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FIVE-time Olivier Award winner and darling of West End Matthew Bourne has made an artform of subverting the ballet genre with adaptions such as Carmen (reinvented as 'The Car Man') and Edward Scissorhands. Part of me wishes the Northern Ballet had been as bold as Bourne in their adaption of George Orwell's 1984.
The production, in places, lacks weight
But then, 1984 is a particularly tricky piece to stage without words. The novel, filled with evocative language and sinister themes, is designed to disturb the reader. Many of the writer’s predictions, such as the surveillance state (or 'Big Brother') are now so relevant that however many times you read the book, it still manages to retain that chilling quality.
Leeds-based Northern Ballet work this concept in quite a traditional way. We meet both Winston Smith (danced superbly by Tobias Batley) and Julia (Martha Leebolt) as the couple who fall in love in the most difficult of circumstances. They live in a nightmarish, totalitarian world in which they are controlled, stifled, from the moment they wake until they fall back to sleep.
Jonathan Watkins' choreography conveys the claustrophobia of Orwell’s oppressive vision with ease. The company begin the dance in a rigid fashion, resembling robots programmed by the regime. This suits the original material perfectly, easing any newcomers into the text, leaving us in no doubt that darkness looms.
The daily 'Two Minutes Hate' routine the party inflict on members is also incredibly effective; though due to lack of startling sound is not as disturbing as Headlong’s production of 1984 which recently left the West End.
1984Batley and Leebolt dance in such a way that you become lost within their love and admire their ability to block out the hell dominating their lives. Their scenes together bring this piece to life, as love is, by it's very nature, far more easily conveyed through movement.
Some of the more complex aspects of the novel do seem to get lost in the mix. Big Brother is ever-present, but you don't get the sense, as in the book, it's paying attention to every breath they take. This would likely be resolved if the company had been more brave in delivery. The performance is not quite pedestrian, there are some genuinely touching and beautiful moments, however, the production, in places, lacks weight. Some well-timed, booming announcements aimed at the pawns in the struggle, alongside a bigger set with more disturbing imagery may have further immersed the audience in this dystopian tale.
You have to admire Northern Ballet's gumption in attempting to present 1984 in ballet, and there are a number of scenes they pull-off with aplomb. Still, the whole thing feels too safe, tentative even; for such a dark, uneasy novel there's too much light and not enough shade.
The dancing, though, is faultless. Pure balletomanes will leave impressed, the rest may leave unfilled.
1984 runs at the Palace until Saturday 17 October - tickets here
