"Animal Farm" by George Orwell (adapted by Tatty Hennessey)
Earlier this year I had the privilege of seeing a small section from this production when I was asked to be the Adjudicator for NANDA. Tonight I had the pleasure of seeing the whole production.
Sick and tired of being maltreated under their enslavement from man, the animals of Manor Farm revolt. Released from all chains, there is but one key rule: All animals are equal. Yet, as the story progresses we soon see some animals are more equal than others…
Orwell uses the turmoil faced on the farm by the animals as a metaphor for the Russian Revolution. It shows how a people's fight for freedom can quickly morph into a power play as chaos ensues.
Orwell plants lies, illiteracy and even a head hunt throughout the play to explain the oppression, propaganda and excuses that led to the rise of the Soviet dictatorship. Although routed in the powerplay of the Soviet Union, you can very easily see comparisons with Putin, Trump and Burnham in this story, just showing that although first published in 1945, is as relevant now as it was back then.
It's relatively easy for a film to create the feeling of power and fear, but not that easy to do convincingly in the theatre, but both of these feelings are well portrayed here. It takes a talented group to create such an uneasy feeling over an audience but in the second part of this play, the unease of the power pig, Napoleon was apparent.
Young people are so in tune with politics currently, and this powerful, political novel and piece of theatre is ideal to show that they understand what Orwell was saying, and predicted, and it's their understanding that gives this show the bite and attitude that is left on that stage tonight.
Let's head to the Pig Pen....
Napoleon, who becomes the tyrannical dictator of the farm, is played by Andrei Morris, a rare commodity in local theatre at the moment. He is young, male and black, everything that local theatre is short of, and has been for a while. And boy, can he deliver a powerful speech. You see the confidence of Napoleon rising with every speech and his importance on the farm is mapped out by the clothes Napoleon wears throughout.
Squealer is Napoleon's right hand, silver tongued pig, he helps convince the rest of the farm animals that what Napoleon says is the best way forward. Played excellently by Oliver Sheard. I've seen Oli on stage many times over the years and this role has leapt to the top and overtaken my previous favourite Oli role of Beadle Bamford in "Sweeney Todd". There's a feeling of Batman's Joker the way that Oli plays this, and I'll tell you why I thought this. Oli ends every sentence in a very precise way and then, most of the time breaks into an almost sneer; you know the way when a cunning plan is coming together and you just can't help to almost smile to yourself. So, is Squealer the puppet master?
Snowball, the pig who designs the windmill and champions Animalism, is one from the old school. He follows the rules of Old Major, but when he comes up against Napoleon and his dogs, he is soon dispensed. Snowball is played by James Cragg, again an actor I've seen on stage in several roles in the past.
Nutmeg, who heads up the leadership among the pigs and challenges the revolutionary changes on the farm, is played by Darcey Orwin.
Old Major is the prize-winning Middle White boar whose vision of a Utopian, rebellion-driven society sparks the revolution. Played by Zach Silcock who adds another brilliant role to his already extensive theatrical CV.
Minimus is a poet character who writes the poem "Comrade Napoleon," praising Napoleon as a god-like figure, provider, and protector. The role is played by Lizzy Rhodes, who also gets to air her vocals solo in the non rhyming ode to Napoleon.
And so on to the stables and the horses.....
Boxer, the cart horse with immense strength, is a solid supporter of Napoleon's, even though there's doubt towards the end, he too is sold down the river by Napoleon where Boxer comes to a sticky end. Played by Elizabeth Fitzgerald, who shows us that working harder and longer doesn't always pay dividends. You see, not all the commentary is of a political nature, we can take a lot from what Orwell wrote and incorporate it into our everyday life.
Clover, the gentle, motherly cart-horse and Boxer's close companion, who often suspects the pigs are breaking the Seven Commandments, is played by Eliza Szejda. You can feel that close bond between Boxer and Clover, especially so in the latter part of the play.
