TREASURE ISLAND
National Theatre at Home, Global
17/04/2020 - 31/05/2020
COVID-19 Lockdown Festival 2020
Production Details
National Theatre at Home: Treasure Island
Robert Louis Stevenson’s story of murder, money and mutiny brought to life in this thrilling new stage adaptation.
It’s a dark, stormy night. The stars are out. Jim, the inn-keeper’s granddaughter, opens the door to a terrifying stranger. At the old sailor’s feet sits a huge sea-chest, full of secrets. Jim invites him in – and her dangerous voyage begins.
Filmed live on-stage by National Theatre Live, see Olivier Award-winner Patsy Ferran (Summer and Smoke) play Jim and Arthur Darvill (Doctor Who, Broadchurch) play Long John Silver in this rip-roaring adventure for the whole family.
This filmed performance was given a BBFC rating of 12A and contains some flashing lights and staged fight scenes.
We’re all about experiencing theatre together.
At a time when many theatre fans around the world aren’t able to visit National Theatre Live venues or local theatres, we’re excited to bring you National Theatre at Home.
Our third streaming performance is Treasure Island on 16 April at 7pm UK time. It will be available until 7pm on Thursday 23 April but you’ll need to start watching by 5pm UK time on 23 April to ensure you see it all.
You will be able to watch some of the best British theatre from the comfort of your living room, via YouTube for free, with each title available for one week.
Thank you to all the amazing artists who have allowed us to share Treasure Island in this way, during a time when many theatre fans aren’t able to visit their local theatre.
More content, including a cast list and Learning resources, will be added to this page in the coming days.
“An ingenious production. Technical whizzery abounds.” – Daily Mail
“Spectacular. Daring. Fun for all the family.” – Time Out
“An imaginative adaptation, which keeps alive the wit and excitement of the book” – Guardian
“Ambitious and magical. Thrillingly executed.” – The Stage
UK: 16 April from 7pm to 23 April 2020
NZ: 17 April from 6am to early 24 April 2020
Running Time: 1 hour and 50 minutes, including a short interval. BBFC rating: 12A
Free on the National Theatre’s YouTube channel
Theatre ,
1 hr 50 min
A delicious escape from the things that confine us
Review by Mary-Beth Acres 19th Apr 2020
On Friday morning the walls of my house come down and I go to the theatre, or rather, the theatre comes to me, with the live broadcast of the National Theatre’s production of Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson, adapted by Bryony Lavery, and directed by Polly Findlay.
This classic story is one of adventure and perseverance in the pursuit of an elusive pirates’ bounty as you journey with young “smart as paint” Jim Hawkins.
Lavery’s adaption is clever and stitches the funny plot points with thoughtful one-liners and sharp observations about maps, mathematics and who holds the right to adventure.
The cast is talented with unique and punchy characters. As the haunted and unpredictable Billy Bones, Aidan Kelly delivers a wonderful performance, and Arthur Darvill’s smooth operator Long John Silver dances a clever tension between velvety friendship and something much darker. I wish that the Squire Trelawney had been given the same duality as some of the others so that we might be forced to love or loathe him, although Nick Fletcher’s performance is robust and his costuming is excellent.
Patsy Ferran’s Jim Hawkins is a sweet and charismatic depiction of the character that brings a clever modern complexity. Her expressiveness is endearing and connects the audience to the story, inspiring adventure in us all. The adaptation parallels the joyful story of Jim to the sad plight of Ben Gunn (Joshua James) which holds some beautiful moments.
I really enjoy the rhythm of the performance which tells a lot of story in a reasonable time, managing the balance of moving with pace while still giving the audience time to hold their breath and feel things.
Throughout the performance, the musical (Dan Jones and John Tams) and sound (Conrad Fletcher) landscape is beautiful and keeps my heart racing. The set, costume and lighting designs (Lizzie Clachan and Bruno Poet) are enchanting – with smooth transitions between the seemingly endless different faces that take you from an Inn, to Bristol, aboard the Hispaniola and ultimately onwards to the ever-shifting titular Treasure Island.
“Did I eat stars? Did I live on air?” Almost too soon the show is over and the call to adventure in Treasure Island is one I feel deeply; it presents a delicious escape from the things that confine us.
A layered production with plenty to enjoy for the whole family, it is available to view now until 23rd April (NZ time).
Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer
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