MATT DRISCOLL: ORWELL WAS RIGHT >>>

Love him or hate him, Tim Robbins is an artist in the truest sense. At a time when being in the movies seems more about being a “movie star” than it does about the art of film making, Robbins’ work is always refreshing.

But forget the movies for a moment. While it’s convenient for me to laud Robbins’ artistic drive in film projects where he’s still  bringing home sizeable paychecks (for him and Susan Sarandon to spend on all sorts of liberal stuff), his theater work is a much purer example of said artistic drive.

Tonight in Olympia, the Tim Robbins led Actor’s Gang will deliver what should be a first class adaptation of the George Orwell classic 1984 at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts. The play is directed by Robbins, and (of course) many of 1984's themes seem appropriate for today’s world â€" filled with things like the Patriot Act and  mysterious enemies in the purposefully ambiguous “War on Terror.” George Orwell would shit his pants if he saw the world we live in (either out of disgust or because his visions were so spot on), so Robbins’ choice to take 1984 to the stage seems perfectly timed.

Tim Robbins created the Actor’s Gang in 1981, with a goal of creating “bold, original works for the stage and daring reinterpretations of the classics,” according to the Actor’s Gang website. Something tells me his adaptation of 1984 will fit that bill.

Check out Bill Timnick's preview of tonight's performance in the Weekly Volcano here.

Ticket info can be found here.

Photo: Jean-Louis Darville