MICK MCSHANE is roused by a band whose socialism laces every line of every song with commitment and raw passion
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Come down the farm
PAUL DONOVAN applauds an adaptation that draws out the contemporary relevance of George Orwell’s satire
INEQUALITIES EXPOSED: Joshua-Alexander Williams as Blue and Tachia Newall as Napoleon in Animal Farm
New releases from Mountain, Soul Asylum and Michael McDermott
ALEX HALL is disgusted by the misuse of ‘emotional narratives’ to justify uninformed geo-political prejudice
SUE TURNER welcomes a thoughtful, engaging book that lays bare the economic realities of global waste management
JOHN GREEN welcomes an insider account of the achievements and failures of the transition to democracy in Portugal
SIMON PARSONS applauds an imaginative and absorbing updating of Strindberg’s classic
PETER MASON is enthralled by an assembly of objects, ancient and modern, that have lain in the mud of London’s river
Animal Farm
Theatre Royal, Stratford East
THIS excellent adaptation of George Orwell’s iconic book gives a real contemporary feel to proceedings.
The original book, published in 1945, saw Orwell drawing what he saw as lessons from the early years of the Russian revolution. This Tatty Hennessy adaptation centres more on power dynamics, manipulation of group situations and inequality.
In places there is more than a hint of the recent history of the Labour Party, with a popular leader ousted and a manipulative shadowy figure putting his man into the top job. The role of manipulative pig, Squealer (Tom Simper), has certainly been made far more prominent than in the original book. A cross between Peter Mandelson and Uriah Heep.
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The phrase “cruel to be kind” comes from Hamlet, but Shakespeare’s Prince didn’t go in for kidnap, explosive punches, and cigarette deprivation. Tam is different.
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