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Treasure Island

Writer's picture: Paul GaineyPaul Gainey

Robert Louis Stevenson’s much-loved novel Treasure Island has been brought to life by Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in an unashamedly swashbuckling reimagining of the classic tale, beautifully directed by Emma Earle and designed by Zoe Squire.


Across the board, the hard-working cast of BOVTS graduating students bring Jim’s sea-faring, treasure-hunting, pirate-fighting exploits to life, in the heart of the city from which the novel’s search of buried plunder is launched.


Many of the actors play multiple parts. Amongst the many wonderfully creative ideas at play, Jim Hawkins the cabin boy here becomes a rebellious and tomboyish cabin girl, while there are female pirates and women playing the novel’s male characters.


So while Stevenson’s salty coming-of-age classic is often pigeonholed as the archetypal boys’ adventure story, refreshingly, Bryony Lavery’s new adaptation redresses the gender balance while preserving the narrative’s excitement.


We all love classic children’s stories about treasure. And it does not get much more classic than Stevenson’s legendary novel. As a child it was my favourite, go-to comfort book, and I endlessly listened to an audiobook narrated by Jon Pertwee, who played Doctor Who from 1970 to 1974, before the cassette player chewed it up.


We begin in the Admiral Benbow Inn, where Hawkins lives with her grandmother following her parents’ death. There, sailor Billy Bones comes to lodge, passing on his terror of a one-legged pirate. And it’s not long before Hawkins meets the man himself, Captain Long John Silver.


When Bones dies in sinister circumstances, young Jim stumbles across a treasure map in the dead man’s possessions. However, it soon becomes clear that Jim is not the only one who knows of the map’s existence as, along with his friends Squire Trelawney and Dr Livesey, he sets sail on the Hispaniola to find the treasure.


Will Jim outwit the rascal crew and uncover the island’s mysterious secrets? The great virtue of this production is that it offers variations on Stevenson’s original without vandalising it and trends a difficult gang-plank of performing a novel with adult themes for a young audience.


The creative team has designed this production to be suitable for children aged six and over, but there are scenes which are a little more grown up, including on-stage deaths and pirates that are both silly and scary.


Jim Hawkins remains the story’s pivotal figure, and Tesni Richards makes a superb Jim – plucky and tender, a sturdy emotional anchor for the play’s journey.


She successfully occupies that space between child and adult, whether eagerly relaying her story, nimbly clambering up the ship rigging and ladders, or gradually realising the complexity of a manipulative character like Long John Silver (Tom Brace-Jenkins).


The artful Silver is closer to the book than the rolling-eyed villain often portrayed in other adaptations. He gives us a character whose very danger lies in his insidious and seductive charm, an ability that allows him to exploit Hawkins’ loneliness and hunger for adventure.


There are also good performances from Joshua Hogan as cheese-fixated, marooned Ben Gunn, George Lorimer as the sinister Blind Pew and Dick the Dandy, Tyler Pringle as the permanently overlooked Grey and pirate Israel Hands, and Ebube Chukwuma as the haunted Bill Bones and Joan the Goat, with Sasha Alexandra’s providing fun scenes as the puppeteer for Silver’s parrot.


Kieran Devine’s pompous Squire Trelawney and Sasha McCabe no-nonsense Dr Livesey also impress. Together, the ensemble really does convey the joy of performing such a fun show.

Kass Goosen’s lighting conjures the otherworldly haze of the island, while Ruby Dodden’s soundscape supplies the creaking old inns, ship decks and thrashing waves, and Imi Penny’s vivid costumes mix colourful period outfits with smart naval uniforms and piratical leather vests.


Zoe Squire’s staging is studded with witty details and Emma Earle’s direction allows every actor to shine, embracing Stevenson’s rum characters with an infectious verve.


It is symptomatic of a show that gives new life to a loved book and reminds us, through its adventurous casting, that bravery and daring are not a male prerogative. This richly enjoyable, playful production will make every viewer want to seek their own adventure.

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