SKELLIG/WILD GIRL, WILD BOY -- David Almond

Delacourt Books for Young Readers -- tpb
©2005 -- 240pp
ISBN: 0385730748

Skellig is the dramatization of his highly acclaimed novel. What has Michael found in the derelict garage? What is this creature that lies in the darkness? Is it human, or a strange beast never seen before? And what will happen in the world when he carries it out into the light?
Wild Girl, Wild Boy is an original play produced in London by the Pop-Up Theatre company. Young Elaine has recently lost her father, and now she spends her days dreaming in the family’s garden, skipping school, unable to read or write. One day, Elaine conjures up a Wild Boy from spells and fairy seed. No one else can see him, and Elaine disappears into a world of fantasy where she and Wild Boy remember the teachings of her father. Will her mother ever come to understand?

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Almond's actual book, Skellig is quite remarkable and unique, and being a theatre professional, I was looking forward to this as well. While I think the play manages to retain much of the spirit of the book, Skellig, it seems to be lacking in something quite important -- characterization.

I am well aware that theatre characters are the "bones" of a character and the actors and director put on the "flesh," but it was strange to read a play based on a book that I'd read which had some very strong, identifiable characters and then to read a play in which the characters seem to be lacking a spine.

Wild Girl, Wild Boy had a similar 'problem...there wasn't much character definition. First, there's 'Wild Girl' who doesn't change or grow much during the course of the play, and because of her learning disability, she's rather one dimensional. 'Wild Boy' is intriguing, and there's some very nice themes running through here, but again, getting to them is a bit of a slow process, and not always appearing to be worth the effort.

Moments of brilliance kept me going, but I'd like to have seen/read this same play by Almond as a more experienced playwright. Do we really need all the different scenes? Can we get these plays to flow a little more evenly?

This tends to be a problem with novelists who decide to write plays. In books, they can jump around from scene to scene easily. But when they write plays, they tend to have trouble condensing and confining while keeping the story active. Almond has the same trouble here -- Wild Girl, Wild Boy has only 82 pages, but has fifteen different scenes. Skellig has fiften scenes in act one and nine in act two.

Skellig also makes use of a narrator -- another common problem with novelists-turned-playwrights ... you can tell a read anything you want about a character in your book, but how do you give the audience inside information? A good playwright knows how to do it. A 'young' playwright gives us a character or characters to give us that sort of information.

As theatre, neither of these plays work. As literature, there is some great moments, keeping my rating neutral, rather than too low or too high.