Brighton Fringe 2026
ORWELL: The Road to 1984
Stratford Productions
Genre: Adaptation, Theatre
Venue: Rotunda Theatre Brighton: Bubble
Festival: Brighton Fringe
Low Down
A one-man show depicting Orwell’s personal journey to writing his masterpiece ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’, crafted from Orwell’s own writings
Review
In this superbly-put-together one-man show, we first meet Orwell as a famous author, journaling about his hospital routine, while tuberculosis keeps him bed-bound. As Orwell thinks back to the events that led to his writing Nineteen Eighty-Four, his reminiscences come to life.
We get to know the sickly young boy who loves playing with language and creating characters and stories in his mind. We follow him to boarding school, and witness his humiliation at the hands of figures of authority. As he grows up, his keen eye for detail and his willingness to face tough – and even bleak – realities keep him searching for the heart of humanity. His quest takes him across the world and across social divides. His own heart seems full of contradictions, where his empathy for all living creatures collides with his awareness of social pressures.
By the time the story circles back to Orwell’s hospital bed, our respect for his achievements as a writer mingles with our compassion for his all-too-human struggles.
The narrative weaves together scenes from Orwell’s own writings. Every scene in the show feels well-earned and vivid. Adapter and director Guy Smith has done an excellent job, creating a coherent and compelling story offering a glimpse into the inner world of a world-famous storyteller.
A one-person show is a tour-de-force, setting out to hold an audience spell-bound for an hour or longer. Performer Mark Stratford certainly achieved this. His portrayal of Orwell’s experiences at a boarding school was at the same time entertaining and disturbing, making it all the more poignant. A hush fell over the auditorium as we witnessed bleak scenes from Orwell’s A Hanging and Shooting An Elephant. And yet, Orwell’s fantasy of a writer’s life in Paris had us giggling with delight. The show made great use of Mark’s ability to evoke animals’ sounds and movements, and to persuade a prop such as a walking cane to serve other inventive uses with seeming ease.
The staging made inventive use of the available space, with the same table becoming by turns a headmaster’s study, a Parisian café, Orwell’s writing desk and more.
Sound design by Chloe Park deserves a special mention. It went beyond introducing scene changes, enhancing the show by adding extra layers of meaning and emotion. Especially memorable was the choice of Dido’s Lament from Purcell’s famous opera, which added poignancy to one of Orwell’s moments of profound personal dilemma.
The applause at the end was immediate and enthusiastic. After the show, I asked one audience member for their take. I picked out “stupendous” and “mesmerising” from the flow of praise, which made it clear that this person thoroughly enjoyed the show. I, too, had been carried along by the twists and turns as the story unfolded, a rare treat where the story and performer seemed made for each other.
This show offers a powerful and affecting story performed with nuance and humour by a consummate storyteller.
A Highly Recommended Show
