Orwell - A Celebration

By Gene - 5th Jul 2009

Dominic Cavendish's adaptation of Orwell's "Coming Up For Air" is a bueatifully constructed work. A monologue for a middle aged, middle class man drowning under the sheer, unrelenting drudgery of everyday life and seeking, though doomed to fail, a way out by re-visiting the halcyon days of a perhaps mis-remembered childhood. Don't get me wrong, this is a piece with plenty of humour and a light touch and Hal Cruttenden makes George Bowling immensely real under Gene David Kirk's expert guidance.

After the break we were treated to "Shooting an Elephant", "A Hanging" and the Ministry of Love scene from "1984" - interesting pieces all but without the immediacy and accessibility we were treated to in "Coming Up For Air".

I shall remember Hal Cruttenden's performance for some considerable time, it was a huge pleasure to watch - thank you Dominic and Gene for bringing this to our stage.