This is a complex and considered production.  It’s not for the typical Fringe-goer.  It’s a hefty intellectual workout. And, actually, it’s set in 1985. Not 1984. We’ve moved on.

If you know the book (Nineteen Eighty-Four, not Julia) you’ll realise that Julia and Winston were sent to The Ministry of Love, and Winston had a ratty time with his tormenter, O’Brien, who has had his way in Room 101 on behalf of Big Brother (BB).

Fast forward a year and Julia has been set free. So far, so easy to follow. It turns out that the fact they were even sent to The Ministry was because her sister Emma grassed them up. But she’s out and it’s OK. What happens next is complicated stuff.

Because this is proper, good, experimental, highly political, Fringe theatre at its best, but also at its most puzzling.

Within Theatre, who present this production, are an interesting company as they bring together professional actors, with lived experiences, in totalitarian and authoritarian regimes, including Belarus, Russia, and beyond.

Nineteen Eighty-Four was written to describe the ultimate in totalitarianism.  Within Theatre reflect this in today’s populist world, and much of the totalitarianism that ultimately defines this show is from the worst possible source. The USA.

Greenland is portrayed as a perfect labour camp. Also, the economy is failing. The borders are failing. Trumpism is therefore failing, and so the world is too.

The show fuses movement, performance and video effectively, am (BB) all-seeing eye is not always all-seeing because it occasionally nods/switches off, but it’s intriguing,.

The performances are good, (especially O’Brien’s by Michael Tcherepashenets) as a kind of Cabaret MC. It would be easy to love this, but it’s a challenging piece and it can only really be recommended  to serious theatre thinkers.  For them, it will appeal massively.

‘Julia, 1984‘ is at Summerhall – Main Hall until Mon 11 Aug 2025 at 16:35