|
LORD OF THE FLIES Playhouse |
|
Violence and disorder and power: Three words that are played out with menace in Pilot Theatre Company’s exhilarating performance of William Golding’s classic novel. His story of a group of school boys stranded on a desert island and turning into a murderous tribe is now a well-known one; and the theme of a group both metaphorically and literally tearing itself apart is not unusual, but this production brings a new edge to it: you were left in no doubt of the terror that one person may wield over another, whether a so-called child, or adult. “Sometimes the beast takes the shape of a man.” And indeed it was with this production. Commanding performances were given by all the cast members in what, due to the sheer physical demands, must be a gruelling play to perform. As the play proceeded and the actions of Jack and Roger became gradually more extreme and violent, so their movements across the stage became more bestial. They crouched and crawled, twisted and sprang, only becoming fully upright to re-inforce their authority over the other characters. The impression of their progression away from our idea of a boy into a mixture of a soldier and a tribal warrior was enhanced by the gradual descent of their appearances. Jack began with his school uniform fully intact, whilst by the end he had only a piece of cloth around him, his school hat had become a military beret and there was barely a patch of flesh uncovered by a grisly mixture of blood and dirt. At first glance, the set, which was based on a plane wreck, appeared to be rather unforgiving, but proved surprisingly versatile: two large pieces of metal, one similar to a human-sized hamster cage with the other resembling a surfboard on a rotational base, were used with imagination throughout the play and never seemed awkwardly placed. The ‘cage ‘acted as a shelter, with the divide in characters often being played out both visually as well as verbally, with Ralph, Piggy and the twins seeking its protection whilst Roger, Jack and Maurice roamed on top, asserting their domination. It was also refreshing to see a play which placed as much emphasis on how sound could be coupled with the script as on the visual impact of the production. The metallic nature of the set was used as a sound- board, with the growing atmosphere of anarchy and feverishness emphasised by rhythmic beats on the set, thrashed out by the cast. This was used intermittently to begin with, increasing in frequency and ferocity until reaching a crescendo at pivotal moments, such as the pig hunting and subsequent killing. At times such as this it seemed the audience were witnessing a fanatical cult, dancing frenetically and drunk on their own conquests. Perhaps this production’s greatest achievement lay in its portrayal of the group’s gradual descent into anarchy, which you didn’t fully realise until it was far too late. In the first scene Ralph, full of wonder, carefully rolled up his trousers and bathed in his freedom. By the end of the play, he was cowering on the ground and you were left with very little idea of how one turned in to the other so quickly. An intense production that draws on all the senses: it is visual, visceral, engrossing and highly recommended. Elizabeth Buckle 24/01/02 |