Sort your sea legs and get ready to set sail for a slick and speedy stage version of pirate classic Treasure Island.
The Maddermarket’s Christmas production is a welcome alternative to panto: family-friendly, fun, and filled with song, but still rooted in proper drama – a National Theatre premiered script, no less.
Bryony Lavery’s adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson classic takes several liberties with the story, but the heart of it remains: the young Jim Hawkins gets caught up in a mad dash for treasure, with pirates – and especially the mercurial Long John Silver – crossing and double-crossing in pursuit of riches.
Naomi Cunningham is wide-eyed and wonderful as pub / cabin boy / girl Hawkins, bringing terrific energy as she narrates and centres the story. She is not an anguished teen, more a Blyton-esque adventurer, just with the ginger beer swapped for rum. Everything in the production points to her, a true north star.
As her nemesis Monty Jordan brings a constant undercurrent of malice to Silver, with a dark heart and dark eyes (and not just because of the mascara).
Barney Matley’s Squire Trelawney couldn’t be more different: squeaking, skittish, and shockingly funny, bringing in the majority of the laughs – even in a fight scene. Hollie Harrington is a great foil, as the straight-shooting and straight-drinking Dr Livesey.
There’s less stage time but no lesser an impression made by Tristan Pike as the island castaway Ben Gunn, with an intensely physical performance, contorting his way through a series of maniacal conversations, along with riffs about cheese (it’s not panto, but don’t expect much subtlety in the humour). Similarly Paul Finlay makes his presence felt in the opening scenes as tortured Captain Billy Bones.
Where there’s pirates, there’s a parrot, and Abi Tacon provided the voice and the animation for Sian Crowe’s puppet Captain Flint, ‘flying’ around the stage and menacingly, er, parroting “pieces of eight” and a succession of dastardly threats.
Sabrina Poole’s direction (and further textual tweaks) ensures a face-paced and exciting ride, with plentiful fight scenes meaning that no buckle is left unswashed, with swords and coshes a plenty. There are a couple of what seemed performatively long scene changes, but on the whole a quick curtain pull moves us on and keeps the blood pumping and the adventure high.
This is an energetic and energising production, full of good humour and rip-roaring adventure. All aboard!
- Treasure Island continues at Maddermarket Theatre, Norwich until Saturday 3 January 2026, tickets £12-£18. Recommended for age 8 years and older.
