling our screens, it is important that the story of Winston Smith with his small flame of resistance to the juggernaut of modern society’s grim predicted outcomes is told. Yes, it’s a futuristic world that could never happen in such extremes, but Sci-Fi has always pushed the boundaries to foresee the possibilities and 1984 is a tale that has the boundaries uncomfortably closer to home than we would really like.resized_1984-BlackpoolGrand-1

Book your tickets for Headlong’s 1984 at The Grand before Big Brother erases it from the allowed lists of public entertainment.  It opens on 30 September and runs to 4 October.

 

Images from Blackpool Grand Theatre.

Reclaim Blackpool - Mapping Sexual Harrasment
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