Theatre / Reviews
Review: Treasure Island, Bristol Old Vic – ‘Theatrical riches await’
Theatrical riches await on the cobbles of King Street as Bristol Old Vic once again strikes gold with their Christmas show.
Restaurants talk of food miles and if the same can be applied to classic novels transferred to new stage musicals, then we have barely travelled a few hundred yards in 250 years.
Treasure Island begins in a present-day pub in Bristol before the action jumps seamlessly back to the same hostelry but in the late 18th century where tracksuits have been swapped for tricorns accessorised with Nike swooshes.
Jayde Adams, mightily impressive in her first professional stage role, begins proceedings with some crowd work; on press night finding a Lib Dem councillor from Brislington and a drag queen from Cardiff among the audience.
Jayde Adams is the undisputed star of the show – photo: Johan Persson
Over the course of the evening, Adams – the undisputed star of the show – plays a number of different roles like most of the eight-strong company, as we travel from Bristol docks to onboard the Hispaniola, sailing to Treasure Island and then back to BS1.
“There’s a whole world outside of Bristol, mum, and I don’t mean Bath,” says Adryne Caulder-James as Jim Hawkins, just one line from a sparkling script by Jake Brunger, augmented by some marvellous music and songs by Brunger and Pippa Cleary.
Caulder-James fizzes with energy as dreamer Jim; her wide-eyed innocence initially a sharp contrast to Colin Leggo as Long John Silver who gets one of the best lines of the show: “I’m a tender-loving fella and I make a mean paella.”
Adryne Caulder-James as Jim and Colin Leggo as Long John Silver with sausages hopefully not recently rescued after being dumped in a park in St Jude’s – photo: Johan-Persson
Director Paul Foster brings in some touches now familiar to a Bristol Old Vic Christmas production: from a colourful puppet to some whole-hearted audience participation.
Tom Rogers’ sets include a huge version of James Millerd’s famous map of Bristol from 1673 which features sailing ships packed into the Frome; one of which we are soon on with sails that later make way for a tropical deserted island, or is it?
Musical instruments become swords and oars, Adams talks to coconuts, and Sabrina Carpenter gets a shout-out during an evening that will shiver all of your timbers.
Treasure Island is at Bristol Old Vic until January 10. For tickets and more information, visit www.bristololdvic.org.uk/whats-on/treasure-island-a-new-musical-adventure
Jump on board the Hispaniola on the hunt for buried treasure – photo: Johan Persson
Main photo: Johan Persson
Read next:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
