YO HO HO AND A BOTTLE OF RUM!! Treasure Island at the Rose Theatre in Kingston
By Carolin KopplinTreasure Island is arguably one of the greatest works of storytelling in the English language. It developed from an imaginary map that Stevenson and his stepson Lloyd Osbourne had devised on holiday and this goes some way towards explaining the book's appeal among children. The tale is the archetypal nineteenth century ripping yarn, set in the “golden age of piracy.” Our narrator is Jim Hawkins, son of a guesthouse owner on the west coast of England sometime in the early eighteenth century. To the inn come firstly an old buccaneer who has a map of Captain Flint's treasure, and secondly a group of pirates under the command of ominous blind man Pew. Jim Hawkins, in an act of bravery and cunning, gets hold of the map before this rabid mob gets it. He delivers the map to Squire Trelawney, and together they set off for Treasure Island in the Squire's schooner. The rest of the crew, apart from Dr Livesey, are selected by Long John Silver. The latter and his men try to mutiny and get hold of the treasure themselves but Jim intervenes and through a series of enthralling adventures we find ourselves on Treasure Island with the marooned Ben Gunn and ever closer to the treasure itself.
The auditorium of the Rose is changed into a pirates' paradise (set design – Paul Wills) complete with treasure map, anchors, boats, fishing nets, ropes, and a treasure chest. The floor is transformed into the ocean by the beautiful lighting (designed by Ben Ormerod) and the sound of waves crashing against the shore. There are many cheerful seafaring songs in the show including What Shall We Do with the Drunken Sailor, 15 Men on the Dead Man’s Chest, The Good Ship Hispaniola, and the highly addictive tune Treasure Island Bound which set the right mood for this great swashbuckling adventure. There are good performances throughout - Harry McEntire plays an endearing Jim Hawkins, Richard Bremmer convinces as the charismatic Long John Silver, and Daniel Goode provides the comic element of the show as the hilarious but touching Squire Trelawny.
This show is great fun and a Christmas treat for the whole family!
11 December - 9 January
Tickets £7 - £29.50
Box office: 0871 230 1552
© Rose Theatre - Kingston 2008. 24-26 High Street, Kingston, KT1 1HL
Scooby-Doo and the Pirate Ghost - Live on Stage!
By Cameron LoweSome mysteries may never be solved. Why do cartoon characters make ‘screech’ noises when they stop running? Why do we laugh loudest at physical comedy? And why do pirates all over the world have Cornish accents? One thing is for sure, though, when Scooby-Doo and those "meddling kids" from Mystery Inc. are on the scene, the mystery will always be solved!
Based on Hanna-Barbera’s loveable characters, Fred, Velma, Daphne, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo, the storyline follows the gang as they search for clues to solve the mystery of a holiday island where all of the tourists have been scared away by ghostly pirates.
The show set off at a cracking pace and kept the young audience’s attention with a combination of over the top physical comedy, whacky chase scenes, colourful costumes and high energy musical entertainment. The adults were entertained too by liberal references to the classic cartoon show from their youth. This aspect of the show was particularly successful due to some excellent attention to detail. For example, dancing involved each character repeating a simple unique move and laughing always involved excessive shoulder shrugging with straight arms … just like in the cartoon!
Technically the show was very ambitious, although this was cleverly and smoothly executed in order to divert attention from the technical details. Most impressive was the extensive use of sound effects and music from the original cartoons. Characters bouncing on trampolines, skidding to a halt, running while being held still by captors, etc. did so with exactly the same sound used in the cartoon. Of course, this went right over the kids’ heads, but the adults got a kick out of it.
Matthew Bloxham’s portrayal of Shaggy was the stand-out performance for me. I had set the bar high for the delivery of Shaggy’s role and he conjured up a character voice and physicality that matched my memories of my favourite character from the show.
This is a great family show with high production values and reasonably priced family tickets.
Listings Info:
Scooby Doo and the Pirate Ghost
Wed 24 – Sun 28 June
Wed & Thu 6.30pm
Friday 2.30pm & 6.30pm
Sat 11am, 2.30pm & 6.30pm
Sun 11am & 2.30pm
Family Ticket: Group of 4, max 2 adults
Weekdays £57 and £43
Weekends £64 and £48
Tickets: £8.50 - £21
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