Treasure Island
April 29, 2008
Treasure Island
Venue: Theatre Royal
Date Reviewed: 29th April, 2008
Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale of Treasure Island is vividly brought to life by the Birmingham Stage Company. Having returned to the original book they give us a brand new production awash with buried treasure, pirates and a pop up skeleton.
We first meet Jim Hawkins (John Cockerill) as he finds the Treasure Island map and tries to hand it over to Squire Trelawny(Leo Atkin). But the Squire is so impressed with his honesty, he employs Jim as a cabin boy when they set sail to the island. But Captain Smollen (Nigel Harris) is not at all happy with the crew especially Long John Silver and when Jim over hears a plan by Silver for a mutiny Smollen has his worst fears realised .
But when they dock at the Tresure Island Jim meets Ben Gunn who has been on the Island over three years, abandoned by the previous pirate crew looking for the treasure. At first Gunn appears to be deranged but all is not what it seems.
This production has plenty of action, even appearing to be alike a boys own story when Jim turns action man in the second half , and the cast of ten do a remarkable job, but at times it is too intense for a young audience.
Unfortunately there are a lot of times when the dialogue is lost due to accents, in fact on occasions it seemed the whole cast must have sore throats. While you expect a good many “Yo-Ho-Hos” you do not want the dialogue to become inaudible.
Ian Westbrook has provided a multifunction set that easily converts from the dockside to the deck of a ship and then to the Island, with the ships mast brilliantly untwisting to make a tree and then returning to being a mast.
While the sound overall was excellent this could be a great two hour production if only the diction was clearer.
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