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Theatre: Neville's Island
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| Forest chumps: middle management in the middle of nowhere |
A team-building exercise turns into a soul-destroying saga of survival in Yaller Skunk Theatre Company's take on Neville's Island,
currently playing at The Broadway theatre.
A foursome of middle-aged men in middle management are forced to face the elements and the facts when on an orienteering exercise they get themselves stranded on a fog-hidden island in the Lake District.
As if a dwindling mobile phone battery, no food and zero signs of a rescue attempt were not bad enough, the in-team tension grows with their hunger and it all takes a sharp
U-turn for the worse.
It seems Team C's manners were
marooned with their boat. They are hardly on the island five minutes
before office pleasantries are swiftly dropped for snipes. Which may be bad news for them, but not for the
audience who have barely sat down before the comedy starts.
Their dire situation is aggravated
almost entirely by intolerant motor-mouth Gordon (Kevin Watt), who sarkier than Jimmy Carr, could dent even Simon Cowell's confidence.
Bearing this in mind, Angus
(Darren Hill), with his Mary
Poppins-like camping bag packed with anything but survival essentials and born-again Bible-bashing bird watcher Roy (Peter Brad-Leigh) - who between them have less self esteem than Jodie Marsh has class - barely stand a chance, although affable peace keeper Neville (Mark Curtis) tries to appease.
Gordon may need to get off his high horse, never mind the island, but he gets almost all the best lines. Although some of his rants do tend to go on a bit. Meaning you too may find yourself lost in some scenes.
By day, the farce-worthy quests for food and Gordon's gags' keep the tone light but as night sets in the comedy is shades darker as Gordon wears down the sanity Roy
(brilliantly portrayed by Brad-Leigh) only recently regained.
Tales of suicide, adultery and
inadequacy surface, along with a cold piece of pizza, and after everything they have learned about themselves, the only question remaining is it worth being rescued after all.
The talented cast suit their roles and deliver some top thesping; a credit to the sharp script from Tim Firth - writer of other Britcoms such as Calendar Girls.
Mid-life crises in the middle classes this may be, but it could not be further from middle of the road.
Neville's Island, The Broadway Theatre, Catford until May 12. Box office 020 8690 0002.
1:17am Tuesday 1st May 2007
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