1984! The Musical!

Think of musicals and George Orwell’s dystopian tale of totalitarianism, thought police and state surveillance isn’t usually the first thing that comes to mind. But writers Diana Reid and Tom Davidson McLeod swear adapting 1984 to a musical comedy felt “surprisingly natural”. The pair have teamed up with composer Riley McCullagh (The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, The Dog/The Cat) to bring Winston Smith’s attempts to rebel against Big Brother and the Party to surprisingly hilarious life, complete with tap dancing in torture chambers, rats with razzle dazzle and Big Brother as the ultimate musical superstar. Joining them will be Charlie Hollands as Winston and Anna Della Marta as his sidekick Julia, alongside Joshua Macqueen as the mysterious O’Brien.