Anthony Burgess’ “A Clockwork Orange” the book, chronicles the hedonistic ‘ultra-violence’ of Alex and his ‘droogs’ who, in a dystopian, futuristic setting satirizing Western society, wage a constant battle against the adult world. The play examines the nature of good and evil at its very roots: the freedom of choice. The play was written by the Author of the book in response to Stanley Kubrick’s film interpretation of his work in order to reclaim it and restore the vision to the original concept.
A Clockwork Orange takes place in a futuristic city governed by a repressive, totalitarian super-State. In this society, ordinary citizens have fallen into a passive stupor of complacency, blind to the insidious growth of a rampant, violent youth culture. The protagonist of the story is Alex, a fifteen-year-old boy who narrates in a teenage slang called nadsat, (a key characteristic of the play and story) which incorporates elements of Russian and Cockney English. Alex leads a small gang of teenage criminals—Dim, Pete, and Georgie. Alex and his gang, energized by drink, drugs and Beethoven, roam the streets, fighting and raping as they go. They have a chance meeting with the playwright F. Alexander a political activist who has written a book called “A Clockwork Orange” as a counterpoint to the behaviour of government. The meeting is violent and Alexander’s wife dies from her treatment at the hands of the droogs.
However, when his cronies betray him and an old lady is left dead at his feet, fifteen-year-old Alex is locked up and subjected to a brutal government brainwashing regime to eliminate his desire to commit violence. He is in fact turned into a “Clockwork Orange” losing his free will.
Freed from prison a “reformed man” Alex is set upon by his former gang members (now policemen) and rejected by his family. He is taken in by F. Alexander beaten and broken, who recognises him as the leader of the gang that raped his wife. Alex realising what he has done feels ill and when exposed to Beethoven tries to kill himself. The trauma of the attempted suicide cures Alex of his conditioning. Alex now the darling of the Government sets back into his ways but something has changed, he has grown up and has a job and girlfriend. The play ends with a call to arms by Alex and the cast imploring people to protect their freedom.
This is a very compelling but, dark story including scenes of implied nudity, violence, and rape. All gang actors will go through physical and aggressive fight training. There is some singing by the leads, our production used the original music written by Anthony Burgess. 
