Treasure Island

Surprisingly, this was my first time at a pantomime by the Players and I went along to St James Church Hall on opening night keen to see their version. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson was originally published as a serial in instalments. It is full of swash buckling pirates, an island with buried treasure and dark deeds, lending itself neatly to the pantomime treatment. By coincidence I had recently attended the CADOS Treasure Island panto at Chorley Little Theatre. Similarly our scriptwriter here, Adam, had paid good attention to the original story with the obligatory pantomime addition of a pesky parrot and a daughter for Squire Trelawney as the love interest for our hero Jim.

Frankly, I had wondered if I ought to lower my expectations a little for the St James version. With fine directors Steve Catterall and Sean McManus at CADOS being able to call on marvellous actors like Katie Potter, Phil Quinn and Robert Walsh & the excellent technical resources of the Chorley Little Theatre venue, I had wondered if the version I would see might be a bit of a compromise. Not a bit of it! Any concerns I had were swiftly put aside, as this was as good a pantomime as you could hope to see anywhere, well written, enthusiastically and deftly acted, with the production expertly fitted to the venue. 

The Overall Production 

Produced and directed by Dylan Couperthwaite and Adam G Smith, who also wrote it, this pantomime was an absolute treat! I was particularly impressed to see the younger members of the cast encouraged and entrusted with a lot of lines – and in a safe atmosphere where they can grow in confidence and ability. Their confident enthusiasm carried the audience with them right from the start, this was a very sure footed production firmly rooted in its community. Crucially, the balance between youth and experience was just right, with experienced heads complementing the younger members of the cast ensuring the pace never flagged. 

Production Team

A consistently high standard throughout, every area strong. Lighting was effective and appropriate provided by Dylan Couperthwaite and Ant Wilson.  On sound here again we had that blend of youth and experience from father and son with Dylan this time pairing up with dad Mark. Sound timings were spot on and effects very well chosen, really adding to this production – very impressive, well done all!

A particular note about the choreography – effective, exuberant and always entertaining. Great use being made of the off stage areas, it was excellently and inventively tailored to the space. With a very well drilled crew having the time of their lives, the audience was with them all the way in every number – well done Angela Ross, Adam Smith and Lilian Eastham (costumes) – outstanding!

The staging was simple but colourful and ingenious. I especially admired the quickness of the changes, sliding panels being used very effectively, maintaining the pace, never losing the atmosphere, right down to the rock moving for the tombstone. Responsible for props and scenery were Sharon Bird and Tom Gilbertson who was also our stage manager - well done!

The sets from the inn and the ship were very believable, and all the costumes were excellent adding to the spectacle throughout, especially the choreographed numbers. Take a bow Lilian Eastham with help from All Dressed Up fancy dress and Costume Emporium.

Congratulations are due also to Moira Murray, Lilian Eastham and Trish Hamilton. So tricky with the unique facilities and with what is obviously a very lively group, it's your behind the scenes work as chaperones that gives young people these opportunities to shine and grow, thank you

The Cast

My immediate comment is that the standard was uniformly high: characterful acting, clear diction and good timing throughout - well done all! So going down the cast list:

We opened with the Admiral Alfie Boe Inn (instead of Admiral Benbow groan!) and met Billy Bones, played by Owen Doherty. Owen ensured we were off to a great start with a classically believable portrayal. The Admiral Boe was owned by our Pantomime Dame Mrs Booty Barnacles, mum to Dippy Deano and to our hero Jim, her adopted son and here were three outstanding performances. 

Mark Couperthwaite's Dame hit the bullseye, faultless comic timing, well paced, and finding exactly the right panto balance in entertaining the younger members of the audience while incorporating double entendres that evoked many a belly laugh, without ever crossing any lines, well done!. The Dame's eldest Dippy Deano, was a kind of Buttons character, excellently played by 16  year old Grace Davies who simply made the part her own, interacting wonderfully with audience and the other characters, take a bow Grace!  But now to our hero Jim, marvellously played by 11-year old Jacob Wilson. Astonishingly I believe this was Jacob's first big role yet timing, pace and diction were all that of a seasoned performer and he had such a confident stage presence, really carrying the plot. Superbly acted Jacob! I hope Jacob continues to progress those great acting skills in the future.

Then we had the baddy Long John Silver and his parrot Peckly, always favourite characters and they didn't disappoint. Andrew Croft usually plays 'goodies' apparently but he seemed to revel as a baddy(!) and soon had the audience booing him enthusiastically. Sarah Cann delivered Peckly really well, her programme notes hoped to “give everyone a squawking good time” and she certainly suck-seeded! Then 3 characters in our plot that can sometimes be written a little flat. Happily the writing here gave them some good comedic moments, Adam Smith ringing all the laughs out of a wonderfully costumed Squire Trelawney. His daughter Polly Trelawney was Jim's love interest. With the ages of our hero and heroine this role can be very tricky but Sonya Thompson did a great job, well done! Playing the Captain can be a thankless task but Captain Flounder was played here by Angela Ross with great panache and stage presence – and here especially I think you have the secret of the blend in this panto strategically accomplished actors throughout ensuring great flow and pace and establishing a platform for the younger actors – well done! 

Instead of Ben Gunn we had Ben Pistol (groan!) delightfully played by Lydia Elsden, another with a smooth stage presence. Again there was a nice blend in our pirate crew with Kath Cann as Nine Lives Nancy, Daisy Alty (15) as Sea Legs Sam and Alfie Wilson (14) as Black Dog rumbustiously combining very well whilst also establishing their individual characters – very well played all 3!
Our youthful ensemble of Mia Brierly, Jessica Green, Kiera Salthouse, Evie Sealey and Millie Sealey did a great job, staying focussed throughout and I must highlight how the songs and their routines were a feature of this production with the songs neatly matching up with plot points.

The audience and I hugely enjoyed this production from a group firmly rooted in its community and where talent is encouraged to come through. Thank you St James Players for inviting me to this absolute treat of a panto, I await your June production of (and with!) Great Expectations

 

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