ORWELL: The Road to 1984 ****

George Orwell (Mark Stratford) remains one of the most influential literary figures of the twentieth century. Two of his books in particular shaped perceptions of totalitarianism: Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four. But what do know of the man behind the pen name - Eric Blair?

This Stratford Productions show provides an examination of his life, opening with Orwell confined to a hospital bed, receiving treatment for tuberculosis. Despite his evident intelligence and humanity, he is visibly frail, hobbling around awkwardly with a stick and requiring breathing assistance. With a deft shift in physicality, Stratford transforms into a fresh-faced eight-year-old boy, sent away to boarding school. An early glimpse of his later creativity is afforded as he conjures stories, while these formative years also shaped his determination to push back against power, inequality and violence.

Another shift and we find him in the military police in Burma. A curious event unfolds, in which he is despatched to deal with a rogue elephant. Against his better judgement, he shoots the beast, largely to satisfy the expectations of a large crowd that has followed him Pied Piper style. But the incident and the death throes of the animal haunt him. A further episode shapes his belief system. An Indian man is publicly executed. Orwell cannot reconcile the taking of a life in its prime and is shaken by the indifference displayed by those organising the hanging. He develops a disdain for imperialism.

Leaving Burma, Orwell turns to journalism. Now married, he travels to Barcelona to cover the Spanish Civil War. His socialist inclinations are challenged as he witnesses the brutal excesses of the forces opposed to Franco. He concludes that fascism and communism are two sides of the same coin, as he only narrowly escapes back into France, his dislike for despotism solidified.

He writes Animal Farm – a thinly veiled critique of the Russian revolution - and it is eventually published. It is followed by Nineteen Eighty-Four, a study of the dangers of a totalitarian regime. It is a ground-breaking book, not only its influence on science-fiction writing, but offering a stark warning to humanity about the commoditisation of truth. His use of language was innovative and far-reaching: Big Brother, Room 101 and Orwellian have become embedded in the modern lexicon.

Marks Stratford is no stranger to Brighton Fringe and his performance in ORWELL: The Road to 1984 is simply excellent. His storytelling is engaging and the shifts in his physicality impressive. He uses the space adeptly (fine directing by Guy Smith), his comic timing strong. It was all the more impressive that he unwaveringly performed in the midst of a heatwave.

The script could perhaps use an edit: e.g. the scenes depicting the construction of Nineteen Eighty-Four and the fellow patient in the Parisien hospital bed. That aside, Stratford brings this most important literary figure to life eloquently and entertainingly in this very fine production.