BWW Reviews: NEVILLE'S ISLAND, Duke of York's Theatre, October 20 2014

Following a successful run at Chichester, Tim Firth's Neville's Island has transferred to the Duke of York's theatre, twenty years after it last appeared in the West End. Featuring four well-loved British comics in Neil Morrissey, Robert Webb, Ade Edmondson and Miles Jupp, Firth tells the story of a group of managers who get lost in the Lake District while on a team-building weekend.

Washed up on shore after their boat strikes rocks, the four men are led by their chosen captain Neville (Morrissey). Edmondson as the grumpy, know-it-all production manager Gordon, is the only returning cast member from the Chichester production. Born-again Christian Roy (Webb) and insecure Angus (Jupp) make up the rest of the team as they settle in for a long night as they wait to be rescued. The quartet have completely different personalities which makes for some hilarious situations, Angus is prepared for anything with his Mary Poppins-esque rucksack containing a survival knife, stove, four different sized spatulas and a frying pan, Roy spends most of his time on the island either praying or bird-watching while Neville tries to lead his team and keep them from falling apart.

Edmondson is magnificent once again as Gordon, who gets his kicks from bringing people down and destroying people's ideas or beliefs. When Angus' wife Julie does not seemingly send for help after he uses the last of his mobile phone battery to ask her to send a rescue team, Gordon manages to convince him that she is playing away from home (more specifically on the bread shelves at Sainsbury's). Webb as the quiet Roy is hilarious as he tries to dodge Gordon's anger, but eventually takes a direct hit after Gordon brings up the 13-month absence from work that Roy had following the death of 'Lucy', a mysterious character whose identity is uncovered towards the end of the play. Everything comes to a head following their argument with Roy singing the opening line of Oklahoma! while sat in a tree in his underwear.

Firth, who became famous for the British film and stage production of Calendar Girls, has created a production that is very funny in parts (the uselessness of lighting a flare on bonfire night to try and attract attention) but the lack of any real drama made the first half go by very slowly. The second act was much better, but still didn't make me laugh as much as I'd expected. Still, director Angus Jackson has created a production with a lot of physical comedy and the tension between the group is glaringly obvious. The wonderful set designed by Robert Innes Hopkins depicts a dense clearing, with water lapping on either side (my advice - don't sit in the front row unless you want to get soaked!).

Photo Credit: Alastair Muir

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