Lord of the Flies – Northern Stage, Newcastle

Writer: William Golding

Adaptor: Nigel Williams

Director: Amy Leach

From petty squabbles and cruel teasing, to division into warring factions and outright murder, William Golding’s Lord of the Flies really does put a spotlight on some of the very worst of human nature. What makes it even more disturbing is that the story is probably just as relevant now as it was when it was first published nearly 70 years ago.

Although the book is set in no specific time period, the staging and direction of this new stage adaptation by Nigel Williams (a Leeds Playhouse and Belgrade Theatre Coventry co-production in association with Rose Theatre) is very modern, even while the setting remains vague. A group of young boys find themselves on a remote island as the survivors of a plane crash. With no adults to take charge and supervise, the children (here both boys and girls, although nothing is made of this) try to form a structured society, which is very quickly destroyed by the baser human instincts.

The cast of eleven young performers (most of whom are freshly graduated) excellently portray characters of even younger ages than their own. Angela Jones plays the idealistic Ralph who is elected leader of the group. Ralph is the emotional core of the story and Jones oozes charm and determination while always maintaining a childlike naivety. It’s a really impressive turn. Jason Conner plays Piggy, the sensible one of the group who quickly becomes the most vulnerable boy to the others’ cruelty. Conner does extremely well at portraying the type that is mildly annoying while also being the one you really should be listening to, and his frustration as civilized behaviour starts to disperse is very well pitched. Patrick Dineen plays the antagonistic Jack, and although the character may be a little one-note, he manages to get some light and shade into what otherwise could be an out-and-out villain. His considerable height in comparison to the rest of the cast is used very effectively. The remaining cast are equally strong, with particular mention to Adam Fenton who brings a wonderful jitteriness to the doomed Simon.

The set by Max Johns is comprised of an uneven and jagged set of platforms surrounded by lush palm trees and vegetation. This evokes both the forest and the rocky outcrops of the island and they are used effectively throughout, even becoming literally smeared in blood at one point. Nice little hidden lighting and smoke jets within the set allow campfires to burn and forest fires to rage with the minimum of fuss and the use of a small number of props is effectively evocative. Chris Davey’s lighting is excellent, and the sound design and music by John Biddle are also good, even though more than a few lines of dialogue are lost due to mixed diction from the cast (there are no microphones) as well as sound effects sometimes being a little too loud.

As good as the cast and technical aspects are, this overall production somehow falters. This seems to be partially due to the mannered approach that Williams has taken with his dialogue, as well as the script’s failure to establish the characters as even remotely likable prior to things going pear-shaped, leading to a lack of an emotional connection as the story unfolds. Similarly, Amy Leach’s direction, while extremely impressive (particularly during the group’s attack on Simon), suffers from allowing things to get a little rowdy at times. Although the cast are supposed to be young children, it often feels like this is taken too literally, with several scenes descending into (controlled) chaos, subsequently drowning out important plot points or character beats.

That all said, Lord of the Flies is a challenging piece, both in its content and in adapting it for stage, and all involved should be congratulated in tackling it. The world might not be getting any better, but while Lord of the Flies remains alive and kept relevant there is a small hope that it will manage to make at least some people stop, think, and try to be better.

Runs until 6th May 2023