Musolino’s transitions between characters were quick but seamless. The bleating banality of the sheep, the slow but deliberate philosophising of the committed workhorse, and the grumpy quips from the old donkey, along with the folk-tale lyricism of the narration, created a clear and consummate symphony of voices. The pigs were characterised not only by snorts of laughter and squeals of delight in the face of other animals’ misery, but also by Musolino’s tensed and contorted hands, forming trotters. Switching from narration to monologue and dialogue, he portrayed the many and varied members of this new society with impressive vocal and physical transformations. Musolino’s performance, the beating heart of this production, had the opening night audience transfixed. Musolino switches from narration to monologue and dialogue, voicing the many characters of Animal Farm. A sense of unease and foreboding loomed over the production as we watched, helpless and passive, the insidious rise of the leader Napoleon and his class of pigs as rulers of the farm. This initially egalitarian society slowly and hauntingly evolves, or rather devolves, into a system not much better than before the rebellion.
The animals collaboratively develop a new philosophy, “animalism” which consists of seven commandments aiming to instil a sense of pride and empowerment. What follows is the establishment of a new order, an animal utopia in which all animals are equal. Written as an allegorical critique of the 1917 Russian Revolution and the subsequent Stalinist era, Orwell’s novella details the rebellion of animals on Manor Farm against the cruel farmer Mr Jones. A searing solo piece, the play showcases not only the talents of Musolino as a performer, but also its director Geordie Brookman. In a new one-man production, Renato Musolino brings George Orwell’s classic novella Animal Farm to life.
Review: Animal Farm, State Theatre Company of South Australia
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