Lord of the Flies

This was my first visit to Stage2. Having seen their production of Lord of the Flies I most certainly hope this was not my last. I was delighted to speak with the director, Rosie Nisbet during the interval and following the final curtain. I understand the play was rehearsed over a 12-week period using Sundays. The result of this short rehearsal period was fantastic.

The thought of seeing Lord of the Flies took me back many years as it was on the O level syllabus when at school (that was a fair few years ago).

There are times when as soon as a show starts you know what you are about to see is going to be an amazing production – this was one of those occasions.

Upon entering the auditorium some cast members were on stage. They were joined by others in small groups and boarded the aircraft depicted by nothing more than cast standing in the formation of the cabin. The show commenced in total synchronization as everyone fixed their seatbelts as they departed on the disastrous journey. Similarly the opening of act two could only be described as Amazing.

The set designed by Dan O'Neill was simple in design but was fully functional. Not only was this superb play performed on the stage but the company made every use of the auditorium including the gallery. Many scenes where simply brilliant in how they were performed not least the demise of Piggy as he fell to his death using the well-designed set. Throughout the play the use of props was well rehearsed and totally realistic.

It would be impossible to name the whole cast in a short report, however each member of the cast was fully engaged with the proceedings; each actor with a character to portray. Not one person seemed disengaged at any time.

There were however several standout performances. Firstly Ralph, the original and it would appear the natural leader of the children once they were on the island. The role was superbly play by Dorothy Hill. Dorothy’s portrayal of the character was emotional to the end as they encountered the resistance to conform to the rules.

Jack, the school prefect, was played by Amit Mevorach. We witnessed here an outstanding performance from this young actor as the character developed becoming more and more unpleasant as they led the other children against the rules and determined to take the lead.

At Jack’s side was Rogers played by Fi Lawrence-Pietroni. Another amazing portrayal played with strength and conviction.  The characters terrorisation of the other children was shocking in how they acted this out – well done.

Short sighted Piggy (I remember this character so well from school) was played by Casey-James Connolly-Guy. A character who believed in the use of the conch when speaking, this was however their downfall.  I am now running out of superlative however yet another outstanding performance. The loss of their glasses was something which needed to be witnessed to understand the power of the performance. The pain and torture experienced by this character was mesmerising and portrayed with great effect by all involved.

The programme informed the audience of the possibility of one cast member ‘on book’. With one week to go to the performance Moriah Potter had taken on the role of Simon. No book was on stage and I would not have known. Moriah was brilliant in the role with fabulous acting around mental health issues.

No performance can rely on the cast alone. The production team and others are all in need of acknowledgement. Again too many to mention so apologies to those I miss.

The lighting designed by Daisy Wilkes and operated by Oscar Peters. This was just right and hit the mark. Equally the sound operated by Paddy Szalbierz added to the tension. The tension in music was aided on stage by percussion lead (Joel Fleming) and percussionist (Joe Hack- Myers).

It appeared a great deal of time and consideration was given to both costumes and make up. Both looked realistic and again added to the overall quality of this production. These can only be described as first class.

In short this was an amazing and outstanding production. I can only say – bravo and thank you for taking me back 40 years to my first encounter of Lord of the Flies.

I cannot wait to see you all again.  

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