Neville's Island review, Theatre in the Park, Chichester

When four department heads from a water company sink their boat during a team building exercise, they wash up on a deserted island. Surely help is close to hand? After all, they're only in the Lake District and, just before his phone ran out of juice, Angus left a message asking his devoted wife Julie to call for help. But time's ticking on and there's no sign of rescue, and Gordon, the acerbic grey panther who runs Marketing, is starting to wear everyone down. Before long his withering wit feels too close to the bone for men who are wet and cold and hungry; and forgotten.

Water Boys

Neville's Island isn't so much Deliverance or Lord of the Flies - or Lord of the Files as Gordon has it - as a cross between The Hunger Games and I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. Like the best team building exercises it pulls everyone apart. What it cannot do during a series of Blairwitch moments, is put them back together again.

Adrian Edmonson is so effective as Gordon I'd have happily jumped on stage - if it weren't literally an island sitting in a lake and therefore requiring either wading or breaststroke for a successful approach - and socked him in the gob. An unhappy man masking cruelty with humour, his is a relentless mission to hurt and humiliate, harrying the young and emotionally vulnerable Tim and blowing a hole through Angus's sense of self. Only Neville, tasked with leading the group, manages to hold his own. Just.

In conclusion: Angus Jackson's production brings Tim Firth's classic script to rude life. Rufus Hound is lovely as Tim, and Tim McMullan is deeply moving as Angus, with John Marquez a solid and understated Neville. The laughs become harder to stomach as the action becomes darker. Robert Innes Hopkins' set is fabulous.


References
Theatre in the Park, Chichester, Tickets

Theatre in the Park, Oaklands Park, Chichester PO19 6AP   Run ends Sept 28.