Headlong’s acclaimed production of George Orwell’s dystopian classic 1984 will transfer to the Almeida theatre next year, marking the third and final production by the leading theatre company to play at the Islington venue within the space of a year.
Adapted by Duncan Macmillan and Robert Icke, who joins former Headlong Artistic Director and new leader of the Almeida theatre Rupert Goold as Associate Director at the venue, 1984 will play from 8 February (press night 13 February) to 29 March following a UK tour.
Directed by Icke and Macmillan with designs by Chloe Lamford, 1984 takes the chilling depiction of perpetual war, pervasive government surveillance and public mind control found in Orwell’s influential novel and channels it through the lens of contemporary culture, exploring themes of surveillance culture, identity and how thinking you can fly might just be the first step to flying.
Following the success of Headlong’s five-star hit Chimerica, which played at the Almeida earlier this year prior to its West End transfer, 1984 has already received an equally high rating from The Guardian’s Lyn Gardner, who described the show as “a superbly handled multimedia speculation on the nature of truth that never lets the audience off the hook” when it opened at Nottingham Playhouse last month.
The touring cast, which includes Mark Arends, Tim Dutton, Stephen Fewell, Christopher Patrick Nolan, Matthew Spencer, Gavin Spokes, Mandi Symonds and Hara Yannas, will transfer with the production, which follows the Almeida’s forthcoming Headlong co-production of American Psycho starring Matt Smith from 12 December to 25 January.