Treasure Island

COLYTON THEATRE GROUP 
Treasure Island
By Ben Crocker
Directed by Emily Thomas
Choreographer Vanessa Cross
Producer Jenny Eagles January 6th  2026

 

There was a real sense of anticipation at Colyton Town Hall on panto night as Colyton Theatre Group presented Treasure Island. Adding immediately to the atmosphere, the entire front-of-house team were dressed as pirates and serving wenches, setting the tone before the curtain even rose.

The show burst into life with a spirited and energetic opening number, Good Morning Colyton — a witty rewrite of Hairspray — which instantly engaged the audience. The opening set revealed a beautifully made interior of the Admiral Benbow, the pub owned by Dame Hawkins (Mark Usher), who variously described herself as a widow or a wife depending on the latest “news” from the upstairs bedroom.

We soon learn that Dame Hawkins is struggling financially and unable to pay her rent. Fortunately, her landlord is somewhat dim and easily distracted — particularly by spotted dick — which proves useful when he arrives to collect the rent, accompanied by his daughter Jenny (Holly Sweeney). Jenny immediately falls for Dame Hawkins’ son Jim (Alex Tulloch), in record timing with a lovely humorous exchange with delicious comic timing.

This was a bright, colourful pantomime full of energy and enthusiasm, populated by several distinct and entertaining groups: Jim and the Admiral Benbow family, a wonderfully scurvy band of pirates led by Long John Silver and his needy parrot, and the formidable Colyton WI.

The costumes throughout were vibrant and eye-catching, and audience interaction was strong, with the crowd more than happy to join in. The WI characters were particularly entertaining and very funny, led by the fabulous Mrs Henderson (Vanessa Cross), the WI chair, and her long-suffering second-in-command. Indeed the whole WI contingent were beautifully rehearsed, each had very well-defined characters and their appearances on the stage left you wanting more. Their interplay was sharp and well judged, with some lovely performances and excellent vocals.

The WI made short shrift of the pirates, bullying them into setting their prisoners adrift with cake rather than walking the plank — the latter being deemed offensive to WI health-and-safety-conscious ethics, complete with threats of risk assessments. This running joke was handled beautifully and drew consistent laughs.

The pirates were a brilliant team, Seadog Sam (Steph Letten) and Seaweed Willy (Sarah Glover-Tulloch) did a great comedy duo with some excellent vocals and Blood Boiler (Robbie Usher), The Fridge (James Redwood), Gizzard Slitter (Fletcher Davis) were all gloriously yet ineffectively evil and funny. Owing to illness, Long John Silver himself was Emily Thomas the Director drafted in at the last moment who performed brilliantly, anchoring the pirate scenes with confidence and charm.

The Squire (Hugh Harrow) was a standout — delightfully stupid and consistently engaging — and his daughter also impressed with lovely vocals, delivering a beautiful rendition of Suddenly Seymour (reimagined here as Suddenly Hawkins), a nod to Little Shop of Horrors.

The Dame was colourful, fearless, and wonderfully interactive with the audience, gleefully terrifying a couple of unsuspecting gentlemen she set her sights on as potential love interests. There were some excellent ensemble song-and-dance moments, including a cleverly staged Thriller sequence in the second half, where ghostly characters recreated iconic Michael Jackson choreography to great effect.
Song choices throughout were familiar and well loved, with rewritten lyrics that were witty and well crafted. The backdrops and scenery were beautifully designed, creating a series of attractive and interesting settings that supported the action perfectly.

A particular favourite was Polly the Parrot (Tish Wells), whose repeated threats to perch on Long John Silver’s shoulder — much to his horror — became a charming and memorable running gag. And a final bouquet must go also to Doris (Joanne Gailor), who performed her wickedly funny role with great zest and glee. 
All in all, this was a joyful, high-energy pantomime with strong performances, smart comedy, and a real sense of fun that was clearly shared by cast and audience alike.

This was a wonderful romp of a show, it was clear that a huge amount of work had gone into every part of it, from the excellent lighting and sound effects, the wittily re-written lyrics of some stompingly recognizable tunes and the set and dressing of the stage was superb, scene after scene. 

Congratulations Colyton, what a show!

 

 

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