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Echange Theatre presents The Flies
by Jean Paul Sartre
Camden Peoples Theatre
11 to 29 March 2009
A review by Peter Carrington for EXTRA! EXTRA!
Through the fog and buzzing of static from numerous television screens The Flies opens at the Camden People’s Theatre. The dark, dystopian space is lit up by the enthusiasm of a cast, backed to live music bringing the message to the audience as clearly as the images on the screens. The Flies concerns Orestes returns to Argos, 15 years after the murder of his father, King Agamemnon to find his home swarming with flies and the people bound into a depressing existence, living in fear and with heavy guilt. Orestes encounters the god Jupiter and in searching to belong to something and to bring meaning to his life discovers much of the nature of freedom. What is most impressive about this production is the passion the cast have for the script, especially from David Furlong as Orestes, bringing humanity to Sartre’s everyman. In contrast is George Xander, who strikes a powerful presence as Jupiter. Xander strides across the space with supreme confidence standing him apart from the human characters. This makes every conversation with him charged with tension. Equally, with seeming effortlessness, Shani Perez throws herself into the role of Electra, Orestes sister, desperately seeking to avenge her Father’s murder. It seems as though every step and line has been carefully considered but delivered with fresh energy. This consideration and energy clearly comes from both Furlong injecting his enthusiasm into the work and the deliberate blocking of the fight scenes by Kevin Rowntree. The directors have clearly worked hard to blast the themes of the play though their megaphone of a stage to try to ensure that the message they believe in is delivered. This method is key to the play’s energy but may be too raw for some audiences. The addition of the live band ‘A Riot in Heaven’ adds to the play overall, even if at times they seem underused. Their post-rock style mimics the dystopian remorse integral to the play, bringing their melodic instrumentals to key moments granting them additional weight. However, they spend long periods of time on stage, only directly involved in the action once. While the sound of distorted strings to represent the titular flies is perfect for the mood the company creates and their style is ideal for the drama, it does not seem the great innovation advertised. Only in a couple of moments does the crisp image of the production fade; when the sound of the band rises up with the cast shouting through megaphones and writhing around on stage. This cacophony borders on the pretentious, edging towards the alienation of the audience from the themes of the play. Thankfully these moments are brief but risk blunting the message. In truth the Echange Company may be doing themselves a disservice, making theatre seem this easy. However it would seem to be difficult to go wrong with such a powerful script. It is passion, in every aspect of the production that carries it over the few flaws. The themes and important messages of the play remain intact but delivered with such visceral enthusiasm that they may become lost, should the audience not share that passion. If Sartre describes his play as “the triumph of liberty over fatality” The Flies is a triumph of passion over banality.
CAMDEN PEOPLE'S THEATRE Box office Phone: 08700 600 100 Wednesday to Sunday
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