Review: Lord of the Flies (Open Air Theatre)

Regents Park's Open Air Theatre is the perfect setting for this venal, predatory stage adaptation of Lord of the Flies.

Jon Bausor's set evokes the boys' plane crash on a desert island wonderfully, mounds of compacted sand set atop with suitcases that spew out the remnants of the boys' former lives, while broken chunks of the plane they came in on litter the area, providing areas that are first used for shelter and fun, but later for violence and idolatry.

James Farncombe's lighting is terrific too, astute choices combining perfectly with the incredible setting - the surrounding trees balance the compacted sand skilfully, meaning that when the group run off into the woods - they literally do. The magical moment when the sky fades to black and the lighting shines red really creates a deep sense of isolation and tension, and Farncombe is to be commended for his sterling work.

Although the pacing needs to be tightened and the fight scenes can be choreographically repetitive, there are some great performances - Alistair Toovey is particularly spot-on as leader Ralph, who watches his attempts at maintaining civilisation dissolve before his eyes, while Joshua Williams impresses as Simon, left out and treated shamefully by the others. James McConville and Stuart Matthews are also well cast as sweet twins Sam and Eric, seeming almost impossibly young in their school uniforms. The fight scenes between Toovey and James Clay's Jack are viciously entertaining, hitting just the right level of aggressiveness.

This production of Lord of the Flies sucks you into its world, and it's only when the airman arrives that we are wrenched back into civilisation, bewildered and not a little shaken by how easily the descent of man into savagery can come.