TREASURE ISLAND. To 14 August.
London
TREASURE ISLAND
by Robert Louis Stevenson freely adapted by Phil Wilmott
The Scoop To 14 August 2005
Wed; Fri-Sun 7pm
Runs 1hr 25min No interval
TICKETS: None (free performances)
Review: Timothy Ramsden 7 August
Panto-style Stevenson in the open-air.Several years ago Southend's Palace Theatre presented Treasure Island as its Christmas show, swashes being buckled over several storeys as RL Stevenson's finely-wrought adventure was played out. This caused some disappointment among theatregoers who had come expecting a pantomime.
Southend's frustrated can now make their way to the Thames' south bank (across from the Tower of London) where Phil Wilmott turns Treasure Island - or such elements as he finds useful for the purpose into a summer panto. It may well be the thing for an open-air show where audience members can come and go as they please, watch the whole thing or just stop and take a couple of photos then leave. It certainly seems a crowd-pleaser. It has, though, none of the narrative tension or large sections of the story of Treasure Island.
Wilmott opens the action midway, as Jim Hawkins is recruiting for the island voyage, Stevenson's opening chapters, rich in atmosphere, becoming a hasty flashback. Black Dog turns into a Balkan-style human/canine confection at Blind Pew's heels. Nick Smithers (or the adaptation) reduce the fearsome Pew to a gloved-hand, black-robed ghoul jokily robbing both of any real sinister quality. Theatrical overkill sees dramatic tension fizzle away.
Smithers has his real big (and very long) moment as Ben Gunn, the pirate marooned on the island, longing for his beloved cheese. Here he goes the whole gorgonzola with a series of jokes that would be funny at a quarter the length, then starts singing about the stuff, as a sub-Busby Berkeley fromage-hatted chorus parades over the stage.
And the casting convenience of turning several characters into women strikes less than a marshmallow blow for feminism.
At least there's a parade of fine actors relishing the unseasonal opportunity to indulge in panto-style excesses. Andrew Venning's Jim Hawkins remains innocently sympathetic while Amy Ip gives her oriental interloper a hearty fearsomeness and Kerry Skinner is wonderfully unconvincing when her pretending piracy was a joke all along. Stewart Alexander is so plausible a Silver he could clearly play do an excellent job at the part for real.
Jim Hawkins: Andrew Venning
Lady Jacqueline Trelawney: Bea Holland
Miss Lucinda Livesey: Nicola Delaney
Captain Obadiah Smollett: Joe Fredericks
Meg Trueblood: Ursula Mohan
George Merry/Billy Bones: Martin Nee
Blind Pew/Ben Gunn: Nick Smithers
Black Dog: Julius Barnett
Israel Hands: Phil Sealey
Cheng I Sao: Amy Ip
Gentleman Jack: Edward Jaspers
Harry Flash: Jonathan Lisle
Nathaniel Crisp: Tom Hambleton
Spanish Poll: Olivia Macdonald
Shoreditch Sal: Kerry Skinner
Nightingale Nell: Ally Holmes
Old Joe: Robert Donald
Sunshine Sam: Christopher Chamberlain
Mill Midnight: Lara-Michelle Goodfellow
Long John Silver: Stewart Alexander
Captain Flint: Matthew Hodson
Directors: Phil Wilmott, Joe Fredericks
Designer/Lighting: Hansjorg Schmidt
Sound: Steve Rafter
Music: Joe Fredericks
Choreographer: Darren Royston
Costume: Peter Mulloy
Puppet Design/Direction: Yvonne Stone
Masks: Alexandra Kharibian
Fight director: Marcello Marascalchi
2005-08-09 09:58:55