Featured Image Credit: Sam Taylor

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By Lottie Ennis

Lord of the Flies is a classic story depicting the brutal savagery committed by some castaway children
and I was incredibly excited to see this daring production of Lord of the Flies, as the book by
William Golding is one of my favourites. Directed by Emma Jordan, this is a female adaptation of a
traditionally all male cast and provides an exciting and thought- provoking experience. Despite the
dark themes within the story, Jordan provides some much needed light comedy through her casting
of one of the main characters, Piggy. Gina Fillingham, who plays Piggy, steals the show with her
accent and I told you so demeanour. This light humour lifts the play providing an emotional
rollercoaster as the light and sound effects provide the darker motifs.

Exciting from start to finish, the play really captures the imagination with titillating music and clever
direction. The play started with the plane crash which set the tone for the audience and was
followed by a seamless use of light and sound creating a real feeling of confusion and isolation. The
all-female cast adds a unique layer to this specific play as it does ask the audience to question
whether the same events would happen with prepubescent girls as it does with prepubescent boys.
This is achieved by some clever changes to the original story adapted by Nigel Williams which cause
us to think about the impact of an all female cast especially within the recent political movements
concerning womenÔÇÖs rights.

From a design aspect the set was stimulating yet subtle as James Perkins reimagines the desert
island as a series of colourful ramps giving an unfinished and stylistic vibe. This tone matches that of
the costume as the girls wore a range of modern day clothes bringing the traditional tones of the
original into the present. Keeping some of the classic themes and events Jordan and Perkins create a
new kind of dystopian world in which we can see the old meeting the new. There were however,
certain aspects of the play which were a little difficult to interpret because of the stage design. I
found it useful having some background knowledge, compared to my friend who saw it with me who
did not. I was also slightly unconvinced by the ending which was slightly anticlimactic compared to
such an intense experience.

All in all, JordanÔÇÖs presentation of Lord of the Flies is as gripping as it is bold and the audience left
feeling as though they had really been on the same adventure. The choices in casting and design in
particular meant it was a truly suspenseful and engaging evening. JordanÔÇÖs risks to present such a
bold take on a classic truly paid off to make a new experience of an old favourite.