Treasure Island

Normally I start this company’s show report with these words . . . this is the last show production of the panto season” but, hey, let’s look at it in another way . . . this is the first panto of the 2019 season!! And, saying that, a panto I have never seen, based on the famous tale by Robert Louis Stevenson. So, how does this work out as a panto tale? Well, all the famous story characters were all there (under another similar name), plus a few “strange” comedy ones to enable the pantomime element to come through within the famous tale. So, shiver me timbers, it was off on a jolly romp, with excruciating gags, as the Pirates and the Goodies fought each other to find the renowned treasure! Led by our hero, Jim, Kirsty Small made a great job of the likeable young lad, joined by his mum, Rosie Bloom, Fiona Gill, at her very comic best in the dame role who, on her every entrance, was greeted with the words, “Avast behind!”. They set sail with capable Captain Mullet (Andy Mackay), the Squire – a superb performance this from Anne Mather – and, supplying the love interest, his daughter, Penny – Rachel Thomson, making a lovely and demure leading lady. Then there were the Pirates, a motley mob, led by the scurrilous, Long John Silver, a loud Brian Blessed voiced Steve Lowrie Mackay who, sadly, was rather unsure in this role. (And I loved his peg leg – a nylon stocking pulled over his leg with clothes pegs attached to it!) He was ably backed by a frightening Blind Ali, brilliantly brought to the stage in great piratical fashion by Anne Lindsay; and then there was the slithering, sleazy, Sea Snake Sally, craftily played by Pam McGrath. Josh McCallum, James Tosh, and Cara Mckenzie also played additional named pirates with perfection. And it fell to Alyson Duff to appear as Barmy Beth, with her craving for cheese, which led to a sequence of cheesy jokes! Lyndsay Morrison brought her magic to the panto as Spirit of the Seas, and the dance Chorus and junior players were all perfect in their stage moves. Heave ho, me hearties, it was all great fun!

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