Even though George Orwell's classic dystopian fantasy 1984 was written more than 50 years ago, its themes are still relevant today.

In 2016, we live in a world where our actions are watched through cameras and surveillance devices and war and terrorism dominates our headlines. Even Orwellian terms such as Big Brother have become normalised in our culture where reality television monitors people in their daily routines.

After reading 1984 while I was growing up, I was intrigued to see how directors Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan had interpreted the work and given it their own twist at The Playhouse Theatre.

We didn't realise beforehand that the play has no interval and runs for 101 minutes (a foreshadowing reference to the dreaded torture room at the end?). As a result, make sure you are suitably refreshed before going into the theatre, as you are in for a long and intense ride into the world of the totalitarian super state, Oceania.

The play begins with a glimpse into the future. In 2050, a book club discusses the words and thoughts of the main character Winston Smith, who wanted to write about his experiences and express his frustration at living in a world he knows is wrong and is searching for answers or a deeper understanding of his surroundings through his scribbles.

In 1984, Winston is living in a society where the principles of Newspeak are being subtly edged into Oldspeak and by 2050, it has taken over everyone's vocabulary. Newspeak was the official language of Oceania and the purpose was to provide a form of expression that met the world view of the state and the Ingsoc ideology, so that all other ways of communication were impossible. Nobody was safe from the thought police, who made sure everyone followed the same though patterns and so Winston risked his life by questioning the regime and committing thought crimes.

Andrew Gower played the part of troubled Winston very well and embodied his habits curiosity and desperation that ultimately led to his demise. The character fell in love with Julia, played by Catrin Stewart, who also hates the party and wants to rebel against it in the same way he does. However, neither of them can find a way out and even when they think they have found a safe haven away from the watchful eye of Big Brother, they are mistaken and are thrown into Room 101, where they are forced to face their fears with the aim of having their resistance broken down.

The end scenes were particularly gruesome torture scenes that were very realistic. Room 101 was set in a white space where characters lost their souls in the blankness and emptiness of the walls.

The set was interesting throughout the play. The characters generally stayed in the same setting on the stage but any references to Big Brother or the regime were played on a large screen above the stage. Phrases from the book often flashed across the screen give the audience context about the themes, including "war is peace", "freedom is slavery" and "2+2=5".

Those words were chilling and as we left it left us wondering if the world we know is really the truth or whether we are just in the thrall of a higher power that we cannot escape from.

Star rating: ****

Read an interview with Angus Wright, who plays O'Brien, here

1984, Northumberland Avenue, Embankment, WC2N 5DE, until October 2016, 7.30pm. Details: playhousetheatrelondon.com

By Rachel RussellÂ