It's hard to imagine any reader of George Orwell's 1984 could forget the fate of poor Winston, but some theatregoers seem to have slid it into their own personal memory hole.

A new stage adaptation of Orwell's post-war dystopian classic, set to open in Sydney on Wednesday, is leaving audiences reeling over its graphic depictions of torture.

Reports from Broadway, where the same play just premiered featuring Hollywood stars Olivia Wilde and Tom Sturridge, are echoing those closer to home, where the adaptation, from British theatre directors Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan, is currently touring featuring an all-Australian cast.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show's previews on Broadway had viewers fainting, throwing up, and screaming for mercy to the actors from their seats during the title's notorious 'Room 101' torture scenes.