Play: 1984

I was happy to get a ticket to 1984, having missed its initial run in the Almeida, which was sold out. Well, tonight it opened in the Playhouse, and I got a ticket, at last. They're running a gimmick of providing 101 tickets for every performance at £19.84 - thing is, they're restricted view, so I skipped those and went for a "second-priced" ticket instead. And went with lastminute, who don't have booking fees, so it's cheaper despite the ticket price being the same.

Because of the Tube strike, I had researched my bus route, in case I needed it. However, I knew I'd be ok heading into town, as the strike wasn't to start till 9. So it proved, and I had a trouble-free journey to the Playhouse. It was nice, too, to arrive at Embankment and not have to climb up to the bridge, as I usually do! Great view, but a lot of steps. The Playhouse, on the other hand, is just around the corner to the left as you leave the station on the non-river side.

I collected my ticket. Lastminute doesn't give you seat numbers in advance, but they're pretty reliable in providing decent seats. I looked at my ticket. Row A of the dress circle - restricted view! Bah humbug. I knew from the seating reviews you can get online that this row has a somewhat restricted view because of the balcony rail. Not much I could do about it now, though. I got a glass of wine - you can take drinks into the auditorium if they're in plastic containers, which I did. I also decided, after sneaking a peek at a programme over someone's shoulder, that I'd better get one of those as well, not having read the book or seen the film..

The row, as promised by the seat review - and in common with other dress circle rows - had great legroom. And, as the person to my left remarked, if this was "restricted view", he'd take it! Yes, the balcony rail obscured the edge of the stage. But that didn't impinge on most of the action, and if you leaned forward a bit, the rail didn't restrict your view at all. You also get a terrific view of the theatre architecture from here, and the detail of the elaborate plastering. I busied myself with studying the programme, which I just had time to finish before the lights went down.

I did a bit of reading before this play, and I'm glad I did, although I guess you don't strictly need to. The play opens with a scene some time after 2050, with characters considering Winston Smith's diary, but soon the lead character is immersed in it, and we're back to the original story. And a powerful one it is, of a society controlled by the Party, headed by Big Brother. Every movement is monitored, and people suspected of rebelling are accused by the thought police. Food is rationed, people are told what to think. The Party introduces a new language called Newspeak, whose primary feature is that it is unique in being a language whose vocabulary actually decreases every year. The purpose of this is to make independent thought impossible, as there will be no vocabulary with which to express it. Doublethink is the rule, whereby you hold two contradictory opinions simultaneously.

The amazing thing about this story is how much of it you can relate to real-life events. Scarily. Children reporting on their parents. Constant surveillance. Thought crimes. "Unpersoning", where someone undesirable is simply erased from history. I could go on, but it's depressing. Anyhow, the play can't possibly cover all of them, but it does its best.

It is a powerful production, but I have a couple of quibbles with the end. It's powerful, it's visceral, but as the director, I would have played it with a little more solemnity. Dwelt on the horror a bit. In this, it feels a bit rushed. Never mind, it's a terrific introduction if you haven't seen it before. I liked that it didn't have an interval - the more so because it ended at 9.20, and TFL had said they'd try to run the District Line to Wimbledon - my line - with departures until 9.30 at least from central London. So I got the Tube home after all - although there were delays, due, apparently, to congestion, around Earl's Court. So what's new?!

For tomorrow, it's looking like a film, and that is looking like Locke. Which is handy, because it's showing in my local cinema, and I can walk there. So much for the strike! On Wednesday, however, I'm off to town again - to Smashed, at the Underbelly Festival. Yes, the purple cow is back, staging circus feats. This is a juggling show, with, apparently, something to say about fascism. O goodness! :-)