When the songs of freedom spread across Manor Farm, the animals revolt to find a new world where the animals are in charge. Although, some animals are more in charge than others.
I was familiar, as most, with George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’ and had seen stage adaptations of it before. It is a story we enjoy to see told again with it’s simplicity but wildly complex meaning. It hits all of its points poignantly and allows the audience’s imagination to run wild, filling in the blanks. Amy Leach’s 2025 production with Stratford East and Leeds Playhouse’s, takes place within a brutalist depiction of Manor Farm. It gives a dystopian impression of a prison and when the hard EDM score kicks in we really feel the danger of this space. The direction, enforced by the set, lighting and sound design create a very stylish production which compliments the story excellently.
Leach strips back the animals, to appear in human form, with their animal tattooed somewhere on their costume. Some of the characters appear more animalistic than others, leaving me slightly confused at times on who was what. However, the specification of the species is really not necessary and all the actors know where their characters lie in this story and bring that in full force.
Following heart pounding opening of EDM beats and gorgeous choral work from the actors, Everal A Walsh does not drop the ball. His speech to the animals is riveting and begins the play at a climax. The audience were immediately locked in and it is commendable to achieve this within the first few pages of the script. The entire cast is strong. It struck me how important the relationships are within ‘Animal Farm’, as the cast are entirely believable as a family. We understand why they are fighting, it’s not for themselves but for each other. Their empathy and trust for each other is beautiful, as they learn to rebel, and breaks our hearts as we find it is their inevitable downfall. The cast achieve this as a collective and it is not a production of standouts. They all have dynamic qualities about them and only compliment each other. Tom Simper gave a nuanced performance as the gentle yet unhinged Squealer. His character is an underdog in this story. His manipulative tendencies often went unnoticed to me and haunted me when seeing the effects of it. Tianah Hodding’s naive Clover is frustratingly empathetic. It is a tricky character to humanise, as at times she is so unaware of the obvious, yet Hodding brought so much sense to the role. I particularly enjoyed Brydie Service’s performance as Clara. In her maternity wear which could be mistaken for a prison uniform, Service has many quirks and a constant scattiness, only to devastate us in her exploitation. David Nellist is fantastically dry in his delivery. He is the perfect bystander of the play. He appears as the unbothered comic relief through most of the play, an excellent choice, because when it comes to it, the circumstances hit him, and hit us even more.
Overall, I loved this production. Leach is having so much fun in her direction. She brings Northern voices to the London stage and it rings true in this story of community and labour. It lost some momentum at times and the production could have shed some of the more dialogue heavy moments, however the pace continues to bounce back and Leach doesn’t allow you to disengage.