Taylorian

Drama

Lord of the Flies

Lord of the Flies

M erchant Taylors’ may have been producing gentlemen since 1561, but 400 years on the former teacher William Golding’s Lord of the Flies offered us a vision of the heart of darkness that lies beneath the veneer of civility. While at the opening of the novel the boys are permitted to bask in paradise, in Nigel Williams’s deft adaptation the nightmare comes quickly. Mr Gimmi’s ingenious set recognises that these disoriented boys have swapped the reassuring structure of the Sceptred Isle for a place of Dantean terror. Initially, there is some hope as natural leader Ralph – brought to life by a terrific Fred Butler – is elected Chief by popular acclamation. However, he fatally yields the choir to Huseyin Ozer’s magnificent Jack, who is brooding and bitter when he loses the election; the producers would like to make it clear that any resemblance to a recent Conservative leadership contest is entirely coincidental. The battle for the island begins as savagery takes on civilisation. Charlie Boxall’s masterly, vulnerable Piggy represents our

duo Samneric, while Veer Patel offers us a delightfully quirky Percival Wemys Maddison. Flying the flag for civility was a remarkable retinue of goodies, including Elyas Thompson, Eliyaan Jamal and Aarav Parekh. Alas, their striving for right is in vain as the island descends into anarchy when the conch, the symbol of order, finally shatters along with Ralph’s innocence. It is left to Pranay Patel, who was part of Jack’s army, but is now a commanding naval officer, to restore order. Ms Clarke’s exuberant, fluent choreography reminds us why Golding’s sobering tale is still resonant 70 years later. Finally, a tribute to the team who outdid themselves with technical wizardry: Lu’ay Ben Alaya, Zachary Scott, Thomas Baldwin, Charlie Jolliff, Azlan Latif, Samuel Harwood and Aaron Scott, all of whom flew us to an island so horrific and inhospitable it could host the next Fyre Festival. Many thanks to all who contributed to a spectacular, if unsettling, evening. Mr A. J. Richardson

rational side, the aspect that knows the importance of rules and organisation. But Jack is a populist leader, who easily wins over his dedicated coterie with promises of hunting and endless parties, including Karim Obaydi’s wickedly mischievous Bill and Harry Prashad’s vividly vicious Henry. Jack’s henchman is Daniel Zaborszky’s impressively psychotic Roger, who oozes menace from his first appearance. There is strong support from Oskar Robb’s frighteningly unbalanced Maurice, while Kanishk Sethi, Armaan Daryanani, and Max Muskietorz threaten, growl, and intimidate convincingly as the baddies. Rien Dattani’s exceptional, haunted Simon valiantly tries to tell us the truth about the monster which stalks the island, before he is submerged in an orgy of violence that pulls in even Ralph and Piggy, to their deepest shame. The ensemble is uniformly excellent, many making their debut at Taylors’ Drama Studio, though the impression was one of seasoned performers. Trying to counteract chaos are Richard King and Monty Halkerston, superb as the vulnerable

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Taylorian 2023