Allen\’s Treasure Island Posts Closing Notices, 10 Jan

Treasure Island has posted early closing notices at the West End’s Theatre Royal Haymarket. Ken Ludwig’s new stage adaptation, starring Keith Allen (pictured) as Long John Silver, opened on 17 November 2008 (previews from 7 November) and had been booking until 28 February 2009 (See Review Round-up, 18 Nov 2008). It will now finish on 10 January 2009.

It’s the third production in a row to finish early at the Haymarket, following Girl With a Pearl Earring in October and Marguerite in September (See News, 21 Aug 2008).

Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1883 adventure novel Treasure Island – featuring “rip-roaring action, swash-buckling swordplay, battling buccaneers and hidden treasure” – is directed by Sean Holmes, recently appointed as the next artistic director of west London’s Lyric Hammersmith.

Keith Allen is joined in the cast by Michael Legge (as Jim Hawkins), Tony Bell (Bones/Captain Smollett), Paul Brennen (Ben Gunn/Black Dogg), John Lightbody (Blind Pew/Trelawney), and Dermot Kerrigan (Flint/Dr Livesy) as well as James Atherton, Mark Bagnall, Matt Costain, Estella Daniels, Branwell Donaghey, Howard Gossington, James Lailey, Mark Theodore and Sharlene Whyte. Sean Holmes directs.

Treasure Island is designed by Shunt’s Lizzie Clachan with lighting by Paul Anderson, sound by Emma Laxton and music by Tom Haines and Ross Hughes, performed by a live band on stage. It’s produced by Brian Eastman and Andrew Welch.

No further productions have been announced for the Haymarket until the much-anticipated revival of Samuel Beckett’s 1955 classic Waiting for Godot, starring Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart (See News, 31 Oct 2008). It’s scheduled to run from 6 May to 28 June 2009 (previews from 30 April) as part of the Theatre Royal Haymarket Company’s second year of in-house productions, this time under the direction of Sean Matthias. Further productions in Mathias’ season have not yet been announced.

– by Terri Paddock