Burneside Amateur Theatrical Society, 1984, The Bryce, Burneside

GEORGE Orwell's 1984 isn't everyone's cup of tea.

Far from an upbeat, fluffy light classic, it paints a frightening picture of a sad society, where power rests with a select few who twist the truth, make the rules for all and create a monster - Big Brother, who is always watching.

BATS is a tight outfit, worthy of a repertory company. Pushing at the boundaries of what's feasible at am-dram level on a shoestring budget. At its core are some good actors and in Gordon Lawson a director with vision and ambition.

It's a breath of fresh air seeing a local society take on a play that's probably out of its comfort zone - and doing a terrific job of it too.

Adam Carruthers gave a fine performance as a thoughtful and considered Winston Smith, 1984's central character, a decent chap, who doubts the Party and what it stands for. He works as a clerk in the records department of the Ministry of Truth, where he basically erases history, revising and doctoring documents in step with the marching Party line.

Louise Bell was a subtle and confident Julia, who like her illicit lover Winston resents the Party.

Duncan Cramphorn as O'Brien was also outstanding, as a quietly-crazed Party official who slowly and excruciatingly dismantled Winston's sanity.

Martin Cash, Sue Cook, Helen Townson, Ron Milnes, Richard Sutton and Jen Armistead were all competent in their respective roles.

The sets were well thought out and inventive and props courtesy of Allyson Harkness and Gemma Martin brought Orwell's totalitarian state of Oceania to life in The Bryce.

Some of the scenes though in the first half seemed a little too short, occasionally confusing. The longer ones allowed the actors more time and space to settle and progress the story.

Pre-recorded video inserts, projected images and lighting effects, gave the production a real cinematic feel. And the film footage with Ron Milnes as The Brotherhood leader Goldstein was ingenious. While Adam lies in bed with Julia reading Goldstein's words from a book we don't hear Adam's voice but Goldstein's projected from a back screen spouting his prose.

Adapted for the stage by Matthew Dunster, the whole play is chilling from start to finish, brutal at times, particularly when Winston is tortured by O'Brien and eventually faces his worst fear in Room 101 - rats.

Ultimately, Winston betrays Julia and ends up totally brainwashed.

"It's a beautiful thing, the destruction of words," Newspeak expert at the Ministry of Truth Syme (Sue Cook) tells Winston, while sat at the canteen table explaining the eleventh edition of the dictionary and how they're cutting the English language down, ditching "vague and useless words" like excellent and splendid.

"If you have a word like good what need is there for a word like bad? Ungood will do just as well."

Scary stuff.

Adrian Mullen