In theatrical circles, the phrase "the set was fabulous" is shorthand for "the play has absolutely no substance whatsoever".

For Neville's Island, Eastbourne Theatre's lavish summer production, the set really is fabulous.

Penned by Calendar Girls writer Tim Firth, this Lord Of The Flies for 30- somethings sees four middle-management losers marooned in the Lake District.

West End set designer Julie Godfrey has risen to the occasion, producing a woodland scene around three and a half tonnes of real, wet water, into which our heroes periodically launch themselves.

But the set, for me, is the extent of the production's appeal. Unfortunately, watching middle-class, middlemanagement, middle-aged, middle- England, mid-life-crisis blokes argue over a sausage while a stone's throw away from McDonald's is hardly the stuff of theatre.

By the time team leader Angus (Steven Pinder) says anything of interest, we are already well into the second half.

Kevin Pallister, as born-again Christian Roy, provides moments of touching innocence but overall Neville's Island smacks of the sort of dull, corporate, Slough-based suits we encounter daily.

The set may be a marvel, but don't see this show if you like your theatre to be about escapism.

  • Until September 16, call 01323 412000