When I first heard about this play I was intrigued if not a little worried, how do they do Animal Farm on stage? Is this going to be a load of people running around in cheesy pig and donkey costumes? What about the hens?
It turns out there was no need for concern. Hayley Grindle, the set and costume designer did a fantastic job with both. The costumes were simple but effective with the type of animal written on them and added to rather than distracting from the story. Twinned with the set design they give the piece an industrial feel. The actors movements and delivery do the rest of the job of portraying the animal nature of the characters.
Writer Tatty Hennessy and director Amy Leach have done a great job of bringing George Orwell’s 1945 classic in to the world of 2025. While the original is an allegory of the Russian revolution and the rise of Stalinism this adaptation looks at inequality and its causes and effects in general. While staying true to the spirit of the original it could be applied to any number of modern situations from disability cuts at home to the revolution and encroaching civil war in Syria.
Amy said:
“It’s about how people are born into circumstances they have no choice over – it could be a body, a place in the world, or a political regime – and how these circumstances have huge impact on whether someone has the opportunity to thrive or not. It asks a big question – is positive change truly possible in the world”.
The whole ensemble were great, I just wish I had the word-count to mention them all. From the moment Everal A Walsh comes on stage as Old Major in the brilliantly choreographed and scored beginning of the play we knew we were in for something special.
Tachia Newall breathes real sinister, conniving energy into the part of our main villain Napoleon while his counterpart Robin Morrissey playing Snowball shows all the hope and determination of the revolution then the frustration and desperation of its unravelling.
Tianah Hodding is particularly good as Clover who appears throughout the story as an impassioned voice of reason tying all the threads together. Then cutting through the darkness, and there is appropriately a lot of darkness, we have Em Prendergast as Milo who rolls in on a scooter for comic relief and exposition and had the whole packed house laughing loud.
The play delivers on everything it tries to do. It is chilling in places, darkly funny in others and most certainly will leave you thinking. It is entirely inclusive for deaf and blind people with audio description available on headsets and a sign language interpreter on stage who blends in perfectly with the main cast.
Leeds Playhouse is also great for the physically disabled. I went with my disabled wife and the staff there could not have been any more accommodating. If you haven’t bought tickets already go out and do it now, get some for your friends, family and animals!
I’d give it eleven out of ten. Remember, all reviews are equal, but this one is more equal than others.
Animal Farm runs at Leeds Playhouse until Saturday 29 March 2025. Full details and tickets at: www.leedsplayhouse.org.uk/event/animal-farm
This post was written by readers Phil Rochester and Mariam Akullo Rochester in return for two free tickets, as part of South Leeds Goes To The Playhouse.
Photo: Everal A Walsh as Old Major. Credit: Kirsten McTernan
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So looking forward to seeing it. We are due to see it later in the month. Thanks for the review.
This was so well done, I honestly felt like I was seeing, feeling and hearing animals on the set. Plenty of emotional tension, humour and darkness, a great night.
Absolutely an amazing show so well done. The sounds of the animals were brilliant. Just loved the donkey!
It was a excellent evening
Thank you
Took my fifteen year old daughter, soon to be sixteen. They have covered Orwell and disstopian theory in school, so this was a good opportunity to test the knowledge and understanding. We both enjoyed the play. It was very well adapted to the stage with ‘excellent theatre ‘ for the more complicated scenarios. On the return train home, we had much to discuss, both of us having read the book recently. The politics ? It demonstrates that extreme Left or extreme Right politics have the same result, just a different journey to get there. More please.