The Torch Theatre, Milford Haven, has once again surpassed its usual high standards of staging and direction with its autumn production of Tim Firth's 'Neville's Island'.

First performed at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough in May 1992 having been commissioned by Alan Ayckbourn, the play then transferred to the West End in London and has been seen in translation all over the world.

Apart from a successful career writing plays, Firth is well-known also in the cinema world for his first feature film 'Calender Girls' in 2003.

Set on the small island of Rampsholme near Derwentwater in the Lake District, four middle management, middle aged men are marooned after a team-building/bonding session goes horribly wrong.

On a damp November day in the great outdoors, the group leader, Neville, has misinterpreted the clues to the trail and instead of the team ending up in the pub they end up on an island with nothing but a sausage to share. The group do not respect his decision making abilities after this. The trivial and the normally benign soon become all consuming pressures on the edge of darkness.

A fog-filled mix of humour and tragedy kept the audience on the edge of their seats and their minds. It was a story of survival reminiscent of 'Lord of the Flies'. The characters draw sympathy and edgy fear in equal amounts.

The set is as remarkable as the play itself and was designed by Sean Crowley who over the years has become Wales' most prolific theatre designer.

The audience is drawn into the realism of the narrative by an extraordinarily realistic setting of the small island surrounded by a lake of water.

The audience had heeded the Torch's warning about getting wet in the front rows!

Directed by Peter Doran and performed by the Torch Theatre Company, 'Neville's Island' runs until Saturday, October 28. Tickets may be reserved by calling the Torch Theatre Box Office on 01646 695267 or by visiting their website at http://www.torchtheatre.co.uk">www.torchtheatre.co.uk

Carolyn Cox