Hallucinations and violence cause chaos in this Mandarin adaptation of Goldberg’s classic.

As civilised as we might seem, when placed in extreme situations, any human is likely to regress into survival mode, reverting to our animal instincts in a primal state closer to beast than man. One of the most prominent works in the English language to explore this is William Golding’s seminal novel Lord of the Flies, which posited that even children are capable of turning into savages in the right environment.

In the first of three collaborations between local theatre company Nine Years Theatre (NYT) and arts institution Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), the Diploma in Theatre (Mandarin Drama) Year 3 Students presented a Mandarin adaption of Lord of the Flies. Directed by Timothy Wan, with a script by Nigel Williams translated by Nelson Chia, Lord of the Flies follows a group of children who’ve found themselves stranded on a deserted island and forced to survive on their own. But when personalities begin to clash, the children begin to wrest for power in increasingly violent ways.

Rather than trying to recreate an island setting in the NAFA Theatre Studio, director Timothy Wan has instead decided to capitalise on the concept of theatre as make-believe, and emphasise the idea of innocence and play in this production. Right from the beginning, we see all the cast playing with various props, privately creating their own mini-scenes in their minds. The stage itself is mostly bare, save for a section of seats repurposed to form a ‘cliff’ on the island, adorned with ropes and gauze to give the impression of being overgrown with plants.

In that sense, this production of Lord of the Flies can be interpreted either literally, or in a more abstract way, where the entirety of the performance could well be taking place in the children’s own heads, and further highlights how quickly innocent play can turn to brutality from the innate darkness in our natures. This also makes the play’s innate ideas of hallucination and imagination come out even more strongly than before, where a mysterious beast terrorising them appears to be a clear sheet of plastic propped up on four poles, ghost-like as it hovers towards them, not menacing yet easily the stuff of nightmares if one lets their fears get the best of them. Truncating a novel that spans several months in a 90 minute play, our sense of time also becomes warped, and you begin to lose track of how many days have elapsed since the beginning, as if they have always been this way.

NYT’s strength has always been in their ensemble work, and director Timothy Wan has applied that same training and discipline to this cast of young performers. As a director, Timothy seems to be especially sensitive to being able to give most of his cast chances to shine both individually and as a group, with moments the leads are afforded to relish their scenes, while scenes involving the entire cast are expertly choreographed to either display controlled chaos, such as when the two opposing tribes end up fighting, or when they dance in unison, as if possessed or a trance, when taken over by their savage primal instincts.

Lord of the Flies has never been an easy story to stomach, and while there is neither blood nor gore onstage, this production is no less disturbing in its display of the human capacity for cruelty. Early on, we already see clear streaks of meanness in the otherwise good-natured Ralph, who betrays the mild-mannered Piggy by telling the group his nickname, seemingly as a means to earn favour and respect from the group. And of course, later on, when words turn to action, the children literally push and shove each other to the ground, striking each other and falling to the floor. Most discomforting is watching the children delight in the violence, completely without empathy or guilt as they laugh with glee at their kills.

Among the cast, duelling rivals Huang Ziyi as Ralph and Zhuang Chuhang as Jack are standouts, where the former offers a complex portrayal of the character, inherently moral and wanting order, yet easily influenced by groupthink and popularity, bringing with her immense disillusionment when she realises how futile it all seems and when the horror of death descends on her. On the other hand, Zhuang showcases impressive energy as Jack and decidedly more tyrannical, going from a boy who simply wants to have fun, to becoming an outright villain and agent of chaos as he forces his way, gathering his own band of merry men and leading them into evil.

Elsewhere, Soo Jia Jie encapsulates the hapless Piggy well, a whiny voice of reason who you know is right yet can’t help but feel annoyed by at his insistence on proper decorum to maintain order. Tay Qing Xin, as Roger, is somehow an even greater embodiment of pure bloodlust than Jack, bordering on maniacal as she watches the others, mad-eyed and unpredictable. Finally, Lin Qianying, as the mild-mannered Simon, is given her own solo moment as she sees the Lord of the Flies himself, voice quavering as she descends into madness in a powerful monologue about the darkness that lies within our hearts.

Tan Jia Hui’s costumes are spot on, casual streetwear that would not be out of place in a mall, but gradually become more ragged and wild over time, repurposed or torn from battling nature. Genevieve Peck’s lighting is intense, perhaps reflecting the ferocity of nature, and bathes the stage in far spookier, almost ethereal lighting when encountering the beast or more supernatural events take place.

What this production does so well is ensuring that you’re left shaken by how easily humans fall to savagery, innocence lost through bloodshed and the loss of life of actual children. While there are parts which begin to feel repetitive as it becomes a case of attacking and defending themselves from each other, Nelson’s translation ensures that it remains easily followed, and you can almost see an aura of desperation emerge from Ralph’s group the more dishevelled and beaten down they become.

By its end, even the final rescue scene is subverted, seemingly implying that much of this is either a memory in Ralph’s head, or a particularly horrifying dream of a disturbed mind. Alone and traumatised, you wonder about how easily innocence is lost, and how quickly we become willing to sacrifice others for our own survival, or worse, our own entertainment. A very strong show of directorship for Timothy Wan, who has ultimately steered this cast of young performers to shore in a very promising student production.

Lord of the Flies played from 9th to 12th November 2023 at the NAFA Studio Theatre.

Production Credits:

Originally written by William Golding and adapted by Nigel Williams Chinese Translation: Nelson Chia Director: Timothy Wan Cast: Huang Ziyi, Zhuang Chuhang, Soo Jia Jie, Zheng Qing Xin, Lim Zi Yi Kermaine, Liao Yanni, Lin Qianying, Wang Xinyu, Niklaus Chia, Chen Yitong Costume Designer: Tan Jia Hui Lighting Designer: Genevieve Peck Sound Designer: Chung Ee Yong, Rebecca Tan Sound Design Mentors: Dayn Ng, Ng Sze Min Sound Design Coordinator: Pearlyn Tay Set/Props Coordinator: Goh Abigail Stage Manager: Natalie Wong Surtitle Designer: Gooi Ci Xian (Xena)