As someone who somehow managed to escape ever studying 'Anmal Farm' in English Literature, I was quite happy to trot down to the Redgrave Theatre and soak up Bristol Old Vic Theatre School's present production of George Orwell's well known 'fairy story'. The tale uses animals on an English farm to tell the history of Soviet Communism.Certain animals are based directly on Communist party leaders: the pigs Napoleon and Snowball, for example, are figurations of Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky, respectively. Though not essential when watching the play, having some historical knowledge would be beneficial, as certain elements become more gripping and fascinating if you can relate directly to the Soviet Union.

Many developments in Soviet history before 1945 have direct parallels in 'Animal Farm', but though it was written as an attack on a specific government, its general themes of oppression, suffering and injustice have far broader application, and modern audiences have come to see Orwell's book as a powerful attack on any political, rhetorical or military power that seeks to control human beings injustly. Director Richard Howard's concept emphasises this view as he portrays a more traditional telling of the tale, "It's very tempting to go for the political slant, but my plan was to let the satire and George Orwells' wonderful writing to come out in my writing, and although he had the Soviet Union of the 30s as his backdrop, there are plenty of opportunities where it's not necessary to relate it to 30s Russia," Howard says.

With the Redgrave stage transformed into a farmyard, providing excellent opportunities for use of levels, the piece opened with the unseen actors creating very realistic animal noises, preparing the audience for the array of animals about to appear before their eyes. It is an incredibly hard task for any actor to convincingly 'be' an animal, and praise must go to each and every actor for their practised, skillful portrayals, both vocally and visually.

 As for action, we see the farmyard animals gather at a meeting, plan to throw off their human oppressors, and establish a socialist state called Animal Farm. The pigs, being the most intelligent animals of the group, take control of the planning and government of the farm - and two of the leading pigs, Napoleon and Snowball, engage in idealogical disputes and compete for power, reflecting the rivalry between Stalin and Trotsky.

 The characters of Napoleon and Snowball, played by Matthew Mustafic and Jonny Hynes, had been well explored and both actors set a high standard which was maintained throughout. The character of Boxer (Matt Ryan), a carthorse whose incredible strength, dedication, and loyalty eventually leads to his downfall, was played sympathetically, the part representing the danger of a naive working class as Boxer trusts the pigs to make all the decisions and constantly strives to "work harder." Benjamin, the long-lived donkey who refuses to feel inspired by the rebellion, firmly believing that life will remain unpleasant no matter who is in charge, was brought to life by Oliver De La Fosse, who was utterly believable in a part which could have been overplayed for comic value. Other characters worthy of a mention are that of Clover (Marianne Oldham), Mollie (Sarah McNeale) and the Cat (Carla Lang).

 Costumes were intelligent - successfully avoiding the 'pantomime' look. Lighting and sound was well-cued and suitably added to the atmosphere.

 Though a couple of physical techniques were used, I personally would have liked to have seen this aspect developed much further, and perhaps more use of the higher levels of the set in order to symbolise class and authority. Saying this, my whole evening was a thoroughly enjoyable experience - whether you're a student or an Orwell virgin, preen your feathers and fly down to the Redgrave for a polished performance from these talented students - you'd be barking mad to miss it!

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