To the credit of the public school system, most of us were made to read William Golding’s Lord of the Flies at a tender age. Along with Fahrenheit 451, 1984, Catcher in the Rye, Slaughterhouse Five, The Jungle, and others, we were fed a healthy dose of dystopia and disaffection. We were coaxed to relate to the pressures and horrors of tyranny, tribalism, authoritarianism – fables of the very real violence that comes from passivity in the face of savagery. It’s a good thing we learned all of those lessons and avoided the pitfalls so luridly displayed in literature, right? Right? We learned our lessons, kind of?
The short answer is obviously “no.” In Lord of the Flies, Golding frames the grand opera of human bestial nature against fear of the unknowable. The interplay of young boys forging a community without guidance scales like a fractal pattern to too-common socio-political narratives in our real lives, and upwards to the eons-long story of human development across ages and empires. It’s possible to zoom even further out and see the “red in tooth and claw” competitive nature of Nature itself in the complexities of playground hierarchies, pecking orders with the “treaders” and the “trodden” present.
The richness of the parable is lost sometimes to our teenage memories; I suggest a re-read. Or better yet, come see Richmond Shakespeare’s full-throated reminder of where nature takes us when we forget the lessons of history and our better selves. Jeffrey Cole directs Nigel Willoams’ adaptation of Lord of the Flies and brings it to life on the Gottwald Theatre stage. He, along with James Ricks and Jase Sullivan, have bestowed a trust in their young cast that speaks volumes about the talents of their teenage charges.
Before you think ‘high school musical’, understand these are not uninitiated actors. Most of the cast has credits actors twice their age fight for. Sawyer WIlliams (Jack) has been acting since he was 11, and most recently can be seen starring opposite Jon Heder, Gina Gershon, and John Ratzenberger in the feature comedy Tapawingo.
Liam Storm (Piggy) has appeared in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and The Merry Wives of Windsor, his dance background evident in his uncanny control of movement and gesture. Anthony Hernandez (Simon) has a list of credits too long for me to cherry pick from confidently, but his work has contributed to awards nominations in regional theatre. The entire cast is culled from the ranks of future leading men. There’s a sense you’re watching The Outsiders for the first time, where every actor is the bud of an imminent blossom ready to fascinate.
Youth brings with it a particular desperate sincerity that the stage amplifies. Most prominently seen in the performances of Tavares Taylor (Ralph) and the aforementioned Anthony Hernandez, there’s a throughline from the tantrums and sullenness of Dean and Brando to the stage here. As we age, we tend to disqualify such emotionality as overreaching and devoid of subtlety, but I’d ask to remind you what being a teenager felt like. It’s ALL desperate sincerity. The portrayals are spot on. Mr. Taylor’s Ralph is instantly likeable, his character primed for the travails that will test his charm.
There are a few shout outs I’d like to give some of the supporting cast. Abe Timm (Roger) hails from Danville, VA and has stacked some local and regional credits in the area. He brings a wild threat to the stage here as Jack’s second. As per the character archetype, one cringes at the menace a sycophant with needs to perform for their master represents. From his introduction to his tragic actions in the third act, his Roger emanates a physical threat palpable to the audience.
Aiden Denton and Eli Davis provide some comedy and pathos as two identical twins that finish each others’ sentences but not always each others’ moralities. I applaud the amount of rehearsal that goes into pulling off the syncopation of speech, but also the duality of cohesion and divergence needed for the roles to congeal and separate, providing dramatic conflicts on cue.
Lastly, let’s give props to sixth grade actor Hank Astoria, that has already appeared in Waiting for Godot, Matilda the Musical, Annie Jr. and It’s a Wonderful Life (get this kid a union card already!) His performance is spookily en pointe – reserved, frightened without melodrama, expectant on the decisions of his older counterparts, but believable all the way through. I am truly excited to see where his career goes.
All in all, Richmond Shakespeare’s Lord of the Flies presents an opportunity to remind us of the recursive dance of humanity’s struggle to transcend its nature, and the recidivism inherent in our fight or flight instincts overcoming reason and compassion. It’s cast and crew stage an immersive depiction of the classic, with breakout performances from Richmond’s future stars. Go see it.
You can get your tickets HERE
Main photo: Tavares Taylor (Ralph), Sawyer WIlliams (Jack), Anthony Hernandez (Simon) and Hank Astoria, photo courtesy of Richmond Shakespeare
