Boys will be boys. And in “Lord of the Flies,” boys will be bad.
The now-classic required high school reading comes creeping to life in Blake Robison’s bizarre production for Round House Theatre, and while William Golding’s captivating parable still exposes the innate savagery that lies dormant in the human spirit, Nigel Williams’ flimsy adaptation retains none of the nuance and prosaic lyricism of Golding’s harrowing novel.
Granted, most stage or film versions rarely beat the sublime sensations of discovery from experiencing literature firsthand, but here Williams focuses less on the inner tribal conflict amongst a posse of stranded schoolboys and more on the muse of language and ambiguous acts of mercy and retribution. Not only does Williams’ desperate adaptation smack of amateur playwriting, it distills Golding’s powerful tale of boys devolving from the products of a sophisticated civilization into brutal animals capable of massacre to mere pulp fiction for the stage.
Still, the production doesn’t falter merely because of Williams’ disappointing drama or his weak and cluttered resolution. Robison’s incarnation of “Lord of the Flies” is all too meticulously choreographed in a series of awkward, abstract attempts to avoid any real sense of violence. Instead, he deploys an entire pastiche of heavily stylized passages meant to infuse a ballet of hubris and horror that rarely succeeds. With silly dances and other overstaged interludes, the whole spectacle is like watching a bad avant-garde music video, à la “Survivor” meets VH1.
And it isn’t for the cast’s lack of trying, either. With a crew of more than merely competent actors at his disposal, Robison fails to capitalize on the expansive talents of his hardy ensemble. Alexander Strain is the appointed leader Ralph, the novel’s great hero, while Craig Pattison’s wallowing Piggy bears the brunt of the bullying. And Matt Farabee’s empathetic Simon is given short shrift by a script that allows little for the sake of clarity. While the crux of the book is written to haunting effect in an integral scene that should be conveyed to equally shocking effect, here the only lasting impression is a loud, over-the-top soundscape of angry refrains. It’s enough to make you want to shout along.
‘Lord of the Flies’
Through April 27
» Venue: Round House Theatre, 4545 East-West Highway, Bethesda
» Performances: 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays;8 p.m. Thursdays to Saturdays; 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays
» Tickets: $10 to $60
» More info: 240-644-1100, www.roundhousetheatre.org
