BWW Reviews: Bayou City Theatrics' LORD OF THE FLIES Terrifies

Bayou City Theatrics' grisly production didn't blow me away. It knocked the wind out of me.

"This is the farthest thing from a scholarly introduction, because there was nothing scholarly or analytical about my first reading of Lord of the Flies. It was, so far as I can remember, the first book with hands - strong ones that reached out of the pages and seized me by the throat. It said to me, 'This is not just entertainment; it's life-or-death." - Stephen King in his foreword for William Golding's Lord of the Flies

LORD OF THE FLIES, Nigel Williams' adaptation of Golding's classic novel, is not the first play to seize me by the throat. But elsewise, Stephen King's words ring true. During intermission, as I sat, I asked myself, "Do I like this?" As I sit here, I can't fathom the question. What's to like or not to like? After a fatal plane crash, the only survivors are a group of pre-adolescents. The children find themselves on an island, without adult supervision, faced with the difficult task of building their own society. Sadly, their efforts are as misguided and destructive as any adult's. Marooned children? Rotting pig carcasses? Innocence defiled? The play is horrific.

So, it's true. LORD OF THE FLIES, while entertaining, is not just entertainment. It's life or death.

I am intrigued by director Jake Frank's conception of the island as a wall of rock. Many of the novel's adaptations set the story in veritable paradise replete with lush, green trees and clear, running streams of water. Witnessing these productions, you half expect to see a naked woman talking to a snake. But Jake Frank and set and prop designer Colton Berry turn khaki rock into a siren call. Harshness, savagery and, yes, rock all have their own attractive qualities, and humanity may answer to their siren call without the veneer of utopia. After all, Adam and Eve were persuaded by a snake, and I think we all know how creepy snakes are.

Megan Nix perfectly captures Ralph's good-naturedness, enthusiasm and innocence. Storey Hinojosa is a strong and resolute Piggy in spite of being miscast - she is no overweight schoolboy - and her character's inexplicable West Texas accent. Erica Bundy is superb as the straight-laced prefect turned savage Jack. Whitney Zangarine's Roger is perhaps even more menacing than Jack. When she walks on stage, I instantly feel and fear the unpredictability of the character. And Gia Ocshenbein and Ashley Fry's Sam and Eric, as well as Reagan Ezer's Perceval, caused me to seriously wonder why children weren't cast in the lead roles. But, talented though the performers are, the play does not give the actors enough to work with.

Tori Shoemaker gives a fine, skilled portrayal of Simon, but she is forced to go from unnoticeable bit player to central figure in minutes. So, when she begins to characterize Simon's illness, it is unexpected. Likewise, though Vicki Wood gives a sound performance as Maurice, she is deprived of the chance to deepen her character as one of her most defining moments happens off stage. Also, though the music is a high point of the production, it does a disservice to Simon's climactic scene. A moment that should be about the actor's performance becomes about the music. However, this can be overlooked. The production more than makes up for it.

There is one character that is always onstage who becomes the undeniable star of the production - the island. With Kyle Ezer and Colton Berry's lighting design, along with Harry Ochsenbein's music composition and the band (Harry Ochsenbein and Jake Frank), it comes alive. As said before, the rocks are siren calls. The fire is not flame but a volcanic presence brimming with fury and the percussion is the heart of the island, ranging from menacing, lumbering rhythms to hair-raising, frenzied pounding.

LORD OF THE FLIES runs September 18-20 and 25-27 at 8:00 p.m., with additional 5:00 p.m. matinees on September 21 and 28. Tickets are available for purchase at www.BayouCityTheatrics.com or at the door, though BCT suggests advanced purchases, to secure admission to their intimate venue.

Photos courtesy of Jane Volke, Bayou City Theatrics.

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