Playing Molly, the vain, foolish white mare who loves ribbons and sugar cubes, eventually abandoning the farm for human attention, is Mia Woodward.
Lenny Brady plays Benjamin, a cynical, long-lived donkey who refuses to get enthusiastic about the rebellion, believing that life will always remain hard. Benjamin is the clever one who can read and this comes in handy in the second part of this play. Another great character driven role for Lenny.
In the Farmyard there's Blue, the dog, played by Harry Merrick. Blue is taken in by Napoleon's power and whatever Squealer tells him, and joins the ranks, following their orders and policing the farm, which ends drastically for some of the characters who are in danger of standing in the way of Napoleon and Squealer's plans.
Clara, the hen, is played by Tilda Hatton. A rebellious bird who shows that her feathers have been ruffled in a sad and personal way in the second act. Tilda brings out the maternal side of the character in the first act which shows just how strong her feelings are about a certain decision that Napoleon had later set in place.
Milo, the gossipy pigeon who flutters in every now and again to spread the gossip on what she sees in and around the farmyard, is played by Abigail McGregor. 
Mr Jones, the drunken, neglectful owner of Manor Farm who is overthrown by the animals, and Mr PIlkington, the easy-going owner of the neighbouring Foxwood Farm, is played by Connie Tegerdine.
A mindless flock of sheep that drown out dissent by bleating slogans like "Four legs good, two legs bad" are played by Sophie Murphy (Minty) along with the ensemble, who cover all the other characters down on the farm, played by Lizzie Kenny, Bethany Winter, La-Mai McKenzie and Polly Sibley. Zach Silcock and Lizzy Rhodes also join the Ensemble.
The show is an Ensemble piece and this production shows just how good a cast of this size work so well with each other.
Directed by Keira Dormer-Hazell who really helps to bring the characterisation of the animals via the cast alive. The snorting and sniffing, baying and barking of the animals, even when not centre stage brings the reality of a farm alive. Keira gets the protagonists to spread doubt and fear throughout the other animals in such a convincing way that you can smell the fear from the auditorium. The pace is held up brilliantly which results in the length of the show coming in at two hours, with interval. As with my preview for NANDA, it left me wanting more. Assisting Keira was Jack Kent.
Stage managed by Cathy Bodman who encouraged the slickness and smooth running of the story and performance. Rosa Lymer was Deputy Stage Manager.
The set design was basic but that was all that was needed because the story itself shone in the hands of this cast. Nothing was needed to distract on stage, but the several props that were required were all relevant and used well. I imagine that the design may also have been in the vision of Keira's mind, to keep the staging simple and effective.
Wardrobe is not mentioned but I felt this played a very important part in the play and the story. As you'd expect, being on a farm yard the basic costumes, T Shirts, dungarees etc were mud stained to show the work that the animals do. But as I mentioned earlier the rise of importance was also depicted by the upgrade of the costumes with Squealer and Napoleon moving from vest and pants to suits and ties.
I loved the music used in the show; a style of industrial music, imagine New Order and Factory records style and that's what you got. Another thing I liked as well was that Sound Operator George Wilson was not afraid to use the volume button, and this in itself created that oppressiveness felt by the animals and it injected fear.
I also loved the contemporary choreography, which in a way reminded me of another George Orwell piece, "1984" with the struggles involved and Big Brother watching everything and ruling what you think, say and do. Just another gorgeous piece of a gorgeous jigsaw.
Lighting design is by Oliver Read. This design also created the perfect atmosphere needed for the story.
I've seen a few productions of Orwell's "Animal Farm" and this is right up there with some of the best. This though had a strangely modern feel, maybe it's because of the state of the UK and the world at the moment with someone trying to make the majority believe in something that maybe isn't quite as honest, where rebellion may just be around the corner.
"Animal Farm" can be seen at the Nottingham Arts Theatre on Sunday 11 October at 2pm. Saturday evening was very well attended and I am hoping that Sunday will be just as popular because this cast and crew deserve your attention of this classic story.
Photography by Martin Holtom
