Island-living for Neville’s unhappy workmates

Dark comedy Neville’s Island is being performed at the Maltings Arts Theatre in St Albans this week and next.

New theatre company, Holly Road Productions, are putting on their debut production of Neville’s Island by Tim Firth tomorrow night and Saturday, August 7 and 8, and next Friday and Saturday, August 14 and 15.

The play, from the writer of Calendar Girls, finds four employees from middle management stranded on a small island in the Lake District after a gross misdirection from elected ‘captain’ Neville.

As hunger sets in, not even a sausage can stop their moods becoming colder than the November weather, tensions being raised and confrontation ensuing.

Nominated for the Laurence Olivier best comedy award and critically acclaimed received since its debut in 1992, Neville’s Island has recently been performed in the West End starring the likes of Robert Webb (Peep Show) and Ade Edmondson (Bottom).

Show director Stanley Walton, said: “Tim Firth’s script sharply illustrates and explores the fragility of workplace relationships when put in an unnecessarily stressful environment or as we call them these days “Office Away Days”. We get to see their sanity slowly unravel as their poor “leader” tries to muddle through it all.

“It’s incredibly refreshing to work with four young actors with a shared history who bring such a collaborative energy to the table. Watching their characters bicker and fall apart is a joy to watch.”

Performances begin at 7.30pm and tickets are available from www.maltingsartstheatre.co.uk.