Beneath The Surface

Urban decay, extreme youth rebellion and casual brutality are par for the course in A Clockwork Orange. But in a new production, presented by UK theatre company Action To The World, it's not all ultraviolence; there are some surprisingly elegant touches, explains Martin McCreadie, who plays main character Alex. ”There are some moments of ballet, which are juxtaposed with the violence,” he laughs. “[It's not often you're] going to see someone get smacked in the head by another fellow while someone's doing a jeté over his head. It rarely occurs!” As well as the choreography, Artistic Director Alexandra Spencer-Jones has added a creative twist to the show's soundtrack – Gossip and The Scissor Sisters feature – and adapted some of the parts to the all-male cast, with interesting results. McCreadie remarks on the way that having a male character as the victim of a rape scene in particular changes how it is perceived by the audience. In the play, two grown men are overpowered – and one of them is sexually assaulted – by a gang of four teenage boys. It's a scene that is shocking not only for its violence, but for the way it upends 'normal' power hierarchies. “Obviously [the fact it's a male rape] doesn't make it more horrific... But it's a different understanding and a different dynamic. And it's something that does go on,” he says carefully.

It's over 50 years since Anthony Burgess published the book that inspired Kubrick's famous 1971 film and McCreadie thinks that its power is undiminished. “Reading it, you know that horrifically violent things are occurring... yet it's very funny to read. That's the danger of the book, and that's why it can scare you. You can get to the end of the page, and think 'Oh my God, I'm slipping into Alex's language, and therefore his mindset.' And that's lethal.” McCreadie says that his experience acting in Shakespearean English prepared him well for portraying Alex, who often talks in Nadsat, a Russian-English slang that Burgess made up for his teenage protagonists. “It's kind of the same thing: you're using a language that's not really your own.” Preparing for the show's fight scenes and balletic choreography has been more demanding, however. “We've got two outright trained dancers, the rest of us just have to play catch-up,” McCreadie says. Combining cardio training with lots of warm-up exercises, that means that sometimes the cast find themselves preparing to play vicious thugs by spending hours doing pilates together.

It makes for a funny image, but Alex and his gang of heavies – or Droogs – aren't just about violence. McCreadie describes Alex's intellectual side, including his love of classical music, philosophical outlook and dry sense of humour. “Without saying too much, Alex will sort of communicate the silliness of the world. He's a social comedian.” Is it possible McCreadie feels almost affectionate towards such a violent and destructive character? He laughs, “In five or ten years time I'll look back on things I've said in interviews and think: 'God, Martin, really?!' But right now, yes, I guess I do... I kind of look for whatever I can that's good in Alex, really. I suppose that helps me handle him, and portray him.”