Lights, Camera, Action! Animal Farm has come to WCC with a small but memorable cast, directed by the wonderful Ms Lindsay. Before I get to my review, here is some context about Animal Farm itself. The story details the story of a farm that is overthrown by animals, and they build a utopian society rooted in equality in freedom.
As I sat in my seat with my trusty notebook and giggling friends on either side, I was introduced to the play with sudden darkness and tunes filling the atmosphere. Slowly as the looming lights lit up the set, figures with green jump suits began to pop up, the animals of the farm, surrounded by Old Major, played by Samuel B (Year 11). The oldest pig on the farm, Major gives an inspiring monologue, fuelling comradery and passion within the animals. The clear message, “Man is bad, animals are equal”, sounds political, am I right? Now, what I wasn’t expecting from a play was a musical undertone that lifted the story, starting off with the cast singing “Beasts of England”, a powerful song about revolution, which Major teaches to the animals in triumph of overthrowing humans and letting animals take over.
Now the three pigs were introduced, Napoleon, Snowball and Squealer, the self-appointed power trio to give bring order to the animal farm. Napoleon, inspired by Joseph Stalin and skilfully portrayed by Arielle C (Year 12), was intimidating and used military force to solve problems. Squealer, played by Xavier B (Year 11) was Napoleon’s counterpart, spreading false truths about the farm’s success after the revolution, while Snowball played by Matilda S (Year 11) opposed Napoleon and won the loyalty of the animals by his intelligence and passion. Now that Old Major was dead, it was up to the pig trio to come up with the seven commandments for the animals to live by. Animal Farm was now becoming one of politics.
As the play progressed I continued to unravel surprises, including the interactive scene changes. With dark lighting, mysterious characters fighting behind the projections, characters running in between the set and music, I was very much engaged and wanting to know more. One of the definite highlights was the humour in the piece, and characters that kept the audience interested.
Above all, I was incredibly impressed at the ensemble nature of the piece. Each and every member of the cast, ranging from Year 10 to Year 12, assisted in presenting a sophisticated and invigorating piece of theatre. The cast worked fantastically together, which made the play even more cohesive and engaging.
As tyranny ruled Animal Farm, animals were killed, and the commandments were corrupted the play fulfilled its plot till the end. I would give greater details, but I don’t want to spoil anything. There are two more shows this week on Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th May – buy a ticket for the show as it is very close to selling out!
Each and every member of the cast fully immersed themselves into their respective roles to play a convincing part in the play, it was truly exceptional. Credit to Mr Alexander and the wonderful AV team, for elevating this fantastic play into an immersive experience. Ms Lindsay has done it again, her directing made the play come to life and into one of my favourite ones in William Clarke College. Long live the revolution, long live Animal Farm!
