THEATRE REVIEW: Treasure Island ★★★
Treasure Island
Birmingham REP Theatre
25th November 2016 - 7th January 2017
Continuing on with their annual family shows at The REP after 2015’s production of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe is 'Treasure Island’, a shoe I fondly remember watching at The National Theatre only last year. As you walk into the auditorium you are transformed into the 19th century with a beautifully designed set with sails high up in the rigs and a carefully constructed border which sits perfectly within the production.
The plot in this production is very slumped throughout the production though, with a lack of tension when the action is heating up, but also the main details to the plot at times seem very rushed, especially at the end of act one following an uproar on the boat where the climax of the action seeks lost with all the jumble on stage, so much that you forget what happened in the end of the previous act when the second act commences.
The only reassuring feature about this production is the acting genius of Sarah Middleton in the role of Jim, the protagonist on the production. Right from the start of act one to the climax of act two she oozes this sense of strong presence on the stage and you cannot keep your eyes of her as not only am actor but also the character she has embodied to portray this iconic character.
The rest of the cast give a good shot at the characters they are portraying also but show not commitment to really give their characters a real three dimensional sense. Dave Fishley’s portrayal of Grey alone is tedious and to me personally is remembered for all the wrong reasons. Sian Howard on the other hand gives a convincing portrayal of Dr Livesy for the majority of the production, but at times she fails to hit the mark in trying to carry the story along.
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