Treasure Island

Robert Louis Stevenson created some classic and unforgettable characters in the original “Treasure Island”: Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver being the principal two, and he would have perhaps marvelled at this version by Ben Crocker. Within it we not only have the clever weaving of the original story of the search for buried treasure using the classic treasure map, but also some crucial pirate shenanigans such as the curse of the black spot; within an authentic, clever, richly written and fabulously performed panto. This is not just good old fashioned panto at its best; it uses modern transitions, everything has been thought about in detail, nothing is too long plus everything is perfectly timed, and the result is a panto that is elevated beyond every expectation.

The audience are of course a crucial part of any panto and the atmosphere the cast and orchestra created was excellent. The audience were incredibly responsive, with the required shouting of “behind you”, song competition, heckling and boo-ing, which made the cast respond with more ad libs which made it all even better than it already was. Contrary to every other theatrical production of course, panto is even better when things apparently go slightly awry, and they delighted the audience even more with extra ad libs as a result.

The settings work really well considering there has to be so many of them, from the Smuggler’s Cove pub to a ship, to Treasure Island itself, and these were mainly achieved by cast through the scenes which gave it a lovely up to date touch. The ghost scene lit with UV light was ingenious, as were all the performing ghosts; developing into the scene where more and more “ghosts” were added to the cast on stage without the characters realising was delightfully done. The backdrops were a super touch, giving depth to the stage; and the treasure map really did look old and on parchment. To then discover, when they think all is lost, that the map has been iced (with super precision) onto a cake they were just about to eat was also a lovely touch and caused lots of laughter.

The music played by the live orchestra was a lovely balance of instruments with perfect timing performed beautifully. They also scored some sections as well as played some classic very well-known songs, some sea shanty sounding tunes and an array of really up to date songs. It all worked incredibly well and was a pleasure to listen to, as was the singing. There was a huge range of different abilities and tones in the singing and somehow all of it blended exceptionally well. Of particular note was Lily Halward playing Seadog Sam who has the most beautiful singing voice.

The cast was simply super. Led by Duncan Taylor-Jones in the role of the Dame: Mrs Hawkins, in great wigs and an off the shoulder dress, interacting with the audience constantly in a really deep voice. How he also managed to direct this plus be one of the choreographers is quite staggering. Squire Trelawney played by Charlie Wycherley was hilarious as a suitable buffoon not afraid to make fun of himself. His costumes and wig were also marvellous. The best costume moment has to be given to Paul Kluge playing Long John-Silver with commanding stage presence, who very early on fits a new replacement “wooden” leg to himself which he ordered from Amazon. They all played this so well, the new “leg” matched this non wooden leg perfectly and it actually looked like they were fitting it to him. He was simply brilliant, as were all the pirate crew, individually adding such lovely detail to their acting, not least when they dressed up as women to go to the WI meeting. Derrick Taylor’s portrayal of “Blood Boiler” was wonderful, as was the deadpan portrayal of “the Fridge” by Dave Rankin, who also showed fantastic comic timing. Mrs Henderson, leader of the WI, played by Marianne Cole was reminiscent of Jennifer Saunders in some of her delivery which was hilarious, and Miss Normington played by Naomi Lindfield was equally funny. So joyous to see such an amazing effort and talent from all the various corners of the cast, including the children, and at times it was hard to believe that so many people could actually fit onto the stage. They also used entrances from behind the audience, including everyone in their romp, giving out sweets too at times. The fourth wall was well and truly permeable.

This production, complete with local jokes that were very funny as well as the standard panto jokes, was utterly hilarious. It swept the audience up in traditional panto fayre yet elevated it by adding such rich detail that the pace and content was brilliant. Beautifully directed and produced, this is far superior to standard panto productions which smashes expectations and leaves you smiling and breathless with laughter. Superb.

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