Unexpected treasure at the National Theatre

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Review of 'Treasure Island'

SPOILER ALERT!

Staring Patsy Ferran (Jim Hawkings), Arthur Darvill (Long John Silver) and Joshua James (Ben Gunn),this wonderful play by Bryony Lavery transforms Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel "Treasure Island" into a fearsome real-life adventure; packed with pirates, expeditions, and vicious villains. The production runs until 8^th April (2015) at the Olivier stage, National Theatre, London with a running time of 2hrs 10mins (including interval).

Before we even made it to the stage, the national theatre already delighted us. We 'wined and dined' at the National's in-house restaurant, "Kitchen". Despite this seeming like a slap-dash, takeaway style of dining facility (which we hurried into as we arrived late), this quirky restaurant, delivered an unexpected delight for dinner. I ordered "mushroom and spinach risotto" (£8.60) which resulted in an absolutely scrumptious dish. It felt rustically homemade with a subtle hint of class underlying the flavours and presentation. The spinach was a tasty addition to a bowl of well-cooked risotto. What served as a pleasing surprise was a subtle hint of lemon to the dish that although may sound peculiar, in fact complimented the spinach and mushrooms wonderfully. If you're booked to go to the National, make sure you visit this little gem, beware it's quite busy but due to its quick-paced atmosphere and delicious cuisine, you won't need long to finish your meal and be desperate for more. Its snappy service is also incredibly satisfying when hungry and needing to be quick for your show.

Ok, now let's get down to business - the show itself. When we entered the theatre, we were hit by sounds of crashing waves, roaring seas and the creaks of the decks of a ship - not to mention the rib-like, skeletal bows of a ship framing the stage (designed by Lizzie Clachan).

 I'd never been to the National before but its amphitheatre design meant that we all had a brilliant view - no matter where we were sitting - there was certainly no 'restricted seating' in this theatre. I didn't know the plot of "Treasure Island" before going to see the production but I have since found out that the principal, Jim Hawkins (Patsy Ferran) is in fact a boy in the book. The gender change of this main character was by no means covered up as many of the characters drew our attention to it which suggests director, Polly Findlay wants to open up this 'book for Victorian boys' to a modern audience - regardless of gender.

However, speaking of audiences, I'm not sure this production was strictly aimed at children. The book's darker themes were definitely highlighted here as over five deaths were graphically staged in full view - from cut throats and stabbings to induced madness and one character being speared through the chest, centre stage (I have no idea how this effect was created). Not to mention Arthur Darvill ("Doctor who", "Once", "Broadchurch") as Long John Silver. He delivered a truly terrifying performance - from your trustworthy pal to your back stabbing (quite literally here) malicious villain. Darvill played the role with such agile subtlety - not over-playing the overly-aggressive, loud stereotype of a pirate villain but instead playing on the betrayal and plain evil in his character.

The whole production felt like a true adventure - sword fights, 'goodies vs baddies' and spectacular special effects. One in particular was the unique and imaginative staging Clachan designed for this fantastical tale. When needing a star-covered sky, a ceiling of hanging light bulbs illuminated over the audience so we were also under the stars. When needing a full scale ship on stage, a two-story stage of captain's room, hammock bedrooms, kitchen quarters came up out of the stage  with rigging, ropes, sales and pirate flags to match. Then, when we thought it couldn't get any better, the second half of the stage also came up and showed us the maze of Ben Gunn's (Joshua James) caves. Although I normally prefer simplistic, clever staging, this show delivered a certain excitement as new parts of the revolving stage were unveiled at different moments. It added to the play's adventurous and exciting atmosphere.

Overall: 4 Stars.

As a wonderful escape from the mundane boredoms of 'real life', "Treasure Island" delivers a truly fun production to watch but I'm not sure it's totally 'family-friendly' due to its slightly darker undertones. However, it's still worth a visit and provides classic escapist entertainment!

Picture: http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/treasure-island + own taken with editing on Paint

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