Treasure Island
By Alanya Noquet
Monday 28th September 2009Whether Gordon Restifo had children in mind when he adapted Robert Louis Stevenson's well-loved novel, 'Treasure Island' remains a mystery to me. That is not to say the play was not compelling; A fast-paced script, beautiful costumes and a healthy dose of Pirates made for an extremely enjoyable 40 minutes. However I am not sure whether the story remained wholly in tact for the younger members of the audience, whilst they were certainly captivated by the swashbuckling sword-fights, highly physical performances and James McWalter's lugubrious Long John Silver, even the most astute of children would struggle to follow the story of this show.
Jamie Wightman's Jim Hawkins was an engaging protagonist playing against a highly capable supporting cast including John Maclean's bumbling Squire Trelawney,Restivo's kooky Ben Gunn and Kate Stephenson's delightful Doctor Livesey.
The set was functional and used appropriately, the cast well-directed, moving about the space with confidence and zeal. Perhaps a little more could have been done to create the atmosphere on board the 'Hispaniola', the lighting and music choices were unimaginative.
The commitment of the cast was questionable, with the actors stumbling through some dubious moments of ad-lib, however this did not impair the quality of the show which was enjoyed, for somewhat different reasons, by adults and children alike.
Monday 28th September 2009Whether Gordon Restifo had children in mind when he adapted Robert Louis Stevenson's well-loved novel, 'Treasure Island' remains a mystery to me. That is not to say the play was not compelling; A fast-paced script, beautiful costumes and a healthy dose of Pirates made for an extremely enjoyable 40 minutes. However I am not sure whether the story remained wholly in tact for the younger members of the audience, whilst they were certainly captivated by the swashbuckling sword-fights, highly physical performances and James McWalter's lugubrious Long John Silver, even the most astute of children would struggle to follow the story of this show.
Jamie Wightman's Jim Hawkins was an engaging protagonist playing against a highly capable supporting cast including John Maclean's bumbling Squire Trelawney,Restivo's kooky Ben Gunn and Kate Stephenson's delightful Doctor Livesey.
The set was functional and used appropriately, the cast well-directed, moving about the space with confidence and zeal. Perhaps a little more could have been done to create the atmosphere on board the 'Hispaniola', the lighting and music choices were unimaginative.
The commitment of the cast was questionable, with the actors stumbling through some dubious moments of ad-lib, however this did not impair the quality of the show which was enjoyed, for somewhat different reasons, by adults and children alike.