Treasure Island

The youth arm of Heidelberg Theatre Company performed this re-write of the Treasure Island story and it was an entertaining evening for the young. With a majority of female cast members, Jack Hawkins became Jill Hawkins, while there were quite a few female pirates.

Marnie Henderson was Jill. She had a lot to do and she sustained the character well. Long John Silver, a much more sympathetic character in this version, was the other major role, played with empathy by Julian Adams. He never lost his limp. Sean Tessari as the doctor and Morgan Thomas-Connor as Lady Trelawney followed and supported Jill in her quest for Treasure Island.

David Peters had a very resonant voice as Captain Smollett while Joshua Fernandez was his officious off-sider, Mr Arrow.

The pirates were a motley crew, but each had a distinct personality. Casey Filips was a dangerous Israel Hands, while Gilbert Gauci and Stephanie Cross maintained their vocal characteristics well as Cut-Throat Clyde and Whispering Jack.

Geordie Corbet was suitably over the top as Ginty, the Englishwoman marooned ten years before and not quite maintaining her sanity.

The lighting and sound worked well, particularly during the thunderstorm. At the start some characters did not project enough for the audience to catch all the words, but improved as they went along.

With just one set I would have preferred it was more abstract as some apparently outdoor scenes still had three walls. But this was a minor quibble during an entertaining evening.

Graham Ford