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This is the poster from the show, copyright The National Theatre[/caption]
Robert, who is 9, says:
Treasure Island is the best show I have ever seen, and I've seen a lot of shows. It is a hilarious, but very scary adaptation from the book and has lots of changes. It is currently on at the National Theatre in London and you should definitely try to get a ticket.
In the traditional tale the story has barely any girls included but in this production, the main character is a girl and there are lots of other parts for girls too. I could have watched the show again and again because the actors, the set, the story and the lighting were all so brilliant. So I was surprised and quite annoyed when I heard that our newspaper had given Treasure Island 3 stars, I would have given it 5 out of 5.
Treasure Island is about a boy called Jim (a girl called Jemima in the play) and his/her grandma who runs an inn. One day a bald pirate comes to the inn with a big chest and says "Guard this at all times. If you see a man with one leg call me straight away."
The man is killed by a pirate, and a gang come to the inn and look through the chest but they can't find what they are looking for. That is because the grandma had taken some paper from the chest and was ready to put it on the fire. However, this is the very thing the gang was looking for and it is actually a treasure map.
With the map Jim (the boy/girl), the mayor of the town and the local doctor go to Bristol and hire a boat and crew. One of the people they hire is a man called Long John Silver and what they don't notice is that he has one leg. What happens next is a secret; you'll have to see for yourselves.
One of the things that brought the story to life, and one of the reasons I liked it so much was the fantastic set. In the first act, half of the set came up out of the ground and it looked exactly like a small inn. On both sides it was very detailed and the other side of it came up too, in the form of a ship. It had about 12 rooms and was at least 8 metres high. Other parts of the set had holes and raised platforms and it looked amazing.
In the second half of the show the set really looked like a forgotten island with mud and rocks. It had cool caves rising up from it and lots of passageways and trapdoors. The stage spun round which meant people in different places in the story could be on at the same time. The ceiling also played a part in the story in the part where Long John Silver was teaching Jim about stars.
All of the actors were amazing especially Long John Silver (Arthur Darvill who played Rory from Doctor Who.) The show was very scary and the gun shots sounded real - you should definitely cover your ears for those bits and the part with gunpowder. Just a simple storm scared me quite a bit. If you are around the middle of the audience, look out for Long John Silver's parrot popping up in front of you.
The only thing I found wrong with it was that changing the set took too much time thus making the interval rather long. But it was still fantastic – and I would recommend it to anyone who can cope with loud noises!
I went to see Treasure Island with my Grandma, Grandpa and cousin. Tickets cost £15, £28, £39 and £50 and if you book for the more expensive seats, under 18s get half-price tickets.
The show is on until April 8. It is also being shown in cinemas around the country on January 22nd.
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The Art of the Brick Lego ExhibitionLabels: Blog, London, National Theatre. Long John Silver, Treasure Island, Treasure Island review