Based on George Orwell’s novel of the same name, Penguin Production’s adaptation of Animal Farm feels lighthearted and even cute, while keeping the novel’s thought-provoking perspective on the struggles of implementing communism.
Animal Farm is directed by Valentine Wulf and Christopher Burnside, who are students at Bennington College. Performed at the historic University Heights Center, the former schoolhouse’s wood interior combined with its auditorium’s red velvet curtain makes Animal Farm feel like a cozy old-fashioned school play in the best way possible.
The characters in Animal Farm are delightfully portrayed by the actors and their animal puppets, which were created by OJ Byrd, Ali Whitmore, and Joey Kennedy-Van Gilst. The puppets were a great visual representation of the animals and were charming counterparts to their actors. Sometimes actors portraying animals through the use of costume and prosthetic makeup can feel uncanny and distracting. Whereas the usage of puppets in Animal Farm was welcoming and familiar while complementing the performance of the actors.
Outstanding performances in Animal Farm include Adrian Martin for his role as Minimus, Juliet Perez for her role as Mollie, and Alphie Alloway for his role as Farmer Frederick.
Alphie Alloway has a brief but memorable role as Farmer Frederick during the Battle of the Cowshed scene. In the Battle of the Cowshed, the animals of Animal Farm fight three farmers. In this adaptation, the fight is inspired by scenes from the video game Final Fantasy V. Overall, the fighting choreography is fun, albeit a bit chaotic. Farmers throw pitchforks and the hens peck at the farmers’ eyes. All the while, signs that say “BANG” and “POW” are shown in lieu of sound effects in the scene. These are probably inspired by the visuals used in video games. Although Alloway has few lines as Farmer Frederick, his slapstick comedy is incredibly impressive. His falls during the Battle of the Cowshed will make you wince and his scrambling to get up will make you chuckle.
Juliet Perez plays Mollie, a horse who has a special affinity for sugar cubes, ribbons, and the farmers who give her them. From the beginning of the revolution against farmers, Mollie is reluctant to follow the rules given by the pigs. She is hesitant to give up her ribbons when the pigs say animals aren’t allowed to wear clothes and stares at herself in the mirror instead of helping the other animals with farmwork. When Perez plays Mollie, she expresses Mollie’s vanity by complaining about farmwork in a high-pitched voice and frequently saying “Oh my god!” in a conceited way. The clothing Perez wears as Mollie also helps express Mollie’s character. Mollie spins and prances around in a dress that is fancy compared to the rest of the actors’ plain clothing. She also wears ribbons in her hair while the rest of the actors don’t wear accessories.
Adrian Martin stuns as Minimus the pig when he lip-syncs the song, “Holding out for Napoleon.” “Holding out for a Napoleon” is written by Christopher Burnside, recorded by Winnie Miliasavljevic, and is a parody of “Holding Out for a Hero” by Bonnie Tyler. The song is propaganda that supports Napoleon the pig as leader of the animal farm. Martin lip-syncs the song in a gold holographic shirt and made the audience go wild with his passionate performance of the song.
Penguin Production’s Animal Farm is filled with lovable and comedic characters that make the story of George Orwell’s novel more funny and digestible without taking away its important message about being cautious of exploitation in the midst of revolution. In this adaptation of Animal Farm, the puppets are adorable, the songs and fight scenes are hilarious, and the message is timeless.
Animal Farm, U Heights. 5301 University Way NE. February 17, 2024.