Theatre / Animal Farm by Elizabeth Brennan and James Jackson, Created and Performed by Bloomshed, at the Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre to 5 September. Reviewed by LEN POWER

George Orwell’s Animal Farm, a fierce 1945 allegory for the Russian Revolution and satire on the Soviet Union and Leninism, proves to be an ideal vehicle for Bloomshed, a company who states that their work emerges primarily from the people who make it, not the other way around.

In Orwell’s original story, a rebellion by farm animals, who then create a self-governing farm built on equality, unravels as some animals see themselves as more equal than others.

Bloomshed sets the story in rural Australia, giving the animals a voice that sounds uncomfortably like the language of Australian labour politics. It may be your imagination, but some characters seem to be almost recognizable figures in the current political scene.

The second half of the show depicts the collapse of Animalism in a wildly satirical re-enactment of a Senate Select enquiry. While it’s broadly played and is very funny, it does feel uneasily close to the real thing.

The ensemble cast of eight – Anna Louey, Edan Goodall, Elizabeth Brennan, James Malcher, Laura Aldous, Lauren Swain, Sam Nix and Syd Brisbane – give equally fine performances full of energy and deftly defined characters. Their sense of timing of the humorous elements of the script is particularly strong.

It’s an eye-catching production with a stylish and substantial set of wood and glass.

As well as the fine performances, Justin Gardam’s sound design is a major element of the production as is the clever lighting design by John Collopy.

Running just 75 minutes without an interval, this production moves at a frenzied pace, honouring Orwell’s original story but making it a recognizable take on the current Australian political scene. It’s highly amusing even though it makes you squirm.

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