1984

Overview

For all its chilling prescience, George Orwell's 1984 made us believe that loving Big Brother would be horrifying. That just like the protagonist Winston, we'd all be dragged kicking and screaming into Room 101 for conversion. Not so. It took some time, but as apps became less and less coy about asking to root through our messages and contacts, we became less wary of them. The rebellion never had a chance.

Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan aren't so sure. The pair adapted Orwell's novel for the West End production and are now directing the Australian season at Melbourne's Comedy Theatre this May. 1984, which imagines a world where all citizens are under constant surveillance and the government has a ministry dedicated to fake news, seems to be gaining relevance as it ages. If things keep going Orwell's way, though, it's unlikely you'll get another chance to experience it in a theatre. Or in any form, for that matter.

So what'll it be — freedom or happiness?