BWW Reviews: Fish Out of Water on NEVILLE'S ISLAND

Neville's Island

Written by Tim Firth, Directed by Weylin Symes; Scenic Design and Lighting Design, Chris Ostrom; Costume Design, Deirdre Gerrard; Sound Design, Brendan Doyle; Props Master, Megan F. Kinneen; Props Assistant, Misaki Nishimiya; Production Stage Manager, Greg Nash; Production Assistant, Tyler Rosati; Fight Choreography, Samantha Richert

CAST (in alphabetical order): Jim Loutzenhiser, Alexander Platt, Brooks Reeves, Brandon Whitehead

Performances through April 26 at Stoneham Theatre, 395 Main Street, Stoneham, MA; Box Office 781-279-2200 or www.stonehamtheatre.org

What could possibly go wrong when four out of shape middle-managers pack their rucksacks and set off for a day of team building and tree hugging in the Lake District? The answer is everything, or else there'd be scant material for Tim Firth's Neville's Island, hyped as "where the British wit of The Office meets the psychological thrill of Lord of the Flies." Homage is paid to both of those vehicles, but the British wit falls flat and the rants and hissy fits of these inept middle aged men pale in comparison to the actions of the adolescent sociopaths in Golding's novel.

Director Weylin Symes has a quartet of actors in tune with each other and their characters. Alexander Platt returns to the Stoneham Theatre stage after his IRNE-nominated turn as Hyde in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to play Neville, the ineffectual elected leader of the ill-fated group. Joining him in their local debuts are Jim Loutzenhiser as uber prepared but average Angus, Brooks Reeves as psychologically fragile and religious Roy, and Brandon Whitehead as sarcastic, disagreeable Gordon. When Neville overthinks the instructions they've been given for the exercise, the foursome ends up stranded on an island with few creature comforts and less resourcefulness than Gilligan's crew.

Fish out of water stories are fun and so is Neville's Island at the start as we meet the characters and watch them trying to adjust to their roles in the situation. One guy lost his rucksack (which had the food supply), the lone cellphone is low on power, the reluctant leader gets about as much respect as a substitute teacher, and the hope of being rescued seems to rest in God's hands. In the first act, Firth devotes a scene to each of the adverse things that befalls them and could have easily cut to intermission after an unfortunate incident with a sausage. Instead, he allows night to fall and concocts a bloody scheme for us to consider during the break.

The atmosphere turns darker in act two, with the dark of night bringing out the inner demons and removing some of the civilized armor the men normally wear. It offers each of the actors the opportunity to go deeper into their characters and they convey the deterioration of the relationships as the civility crumbles. In fact, the character development is the strong suit of the script and Symes takes the time to let the personalities unfold. Although the greatest fear the foursome has is facing up to their own traits, the design team does a great job of putting them in scary surroundings with the fog rolling in under Chris Ostrom's lighting, and Brendan Doyle's sometimes eerie sounds. Ostrom also designed the rustic set with giant boulders, a tree fit for climbing, and a body of water from which the men emerge onto the island. Deirdre Gerrard dresses them appropriately for an outdoor excursion in November in cargo pants, heavy sweaters, and parkas.

Neville's Island premiered in 1992 at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in North Yorkshire, UK, and was nominated for the 2006 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy. It had its North American premiere in New Mexico at Santa Fe Stages in 1996, and was adapted in 1998 for a television movie in the UK. Stoneham Theatre meets the design challenges of creating the look and feeling of the play, and you couldn't ask for a better group of actors to balance its comic and dramatic elements, but I suspect it works better across the pond.

Photo credit: Mark S. Howard (Alexander Platt, Brandon Whitehead, Brooks Reeves, Jim Loutzenhiser)

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