Treasure Island

This was our first-time visiting Bath Unity Players and the Kingswood Theatre and we were both really excited to attend and cover for Dee Way, your usual NODA Representative.

Though ‘Treasure Island’ is perhaps not usual Pantomime fare, it was really great to see a Pantomime undertaken in such a traditional and family-orientated way– with all the conventions, styles, choice of songs and tricks you would expect and we both enjoyed it all very much. 

The staging was relatively simple but worked really well. The platform at the back gave some height and levels and the steel-deck structure above was used well to dress the scenes from the Benbow Inn to the Docks, the Ship and the Island itself. Set dressings were well-made and decorated and in keeping with the feel-good factor of the production. For the set changes, smaller scenes were set in-front of the curtain, which kept up the pace of the show. Some scene changes were a little loud behind the curtain and interrupted the scene taking place in-front on occasion, but on the whole the staging was very good.

The lighting was well-managed too. There was an even distribution of light across the stage, which was also well-designed and well-cued. There was a good use of colour particularly in the musical numbers and generated interesting effects through the use of standard lighting and gobo-type projections.

 The sound in general was very good. Radio microphone amplification was perfect and the management of this itself had good cueing and control. Sound balance was generally very well-controlled, though in a few chorus numbers the band did overpower the singers just a little.

The costumes were excellent in terms of both quality and fitting and a real feature of the production. They were colourful and really enhance the visual impact of show. We also liked how the chorus costumes also reflected the style and individuality of the principal costumes, which was unusual to see but it also worked really well. The Christmas Tree dress for Henrietta Hawkins at the end of the production was incredible! There were lots of props, which were effective and well-managed – the treasure map being a real highlight.  Hair and wigs, where needed were done effectively.

The quality of the direction was very good, with the key being the pace that the show was undertaken at. Everyone’s attention from the youngest to the oldest was held throughout the whole production, which is no mean feat! The script, also written by the Director, was well-written and very entertaining – very well done.

 In reviewing the principal performances:

• Henrietta Hawkins. This was a confident performance with good comic timing and your interactions had the audience completely on-side. As the Panto Dame you probably could have could have made the role even bigger!
• Dr Livesey. Always difficult to play the straight role in a panto, but you kept it all going and together as the foil to everyone else. Nicely done.
• Rough and Ready. Your double-act performance and dead-pan delivery style just grew on us more and more as the show developed. Your Song-book antics were a real highlight of the production. Really well-done to you both.
• Annabella ‘Annie’ Hawkins. This was a lovely performance as Principal Girl. Everything you did was with completed with conviction and drive and you had a great singing voice too.
• Dimitri ‘Dim’ Hawkins . You gave this role everything with your boundless energy and had the audience with you all the way. Perhaps a little more contrast in your delivery at times would help improve your performance even further too, but well done overall!
• Long John Silver. You had such fun with this part, and you did an excellent job as the Panto Baddie. Great comic-timing and you must have been hoarse after keeping that voice going for the whole show!
• William. Principal boy is never easy, and you maintained the part well throughout.
• Ben Gunn. This was charmingly put across as the protective ghost of Ben Gunn.

The music in the show was a mixture of live and recorded. The small band, with Musical Director Julia Barratt on keyboard/piano and Jack Harris on percussion performed really well and good control was kept over the live music numbers. The chorus singing, predominately in unison was great and helped expand the chorus number impacts. The cast in the ensemble were excellent too overall – always supporting the production without over-powering the principals and the action.

The Choreography worked well – simple but effective to ensure that all of the cast could complete it and look good. Including the various groups of the Curtis School of Dance worked really well too, providing some great variation and additional interest to the production. The youngest group at the start of Act 2 generated a real ‘ahh’ factor too.

In summary, Treasure Island  was a great production and a really good night-out. The performances and the staging all worked really well together. The cast and the production team are to be congratulated on their achievements.  Thank you for great evening’s entertainment and for the hospitality we received too. We wish you every success with your future productions.

PLEASE NOTE:

Any observation made by the reviewer can only be based on what he sees at the performance in question.  The reviewer may have received information in advance of the performance, and it is inevitable that his assessment will be effected by that knowledge.

The N.O.D.A. Representative’s intention is to give an objective critique of the overall production and in particular the performance viewed.  It should be remembered that any review of this nature can only be objective as far as the techniques used during the performance observed.  Any criticisms expressed may not have been valid at other performances, and are only made to encourage higher standards in Amateur Theatre.

It is hoped that the audience’s appreciation of your efforts will have given everyone a lift and encouraged you to greater achievements in the future and that the observations made by the reviewer will prove helpful in improving future productions.

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