1984

Tonight, Gary and I caught dinner at Ricardo’s and then headed over to Plano’s Cox Building Playhouse to watch a stage play.  One of Gary’s friends from work (Brad) is in charge of the lighting for the production.  The play is “1984” by George Orwell, and it was performed by Frisco Community Theatre. 

According to enotes.com, “Published in 1948 and set thirty-six years in the future, 1984 is George Orwell’s dark vision of the future. Written while Orwell was dying and based on the work of the Russian author Yevgeny Zamyatin, it is a chilling depiction of how the power of the state could come to dominate the lives of individuals through cultural conditioning. This apocalyptic satire shows with grim conviction how Winston Smith’s individual personality is wiped out and how he is recreated in the Party’s image until he does not just obey but even loves Big Brother. Some critics have related Winston Smith’s sufferings to those Orwell underwent at preparatory school, experiences he wrote about just before 1984. Orwell maintained that the book was written with the explicit intention “to alter other people’s idea of the kind of society they should strive after.”

The story is rather dark (and a bit long), but the performances from the principal actors were outstanding.  During the cultural conditioning scenes, the emotion was intense and very believable.  The staging/sets were simple, but effective — sometimes less is more. 

The Cox Playhouse is a small, intimate theatre.  Some of the seats towards the back didn’t have a great view, but I was sitting on the aisle so I could see most of the action.  If you go, try to sit towards the front.

All in all, it was a good evening, and I’m glad we went.  It got me out of the house and kept me from working all night, which is a very good thing.  And here’s even better news….tomorrow is Friday (yay!).  Have a good one.