The Lord of the Flies

It is a brave director that takes on a cast of tween and teen boys for their first full-length production, but The Lord of the Flies was a well-presented production with a healthy dose of testosterone and a king-hit of energy.

William Golding’s classic novel is brought to life on a bare-bones set on the tiny Camelot stage, but the cast of 11 to 19 year olds stampede throughout the auditorium, owning the space.

Central role Ralph is played by Niall Coyle, using his natural Irish accent in a very genuine performance. He is nicely matched by David Heder as Choir Prefect turned rival, Jack, in a strong portrayal.

Piggy is very well played by Charlie Young in a standout characterisation, giving the awkward outsider depth and vulnerability and remaining likeable. Connor Brown also gave a very sensitive performance as the imploding Simon.

Some lovely performances came from the younger cast members. Twins Sam and Eric, who share sentences and speak in sync, were very well co-ordinated by Lachlan Felstead and Charlie Martin. Sweet boy turned feral,Henry, was given a clear journey in the hands of Jacob Clayton (who shared the role with Finn Mallet). Jamie Buttery brought an unnerving edge to the dark Roger, while Luke Callaghan (sharing with Elijah Styes) gave sweetness to Perceval.

Rounding out the cast were Caelan Steedman and Shane Marshall - both moving well from schoolboy to savage. Paul Knight appears in a final scene cameo.

Camelot’s auditorium is not renowned for good acoustics and it proved particularly unkind to the developing male voice, and the use of the whole space sometimes forces upstage delivery compounding the sound issue. Evan Skinner’s soundscape and real-world rain also conspired to drown dialogue at times.

This was a highly anticipated production that clearly brought great joy and development to those involved. The energy and commitment were contagious and the audience were moved and involved.

The Lord of the Flies turned this very dark tale into a wonderfully positive production that was well worth seeing.

Kimberley Shaw