One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, LOST

Is 'enjoy' the right word when applied to a battle of wits where the prize at stake is not just a man's sanity but his freedom of thought? It is perhaps more accurate to say that LOST's new production of Ken Kesey's classic story of a maverick felon trapped in a mental institution is a compelling endurance. It is a painful connection with the dark corners of our social systems; a rude awakening to a world without happy endings. It is terrific.

Nest boxers

Sean Buchanan is Randle P McMurphy, the wily, wiry, optimistic chancer who finds himself on a psychiatric ward while trying to avoid another spell in prison. Full of spirit and knife-sharp, he immediately challenges the sadistic practices of Nurse Ratched, whose word supersedes all, and galvanizes his cohorts to shake down their liquid coshes and start to assert themselves.  

Dale Wasserman's script of the novel comes maniacally to life under Paul Taylor-Mills' direction.  My companion, who has spent time on such wards, thought the characters authentic. There is mayhem as the maverick McMurphy gambles his freedom away with sports games and fights and an anarchic party where the stuttering virgin of the ward is deflowered by a visiting girl. There are moments of silence too, when a solo spot picks out the mute native Indian, Chief, talking to his father via a backdrop of shadow puppets. 

In conclusion:  This is an impressively organised ensemble piece - a cast of eighteen somehow manoeuvring itself round a very small stage - with Buchanan earning special honours. A testing and arresting evening out.

References
LOST, buy tickets
Will Stone review in Whats On Stage