A Clockwork Orange

Taking Anthony Burgess’s controversial dystopian classic (and original ending, rather than Stanley Kubrick’s), all-male physical group Action To The Word presented a bold interpretation direct from the Edinburgh Fringe. Blending dance, OTT scenery chewing and, of course, a bit of the old ultraviolence, this energetic take on the misadventures of delinquent Alex and his faithless droogs layered on less-than-subtle/camp as Christmas homoeroticism to varying effect. Sometimes striking, with talented performers at the top of their game eloquently delivering Burgess’ experimental Nadsat, shoehorned-in analogies sometimes veered too near self-parody. Still, this outlandish behaviour, rather than props, helped create a convincing alternate reality, the result an engagingly bleak potential future.

The Old Market, 20 September 2012

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