General 2 — Shannon Litzenberger

“Animal Farm warns us to hold our leaders accountable for decisions that only benefit them and their cronies instead of their constituents. The Soulpepper production, accented with its modern flourishes, stays true to this cautionary tale that says, Be skeptical of the pig with all the answers.”

— David Silverberg, NOW Magazine

George Orwell’s

Animal Farm

Adapted by Anthony MacMahon

Soulpepper Theatre Company - World Premiere: March 2017

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Animal Farm was first published in England in 1945. George Orwell wrote it as a warning to his countrymen, who at the time, were in a political alliance with Stalin’s Russia. Its original subtitle was A Fairy Story and the novel loosely reflected Russia’s political trajectory from the revolution in 1917 to the Stalinist error. In this work, for the first time, Orwell consciously fuses his political and artistic purposes seamlessly together.

The contrarian author was against communism and capitalism equally. He went to Eton and then lived hand to mouth on the streets in an attempt to ‘de-class’ himself. For him, class was nothing more or less than a system of oppression. Lately, systems of oppression in our society at large have been exposed. As we negotiate this fragile period of reconsideration and rebuilding, it seems a perfect time to stage this play, which looks at how easy it is to replace one oppressive system with another.

This is perhaps the most powerful expressed by the charismatic Napoleon. The character of this protean pig is by turns folksy, forceful, and effortlessly engaging. All the animals are understandably swept up in his vision. But Napoleon has no patience for discussion, ridicules and dismisses anything complex, and though he speaks of equality, clearly considers himself first among equals.

As in the novel, the play’s political purpose is wedded to a muscular artistic vision. Anthony McMahon’s adaptation - and the interpretation of this wildly talented creative team lead by Ravi Jain - delivers a paradoxically generous and stinging comedic punch. It’s political allegory meets nimble wordplay meets savage brio, or, as McMahon put it in his stage directions: Shakespearean battle meets Scooby Doo chase scene. Laugh all you want but be warned, and there’s a kicker.