Treasure Island (Chesil Theatre @ Winchester College)
Singing rats who like rum and apples? Mer-people? Pirates? Pieces of eight? An actual ship with rigging? A comedy parrot which runs onto the stage through the audience? Love outdoor theatre? Then you will love Chesil Theatre’s freely adapted version of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island in the grounds of Winchester College, Hampshire.
With excellent costumes (apart from Ms nee Dr Livesey who is desperately channelling 19th century New Woman), we are in 18th century swashbuckling and smuggling territory. Before you can say Poldark scythes again, we begin the scene within an inn where we meet Jim Hawkins (Beatrice Shawbrook) and his family’s fatherly new lodger, Long John Silver (Marcus Whitfield), with a missing leg. Also lodging is Long John’s talking parrot, whose puppeteer is deeply channeling parrot with impressive intensity.
But it’s not all lovely for long as Lady Trelawney (nee Squire) and the butterfly hunter lady scientist Ms Livesey hire a scurvy crew and board a ship to look for butterflies and scientific marvels. Jim has a map which, little does he know, will lead to buried treasure and mutiny, not to mention pirate takeover.
Along the way there’s a feminist rewrite as women fight men to join the crew (audience participation for the tug-o-war); the parrot fights to give the game away as Jim is hidden in an apple barrel and overhears a vital bit of plot; later still when most of the crew are comically tied in a heap with a bit of rope, as Long John Silver seems to have won — black spot or no…Only he encounters the ghost of the treasure hoarding Captain Flint (deeply channeling Pirates of the Caribbean seaweedier crew…)
Some terrific singing (with interludes provided by the youth companies as rats and mer-people), simple effective techniques such as the use of names for the ships/places and flags being put up and torn down, much comedy provided by the parrot (having a beak full of cheese at one point and commentating on the epic fight scene at the end), great set, impressive pirate costumes and a delightful bow from Captain Smollett at the end — something for everyone. Plus who can not love Benn Gunn’s obsession with cheese?!!! (leading to song and puns)…Or Lady Trelawney (Christina Pye) poo-poohing Captain Smollett’s concerns and going full Barbara Woodhouse with the canine-like Black Boy (Peter Liddiard).
All in all a much recommended fun show — praying that they get better weather and soon. Do watch just for the creative background scenes — group rowing, exploring the island and a lone row boat coming back again! (and the mast in full sail!)
@ Stage set is the author’s own photo, July 2023
