Treasure Island

Treasure Island is another triumph from Jake Brunger and Pippa Cleary. Adrian Mole is one of my firm favourites, and I’m pleased to say this has certainly met my expectations.

Only a few weeks ago, I was reading Stevenson’s novel as one of the set texts of a module, and it’s surprisingly dark and violent, especially for today’s audience. And it’s noticeable that all the main characters are male. Knowing that I’d soon be seeing this musical adaptation, I was curious to see how it would be adapted.

This is a refreshing adaptation for a twenty-first-century audience. Jim Hawkins, as we discover at the start, is reimagined as a thirteen-year-old Bristolian girl. She’s brilliantly portrayed by Adryne Caulder-James, whose top-notch vocal brings out the protagonist’s innocence and determination.

Dr Livesey, Hands and Ben Gunn are also reinterpreted as female characters, creating a more balanced cast of characters. Long John Silver is not as intimidating as in the novel, but his bond with Jim is compelling to watch. It’s refreshing to see the changes in characterisation and parts of the plot, hinted at the opening number of Act Two. There’s a touch of audience interaction at the beginning of each act, which successfully lifted the atmosphere and drew the audience into the story.

The costumes aren’t overly extravagant but successfully bring out the personality and role of each character. There’s a distinctly modern, informal edge to the design as you can spot Nike trainers and Adidas tracksuits on stage.

As with any Brunger and Cleary production, the music is the highlight for me. You get a dash of sea shanti and, of course, those classic Brunger-and-Cleary-style melodic tunes. What amazes you is that the actors all play the instruments live on stage whilst acting—some even play multiple instruments.

This lively, inventive take on Treasure Island is unlike anything you’ve seen before. It’s certainly one for the audience in Bristol, where the story is originally set, and all those who love pirates, adventures and bold reimagining of classic tales.

At the Bristol Old Vic @bristololdvic1766 until 10 January.