Preview: Treasure Island

I’d been finding small cast plays to read with the actors I worked with in The Hound of the Baskervilles (2024). We read a version of Treasure Island originated by the company (Peepolykus) that created HOTB. The first half was great and the second half was not. I felt sure there was a good play in the famous story, so I looked around and came across Bryony Lavery’s lively adaptation that was produced on an epic scale at the National Theatre in 2013/14.

It’s lightly feminised (and feminist) with several key female protagonists: Jim Hawkins, Doctor Livesey, Red Ruth, Joan the Goat – who don’t appear as such in the book. I liked the idea of doing something with a great big cast across many locations – even in our small space.

In the play, the young Jim Hawkins and her grandma run an inn, The Admiral Benbow. When Jim discovers a treasure map in the belongings of a pirate who’s been staying at the inn, the local squire decides to charter a ship, the Hispaniola, and takes Jim along for the ride.

At Bristol, they meet a friendly one-legged man who advises on crew and is hired as cook. The man, Long John Silver befriends Jim and teaches her about defence, cooking and the stars. But Jim is betrayed and a crew of mutinous pirates takes over the ship and strands the remaining crew on a remote island. There follows a frantic battle for control of the map, the key to the treasure believed to be buried on the island.

I think most of us love the idea of the crock of gold at the end of the rainbow and finding buried treasure that will help us realise our dreams. It’s also about a young person who’s lived quite a difficult and limited life going on a true adventure and seeing the world. There is a cast of captivating characters who each have a unique point of view. Plus of course the enduring appeal of pirates!

Mainly trying to fit everyone in when we’ve been allocated a smaller rehearsal space – and getting all the actors who are needed for a scene there to rehearse – some people have a lot of holidays. People wanting to watch England’s World Cup matches has also proved challenging, as well as finding time to pin down scene choreography and smaller emotions when you’re nearly always looking at the bigger picture. But actually, this has been enormous fun and everyone has contributed lots of great ideas.

Jim Hawkins (Megan Brontë) and her grandma (Celia Byrne), run the local inn. Regulars there include Squire Trelawney (Dean Moore) and Doctor Livesey (Laura Morgan), along with locals Job Anderson (David Carr), Lucky Micky (Aranan Wijasooria), Red Ruth (Celeste Roberts Watts), and Mrs Crossley (Lucy Ross) and her hen. They are visited by three frightening visitors, Bill Bones (Jacob Simmons), Black Dog (David Clements) and Blind Pew (Derek Dempsey) who raise the promise of treasure.

They then endure a raid by pirates Killigrew the Kind (Woody Franklyn), George Badger (Joe Childs), Joan the Goat (Rosie Williams), Israel Hands (Tirusanthan Thiruvilangam) and Dick the Dandy (Ed Smith). In Bristol, we’re introduced to the choleric Captain Smollett (Chris Bennett) and the mysterious Long John Silver (Tom Watts) as well as the ever-forgettable Grey (Dan Wicksteed). Finally, on the island, we meet the marooned cabin boy Ben Gunn (Fuad Kamil), driven half mad by solitude and his need for cheese.

Adventure. Pirates. Treasure.