If you do one thing this festival, take yourself down to Pleasance Courtyard nice and early to ensure your place in the line of people all eagerly awaiting their chance to watch the brilliant A Clockwork Orange performed by Action To The Word.
Somehow these talented actors manage to transform the violent, drug fuelled, and sexually charged lives of Alex DeLarge and his Droogs into something not only watchable, but completely captivating. The vicious plot of Anthony Burgess’s novel follows the disturbing life of Alex as his obsession with violence, eventually resulting in his imprisonment and participation in the distressing Ludovico experiment that claims to decriminalise convicts in two weeks through drastic psychological conditioning. Alex is psychologically traumatised and is confronted by past friends and enemies who isolate him further from society. Driven to attempted suicide by a side-effect of the treatment that left him unable to bear classical music, Alex’s experience is used as a weapon against government conditioning until he regains his previous love of violence and music. The story is shocking and disturbing, but by doing away with unnecessary embellishments such as complicated costume or props and adopting a raw, simplistic style, a fantastically haunting piece of theatre comes to life.
Every member of the all-male cast were dedicated to their roles, many playing up to four different characters and managing to remain entirely focused in each interpretation. With innovative use of dance, mime, and song, and an interesting exploration of sexual desire, the energy and excitement of the horrific attacks was tangible and struck a perfect balance between portraying the distressing lives of these drugged thugs and being entirely watchable. The portrayals of Droogs Georgie, Pete, and Dim were refreshing and fantastically done, particularly Georgie Boy. However, every member of this talented company should be applauded for the sheer commitment in their characters, making the show the success it was. Lead Martin McCreadie delivered the demanding hybrid language of Nadsat with impressive diction in an outstanding performance.
Amid the darkness of the plot moments of comedy shone, with temperamental scientists and unenthused prison choirs, relieving the depressing atmosphere surrounding this show and adding a whole other dimension. The confidence of the actors was the secret to the show’s success; they were unhurried in their set changes, practised in their characters, and they all delivered a faultless performance. Sceptical beforehand, I’d see it again in an instant if I wasn’t still reliving the first time round.
