Broadway World - Highly Recommended
"...Brilliantly directed by Ellen Geer, each of the actors portraying the various types of animals never vary from their animalistic ways, from the slouching pigs to the boa-wing flapping chickens and rooster, the menacing wolf-like dogs, the hard-working horses, to the sheep and goat who seem to follow along with whatever they are told to do or believe. Every single actor is a joy to watch, especially when they move through the audience grunting, squealing or barking as they pass you by!"
LA Splash - Recommended
"...Based on Orwell's views of Stalin and Communist Russia, things begin to deteriorate from there. Even with the constant, back-breaking labor of Boxer (Mark Lawrence), the horse with an engine that never runs out of steam. With music and lyrics cleverly interwoven into the story, ANIMAL FARM is a cunning picture of past and future in the political arena. The underlying tale will surely appeal to adults, while the kiddies will gleefully welcome all those cute farm denizens."
CurtainUp - Recommended
"...With all due respect to Mr. Orwell, some stage adaptations of his novel Animal Farm are more equal than others. The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum's rendition is equal parts didacticism and entertainment, a smart and uncomfortably timely vehicle to jolly up a hot summer evening under the stars in Topanga Canyon. Step aside, Shakespeare. A different kind of political beast joins the Theatricum repertory."
Culture Spot LA - Recommended
"...Animal Farm never gets old-it is such a simple and powerful way to tell a complex story. While many might assume that the harsh, authoritarian world conjured by Orwell's books is the greatest danger we have to guard against, the truth of our current condition is perhaps better described by another allegorical book: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. In Huxley's dystopia, there would be no reason to ban books because no one will be interested in reading them; the populace instead being consumed with sex, narcotics and an infinite appetite for distractions. Whichever version turns out to be truer, the seers and sages that sketch out our potential futures bear repeated auditions, so cheers to the Theatricum for keeping it current."
Theatre Notes - Somewhat Recommended
"...With an enormous ensemble of well over thirty actors and musicians, Theatricum Botanicum's Animal Farm is ambitious. Under the direction of Ellen Geer, with animal movement by Lexi Perl, the cast delivers the story with dedicated enthusiasm. It is not easy for two-legged people to represent four-legged animals over the course of a two-act play. The stylized movement suggests four legs with stiff arms and clenched fists and a posture that leans forward. Headpieces and ears work well for the horses and cows. The sheep are successful four-leggers, cavorting with arm crutches. A non-speaking rooster is entirely successful strutting with avian assurance, and his hens are terrific. Wolf-like dogs, Napoleon's enforcers, and the egocentric cat are the only genuine quadrupeds. The mare, Mollie (Lea Madda), the most charming animal on the farm, if the most self-absorbed, prances with equine grace."
Peoples World - Recommended
"...Orwell published Animal Farm in 1946, an allegory of Soviet history with transparent allusions to the struggle between Stalin and Trotsky. Was that the right moment to raise deep-seated questions about the legitimacy of Soviet claims to equality, human rights, the dignity of man? After all, they had just lost some 20-25 million of their citizens in World War II, and there still remained tremendous residual goodwill in the West, which if properly nurtured might have opened up a new era of global cooperation and peaceful competition over different approaches toward organizing human society in the post-war period."
LA Excites - Recommended
"...Unfortunately, when lies become pervasive, they are no longer identifiable from the sanctuary of truth. Consequently, cynicism sets in before apathy takes over, making drones out of living beings, who become subjugated without a single sigh. This Ellen Geer-directed play conveys the very-much-needed-to-be-said tragedy of George Orwell's "Animal Farm," poignantly reminding us of a potential future that must be avoided."
USTheatre - Recommended
"...The beautiful idea of "Animal Farm" gradually is transformed by the ruling pig class back to a Manor, in which the animals have no rights whatsoever, and are seen as nothing but creatures worthy of abuse. In "Why I Write" Orwell recalls seeing a young farm boy driving a carriage as he whipped the horse for varying in any direction. And by the end of his parable, the pigs have been transformed back into humans who have no tolerance anymore for their fellow animal beings."
Its Not About Me - Somewhat Recommended
"...I thought that I had not read Animal Farm, but once the show began, it all came rushing back to me. With horror! I was not a fan of the horrible story when I was younger, and guess what? I'm still not! Especially with Orange Hitler threatening to ruin our country, this tale hit too close to home for me. I'm upset about the world on a daily basis; I'd rather see shows that take me away from all that."
The Fume of Sighs - Recommended
"...ANIMAL FARM is directed by Ellen Geer. The play is definitely interesting and thought provoking. It makes the viewer realize that there's a minority of humans who use language to control others, while the majority is often apathetic and unwilling to question authority. As a result, terrible people can remain in power."
