For the last month and a bit I’ve been working with my friend Giles Thomas on the music for Ryan Craig’s adaptation of 1984. Directed by Lindsay Posner and starring Keith Allen, Mark Quartley, Eleanor Wyld and David Birrell, the show is at the Theatre Royal Bath until Saturday and then on tour to:
- Malvern Theatres – 1-5 October
- Lighthouse Poole – 8-12 October
- Yvonne Arnaud Guildford – 15-19 October
- Cambridge Arts Theatre – 22-26 October
- Theatre Royal Brighton – 29 October – 2 November
- Richmond Theatre – 12-16 November
- Liverpool Playhouse – 19-23 November.
I really enjoyed working on the play with Giles, who also did the sound design. Given the source material, our soundtrack is generally pretty ominous and gruelling but there are also a couple of more reflective moments, and a national anthem for Oceania that channels the (presumably dismayed) ghosts of various Edwardian composers. It was particularly enjoyable working on the Oceania national anthem as it largely involved sitting round the piano without a computer in sight- a nice change.
Tickets and full cast/creatives info here, and some nice reviews below: