Treasure Island

TAPAC Theatre, Western Springs, Auckland

08/07/2009 - 19/07/2009

TAPAC Theatre, Western Springs - return season, Auckland

07/07/2010 - 18/07/2010

Production Details



Follow Jim Hawkins, our young hero, in the Classic tale of a quest to find treasure! In a ship full of pirates led by Long John Silver, Jim and his friends sail across the world to Treasure Island. But beware who you trust, some people will do anything to get their hands on gold. Experience the most piratey and adventurous journey across the world and back again you will see this year!

Eleven actors from The Outfit Theatre Company and director Alison Quigan (aka Yvonne from Shortland Street) have adapted Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel for the stage and brought it to life.

A show for the whole family, Mums and Dads, Girls and Boys. Recommended for 5-12 years.

Come out of the cold these holidays and see Treasure Island!

TAPAC
8 – 19 July 2009.
Wednesday 8th: 10.30 & 2pm
Thurs 9th: 10.30 & 2pm
Fri 10th: 10.30 & 2pm
Sat 11th: 10.30 & 2pm
Sun 12th: 10.30 & 2pm
Mon 13th: no show
Tues 14th: 10.30
Wed 15th: 10.30
Thurs 16th: 10.30
Fri 17th: 10.30
Sat 18th: 10.30 & 2pm
Sun 19th: 10.30 & 2pm

Book online  
 

Treasure Island 2010
July 7th – 18th (July School Holidays)
TAPAC Theatre, 100 Motions Road, Western Springs
Tickets: $14 each
Family Pass: $45 (2 Adults, 2 Children)
Bookings & Information: www.tapac.org.nz
(09) 845 0295
More info: www.outfittheatre.co.nz 

 


ORIGINAL CAST:
 Jim Hawkins                          Christopher Tempest
 Long John Silver                    Devlin Bishop 
 Squire Trelawney                  Joel Herbert 
 Doctor Livesey                      Andrew Ford
 Blind Pew / Israel Hands      Ema Barton
 Billy Bones / Steve                Josh Harriman
 Mrs Hawkins / Ben Gunn      Edward Clendon
 Sea-Snake Sue                      Gypsy Kauta    
 Cutthroat Claire                     Toni Rowe
 Gunpowder Gertrude            Kirsten Ibbetson
 Captain Flint, the Parrot        Colin Garlick
 Understudies                         James Jennings, Holly Bradfield



Leeringly funny

Review by Venus Stephens 07th Jul 2010

The Outfit Theatre Company never fails to impress. Their encore season of Treasure Island is a fanciful and polished adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel.

Alison Quigan takes the helm as Director a second time, steering this shipload of talent (mind how you read that) into mirth-infested waters. Once again, to their credit, The Outfit Theatre crew have created a production of elegance and hilarity; a scowling musical and shriek aloud pantomime.

It is cool to see they have taken careful account of noted foibles from Sian Robertson’s review of Treasure Island 2009. The word polished springs to mind… again.

I am pleased to report, all salty accents are in top form this time round, there is a nice male/ female ratio in Long John Silver’s scurrilous crew (my observation), rowing techniques have been choreographed to Evers-Swindell perfection and the crusty character, Blind Pew, has been confirmed a man.

Shrieking highlights in the performance hail solely from the male side of the cast, fantastically delivered in stereo by Joel Herbert as Squire Trelawney, with extra volume courtesy of Andrew Ford’s effeminate Dr Livesey. Edward Clendon tweaks his femme side as young Jim Hawkins’ mother and Colin Garlick earns extra points for being particularly squawky… although an exception can be made for him, he is after all Captain Flint, the parrot.

I have to add, X marks the spot for his deliciously garish costume, a Sponge-Bob yellow, satin lycra parrot… I’m about to start laughing again.

Leeringly funny, the core cast have remained unchanged from last year’s outing with the exception of two new characters, The Brothers Tim, a long-john flashing duo, played by Brad Johnson and Peter Coates; gingery oafish additions to Long John Silver’s (Devlin Bishop) dastardly crew.

What a crew they are, beautifully mean in their scowling guise; Seasnake Sue played by Gypsy Kauta has my 9-year-old daughter’s admiration. Pirate femme fatales, Ema Barton as Israel Hands and Cutthroat Claire, played by Toni Rowe, tug for equal place in both my daughters’ affections; my youngest is resolute dubbing the trio, the ‘Princess Pirates’. Little girls and swirly dresses, pretty women with snarls, I am sure the majority of little girls in the audience only saw the beautiful costumes and make-up. Bless.

Chris Tempest plays the fresh-faced young Jim Hawkins; he seamlessly laces the cast and young audience together, easily switching from storyteller to audience engager, a quality both kids and parents enjoy in a performer. Skilfully crafted and wonderfully choreographed, gymnastic with treacherous sing-along’s, this outing of Treasure Island is a children’s show not to be missed. 

The quality and energy this crew of performers delivers is top notch; case in point, Edward Clendon’s athletically camp romp as the marooned Ben Gunn. His character portrayal could claim direct lineage to Gollum, or Bam Bam from The Flintstones. He is disturbingly funny.

At the show’s end, the delighted audience left with a stash of the pirates bounty… Chupa Chups for all, hand delivered by the cast. What a cool touch.

As I said before, the Outfit Theatre Company never fails to impress.
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An authentic swashbuckling adventure

Review by Sian Robertson 10th Jul 2009

A noisy, rascally pantomime, this production covers all the mandatory panto traditions (song, dance, cross-dressing, subtle sexual innuendo for the mums and dads, modern political/pop-culture commentary, animal costumes, audience involvement) without being the namby-pamby drivel that pantomimes so often are (in my humble opinion).

It’s raucous piratey fun, boisterous, with an authentic bloodthirsty atmosphere of mutiny, treachery, life and death and slapstick tomfoolery.

The main elements of the original are kept intact, though many of the details are simplified, obviously, for the sake of fitting it all into an hour.

Three new characters are introduced: The sinister, serpentine Seasnake Sue, played by Gypsy Kauta, Cutthroat Claire (Toni Rowe) and Gunpowder Gertrude played by a scowling Kirsten Ibbetson. Israel Hands (Ema Barton) is also turned into a female character. These four ruthless women, with their short fuses, suspicious snarls and handy cutlasses, make a terrifying crew not to be trifled with.

Great costumes (you could almost smell the sea salt, filth and rum) and hearty musical numbers – traditional and adapted rowdy sea shanties with haunting harmonies – add to the atmosphere.

I have a few pedantic quibbles (mostly easily ironed out). For example, in the Wednesday afternoon show, ‘Jim’ stumbled on a few of his lines, there was some confusion as to whether Blind Pew is a man or a woman, the longboat moved in the opposite direction to which the crew were rowing, and some of the accents were curiously flexible. However, none of this would have drawn the attention of the children in the audience, nor did it really detract from my own enjoyment.

My seven-year-old son’s favourite character was ‘Captain Flint’ the parrot, played by Colin Garlick in bright plumage. Chris Tempest plays a charming young Jim Hawkins, who’s at the centre of the story and narrates parts of it in engaging asides to the audience. Joel Herbert and Andrew Ford make a comedic pair as the foppish gents, Squire Trelawney and Dr Livesey.

Long John Silver is played by Devlin Bishop who captures the ‘moral flexibility’ of his character – changing allegiances to suit his own ends. Josh Harriman is thoroughly piratey as Billy Bones and then plays the demented Steve, the only male (and least masculine!) member of Silver’s dastardly pirate crew. Edward Clendon plays Jim’s lanky, falsetto Mother, as well as the skittish Ben Gunn who they find marooned on the island, and was a favourite of mine.

All in all, an authentic swashbuckling adventure to liven the school holidays, which I heartily recommend.  
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