Title: Treasure Island 

Venue: The National Theatre at Home

Star rating: 4 stars

Synopsis

The National Theatre’s Treasure Island was adapted by Bryony Lavery and directed by Polly Findlay. The play follows the journey of the protagonist, Jim “Jemima” Hawkins (Patsy Ferran) on her quest to find buried treasure.

We are first introduced to Ferran’s character when she is living and working in her grandmother’s inn. The play takes a dramatic turn from the start as sailor Billy Bones (Aiden Kelly) tells Ferran the engrossing story of the fearsome one-legged pirate: soon to be revealed as Captain Long John Silver (Arthur Darvill). 

Kelly also introduces a sea-chest: an important prop, as it contains the map which will lead our characters to the island on which the treasure is buried.

This discovery leads to the ditsy Squire Trelawny (Nick Fletcher), assembling a somewhat motley crew of misfits, with the help of Long John Silver. The gang then set sail to follow the map and find the island’s hidden treasure.

Director Polly Findlay builds suspense from the very start of the play by introducing characters by name before we meet them, particularly in the case of Long John Silver. This establishes a character’s reputation before we are even introduced to them. 

Farran’s character, Jim, narrated the play, giving details of the events happening from the first person. This made the plot even more absorbing. It meant that we, the audience, became aware of facts only when the protagonist did. The audience was aware of Jim’s personal thoughts towards the events as they were happening, controlling the pace of the play.

The play was set in two halves. The first half focused on building the characters’ personalities and establishing the basic plot. The second half was more action-heavy, with sword fights and the story quickening in pace. 

Lavery’s script follows the basic plot of Robert Louis Stevenson’s book, yet offers some much needed modernisation. Jim Hawkins becomes tomboy Jemima Hawkins and Lavery adds in several light-hearted jokes about this switch.

Although the novel may have been intended for children, Lavery’s adaptation will instill a childlike feeling of adventure into any adult in the audience – which is exactly what many of us are looking for right now.

A Standout Cast

Ferran gave an excellent performance as “smart as paint” Jim Hawkins, maintaining the childlike enthusiasm of the character, whilst simultaneously encapsulating the difficult progression from childhood to adulthood.

Darvill gave a standout performance as Long John Silver: a role far from his portrayal of the lovable Rory Williams in Doctor Who. In fact, Darvil was almost unrecognisable to Doctor Who fans, who wouldn’t have been expecting him to play such a deceitful, ruthless – yet at times charming – character. 

Another notable actor for me was that of Joshua Homes. Homes played Ben Gunn: a half-crazy former crew member on the island. Homes’ character offered some comic relief to the play and prevented the performance from becoming perhaps too dark in places.

Star-studded Set Design

Lizzie Clachan’s set was almost too impressive. Despite the intense action throughout the production, it was hard not to marvel at the complexity of the set design.

The first half of the production was set in Jim’s grandma’s West Coast Inn and then the ship. The ship itself was extremely impressive, with rope ladders, sails and a wheel resting on top of a series of individual rooms, giving the ship a dolls’ house effect. This was embraced by two large curved wooden structures which defined the boat’s edges.

During the first half of the play, Darvil showed Ferran how to find guidance in the night sky, whilst standing on the ship. This further directed attention to Clachan’s incredible backdrop; which throughout the play showcased a planetarium of stars, arranged in a series of dazzling constellations.

The second half of the play was set on an island. The island was an integrated mechanical structure which rotated to reveal different sections of land, some with huge balloon spot-like growths on the surface. Later in the play, a network of underground tunnels was uncovered, which again was very striking – especially given the size of the stage.

Much Needed Escapism At Home

At a time when theatre fans are unable to visit theatre venues - with many shows having sadly been cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic - the National Theatre’s Treasure Island brings some much needed escapism to viewers. 

It is fast-paced, gripping and packed full of action. I came away from the show with the same sense of adventure that I’m sure Robert Louis Stephenson intended when he wrote Treasure Island way back in 1881.

This week, Shakespeare's hilarious comedy Twelfth Night, starring Tasmin Grieg, is available to stream on the National Theatre’s YouTube Channel. On Thursday 30 April and Friday 1 May, Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller are also alternating roles as Victor Frankenstein and the creature in Frankenstein. 

Written By Chloe Lane

All pictures are courtesy of Flickr: National Theatre Live.