After my disappointment with the National Theatre’s previous livestream of Jane Eyre, they take a step in the right direction with Bryony Lavery’s adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island.
The story is told by Jim Hawkins, played by Patsy Ferran,who is reliving an adventure. After living a pretty sub-standard life with her grandmother, helping her to run a tavern her life changes with the visit of a mysterious man and the discovery of a map leading to buried treasure.
Adventure awaits Jim, alongside various characters as they set sail for the treasure. One thing they don’t know is that they have been infiltrated and followed by pirates lead by the crafty Long John Silver – played by Arthur Darvill, better known for his role as Rory Williams in Doctor Who.
The set- designed by Lizzie Clachon, makes use of the Olivier Stages innovative rotating drum to create a variety of scenes. The most impressive is the ship, including the layers below deck. Another aspect I appreciated was the lighting, designed by Bruno Poet and does a good job hiding the multiple scenes, creating a mysterious and dark atmosphere.
A standout scene is when John takes Jim on deck and they watch the stars. Jim learns how to navigate using them, which comes into play later in the finale. The best actor for me was Arthur Darvill who was unrecognisable as Long John Silver.
He starts the show as seemingly friendly, and almost a father-like role model for Jim. This changes with his scurvy mutiny and his desires for treasure come out, ultimately leading to his demise. He is also accompanied by an animatronic parrot, voiced by Nick Fletcher.
Humour is common in this production, some of the best by Grey – played by Tim Samuels – who is often overlooked by the crew, Squire Trelawney (also played by Nick Fletcher), the self-appointed captain who clashes with the proper Captain Smollet and Ben Gun (played by Joshua James). These interactions are fairly reminiscent of Gollum by the way he talks to himself after being isolated alone and his obsession for cheese!
Music is supplied throughout the show by John Tams which sticks to sea shanties (including the ones we are more familiar with).
One of the things I was a bit unsure about at the beginning was the change of gender role for Jim. Patsy does a good job, capturing the naivety and the slowly growing confidence of the character as the story progresses. The end justifies this by revealing her full name is Jermaine. Personally, I’m not sure about this as it’s not historically accurate and I can’t really suspend my disbelief surrounding this change as this didn’t really sink in until the final act. Although, at the end due to being the youngest member of the crew, she was the most mature and level-headed member of the crew, as she even sailed the ship.
Ultimately, this show was more enjoyable compared to last week’s Jane Eyre. However, this show wasn’t perfect. All the cast do a good job to bring the characters to life as well as the set and the use of animatronics bringing the action together. The only problem I found were the historical inaccuracies.
Treasure Island is available to view on the National Theatre YouTube channel from 16th April until 23rd April.
By Stuart McComb
Feature image: Time Out