Highlights from the stage adaptation of A Clockwork Orange

Whether you’ve read the novel or seen the film, Anthony Burgess’s “A Clockwork Orange” is pretty unforgettable. From the shocking “ultraviolence” and dystopian sense of justice of the novel, to the iconic bowler hats and menacing eyeliner of Alex and his “droogs” in Kubrick’s film interpretation, few stories have permeated modern culture in quite the same way. With British theater company Action to the Word bringing its stripped-back stage interpretation to the city, what can fans of the original expect from this live retelling of the modern classic?

For one, don’t expect the aesthetic of Kubrick’s film. James Smoker, who plays the Minister of the Interior in the ensemble, all-male performance, says: “Anthony Burgess didn’t actually like the film version much. We have stayed quite loyal to his stage play, but with [director] Alexandra Spencer-Jones’s trademark transitions from one scene to another.” The play is also extremely physical—as much of a dance production as it is a theater piece—with a set that’s limited to a table and three chairs. The rest of the props are formed by the actors’ hands and bodies.

As with the book and the film, much of the language spoken by the teenaged gang who rape, rob and cause mayhem, is almost unintelligible at first. Known as Nadsat, the slang invented by Burgess and spoken by the droogs is heavily influenced by Russian, though there are also elements of cockney rhyming slang. How does the audience know what’s going on? “Well, the point is that you don’t understand what they’re saying at first,” says Smoker. Then, as you get drawn deeper into Alex’s world, the context and emphasis—much like in the book—helps you to piece together what they’re saying.

How difficult is it, then, to play a sociopathic character like Alex, the ringleader of the droogs, who is ultimately subjected to “reprogramming” by the repressive state? Does the actor need to decompress after playing such a dark character night after night? “Definitely you need to sit down in a quiet room for a little while,” says Smoker, who understudies Alex. “But at the end of the day, it’s not too bad—a whisky helps!”

One of the main motifs in the novel is milk, which the droogs spike with drugs before drinking, calling the concoction “milk-plus.” Does drinking so much milk night after night get tough? “Actually, the actor who plays Pete is lactose-intolerant, and he has to drink four pints of milk in every show,” says Smoker. “We’ve had to spend quite a lot of money on almond and soy alternatives for him!”  

“A Clockwork Orange” is showing from November 6-10; click here for more information.