Treasure Island musical at the Bristol Old Vic – review

Christmas cheers all around: after a couple of years in which the Bristol Old Vic’s festive offerings leaned more towards agenda than enchantment, here at last is a production that restores the glow. Jake Brunger and Pippa Cleary take Robert Louis Stevenson’s piratical thrill ride, Bristol flavour baked in, and spin it into something tuneful, colourful, and flecked with ghostly mischief. They remain part of the new guard of British musical theatre, and while this may not be the show that rockets them skywards, it’s witty, buoyant work that strengthens their promise and proves that family theatre can be clever without losing its heart.

The plot is familiar enough that theatregoers can stroll in without homework. Jim Hawkins (played by Adryne Caulder-James as a gender-flipped role in this production) finds her world tilted the moment she unearths Billy Bones’ cryptic treasure map. Swept aboard the Hispaniola, she’s thrown among scheming pirates and uneasy allies, all revolving around the dangerous charm of Long John Silver (Colin Leggo).

On the island, secrets surface, loyalties buckle, and the lure of gold pulls Jim deeper into peril. It may not scream “Christmas show,” but its themes – coming of age, the push and pull of family (boosted here by Jim’s mother becoming central), and the belief that change is always possible – give it that seasonal warmth. There’s a generosity in the storytelling that feels right for December: a reminder that adventure and empathy can share the same stage.

What sets it apart is the confidence of its makers. The songs are genuine earworms, lyrics crisp and playful, the score darting from Spanish pop and calypso to hints of Sondheim. Like all good magpies, they borrow brightly and still find their own voice.

Paul Foster’s production frames the tale within the 2025 Bristol Storytelling Festival, the open-mic conceit neatly explaining why eight uber-talented actor-musicians carry the narrative. It’s a device that could have felt gimmicky, but instead it adds intimacy and pace, as if the audience is being let in on a secret. Tom Rogers’ costumes gleefully blend eras, 21st-century tracksuits brushing up against 19th-century tricorns and waistcoats, and his map of Bristol peels away to reveal ship and island – a simple flourish that works every time, bringing grandeur and theatrical simplicity. There’s a handmade charm to the design that never undercuts its polish.

Caulder-James is a name to watch: her Jim is brave, sharp, and mercifully unsentimental, with a clear, bright voice that carries the score. As Long John Silver, Leggo brings texture and bite, part villain, part wary mentor, with the added authenticity of a genuine prosthetic leg. Making her stage debut, Jayde Adams is big-voiced, if occasionally one-note, as Jim’s mother, but she shines as both MC and an energetically oddball Ben Gunn, delivering a coconut anthem with gusto and comic timing that lands squarely.

All told, it’s a polished and inviting night of family-friendly theatre – one that feels poised, like the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, to visit many other playhouses in the foreseeable future. Bristol Old Vic has rediscovered its festive sparkle, and this Treasure Island proves that tradition and invention can sail in the same boat. Merry Christmas indeed.