The eerily apt production of 1984, based on the novel by George Orwell, opens officially June 22. The intense staging, starring Tony winner Reed Birney, Tony nominee Tom Sturridge, and Olivia Wilde in her Broadway debut, began performances at the Hudson Theatre May 18.
The staging, produced on Broadway by Scott Rudin and Sonia Friedman, premiered at Nottingham Playhouse in 2013 before transferring the following year to London’s Almeida Theatre, where it went on to play four engagements.
Following reports of audience members fainting during the graphic and jarring staging, the production will enforce an age restriction: no one under the age of 13 will be allowed to enter the theatre.
Birney, Wilde, and Sturridge take on the roles of O'Brien, Winston Smith, and Julia, respectively. Joining them are Wayne Duvall as Parsons, Carl Hendrick Louis as Martin, Nick Mills as Syme, Michael Potts as Charrington, and Cara Seymour as Mrs. Parsons.The adaptation features a script by Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan, who also direct. Like the novel, the play is set in a dystopian version of what was once Great Britain, where critical thought is threatened by a totalitarian regime.
The creative team includes scenic and costume designer Chloe Lamford, lighting designer Natasha Chivers, sound designer Tom Gibbons, and video designer Tim Reid.
Tickets are currently on sale through October 8. To purchase, click here.
