Review: LORD OF THE FLIES, Belgrade Theatre Coventry - Tour

Photo credit: Anthony Robling

When you think of a tropical island, you probably imagine golden sands and green forests, not concrete and monochrome. But with Leeds Playhouse and Belgrade Theatre’s new production of Lord of the Flies, concrete and monochrome are exactly what you get, with a stage dominated by a Brutalist multi-level structure, fringed with dark and foreboding palm trees. Max Johns’ set instantly establishes this place as a dystopia rather than a paradise, and works perfectly for this modern interpretation of William Golding‘s Lord of the Flies.

Golding’s 1954 novel, a favourite on school syllabuses, tells the story of a group of privileged schoolboys who are stranded on an island after their plane goes down while they’re being evacuated from war-torn Britain. In this production, adapted by Nigel Williams and directed by Amy Leach, the boys are reimagined as a mixed group with Ralph, Sam and Henry played by girls, but the end result is the same: chaos and carnage.

Telling the story in the present day is apt, especially given the current global threats of war, and having Ralph, the group’s first elected leader, be a girl means that her adversary Jack’s constant bids for leadership have an extra layer of toxic masculinity. 

However, the time shift doesn’t always work, as while some of the book’s language is modernised, other parts are not, and this can be a little jarring. It would also be nice to see a few extra tweaks to the script to bring it further up to date and to look more deeply at how race and gender influence the group dynamics. 

The cast do a brilliant job of delivering the material. Sade Malone commands the stage as Ralph, embracing the complexity of the character and managing to show a sense of fun, a desire for control, and an increasing sense of desperation. Patrick Dineen makes an extremely convincing Jack, filled with barely repressed rage, and Jason Battersby draws the eye whenever he’s on stage with his menacing, disturbing performance as Roger. Jason Connor is sympathetic as the ostracised Piggy, often the voice of reason.

Several of the actors are disabled or d/Deaf and it’s brilliant to see their talent showcased so well here. Eloise Pennycott, who uses both BSL and spoken English, translates much of the dialogue onstage and gives an excellent performance, often drawing humour from the children’s situation when others are scared.

It’s definitely a frightening show at points, with a lot of blood and violence. Chris Davey’s lighting bathes the stage in red at key times, and the attack scene that comes near the end of Act One is particularly powerful due to the slow motion effect used by movement director Natasha Harrison and fight director Kate Waters.

At times though, the play feels almost too intense, with much of the dialogue being shouted. A few more quiet or tender moments would help to give some light and shade. The show also feels slightly unbalanced with the first act being around three times the length of Act Two though, fortunately it remains gripping throughout.

Lord of the Flies has themes that will always be relevant, and the young, diverse cast do a great job of bringing it to a new generation in this disturbing but compelling production.

*** Three stars

Reviewed by: Laura Lott

Lord of the Flies plays at the Belgrade Theatre until 29 April, with further information here, before ending its tour in Newcastle next week.