THE PEMBROKESHIRE HERALD FRIDAY JANUARY 30 2015
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63 Entertainment An operatic treasure
ONE OF my earliest, and most
delightful childhood memories of a father-son night out was Mr Vaughan senior taking me to the theatre in London to see a performance of Treasure Island. I was mesmerised by everything; the dry ice effect eerily enveloping me in my front row seat, pirates yelling across the set, gun and cannon fire as blanks were shot across the Hispaniola ship structure on stage. I was about 9 at the time and what a treat for a young lad that production truly was. How fitting then that I took my 9 year old son, this week, to see the live National Theatre broadcast at The Torch, a place in which I already have so many great memories of nights and days out with my children as they have grown up. Especially when one considers the little touches at this establishment like the ‘Finding Nemo in 3D’ afternoon when the film wouldn’t download for hours so the Torch gave us all a free ice cream. ‘Treasure Island’ is, in my opinion, the greatest adventure story ever written and Robert Louis Stephenson’s classic is a brilliant ‘boys night out’ (not that daughters wouldn’t enjoy it too!). Pirates never fail in providing action and adventure
and this story is simply timeless. I’m sure every one of you, my esteemed readers, knows the story, but what was great about this version were some of the twists from the original text, adapted and written by playwright, Bryony Lavery. Young Jim Hawkins lives in an inn called the Admiral Benbow with his Gran, and in this version Jim is a girl (which works really well as it happens). A pirate, Billy Bones, comes to stay at the Inn and is pursued by a gang of angry ex -shipmates who want a map from him that will lead to a stash of treasure on a desert island. Jim acquires the map and, accompanied by the local Squire and Doctor, and with the scoundrel Long John Silver and his crew of buccaneers, they set sail for the island to retrieve the bounty.
Now what about this performance? Would it live up to my childhood memories from London’s ‘Mermaid Theatre’? Of course it did - it’s the National Theatre who always put on great shows. This was a swashbuckling epic - actually, what this production did was illustrate how far behind, in terms of substance and story, ‘Pirates of The Caribbean’ truly is from this 19th century gem.
A subsidiary question might be why bother with the Johnny Depp vehicle in the first place? How about spending those millions on a new adaptation of Treasure Island? Anyway, I digress. This was a stunning adaptation
with some first rate performances, not least the lead played by Patsy Ferran who, as narrator and hero, was the best Jim Hawkins I have ever seen. Other notable leads were Arthur Darvill as Long John and the comedy character, ‘Grey’, played by Tim Samuels who regularly had the audience laughing heartily. The novel has everything and as a play it works best when every
emotion is experienced by
the audience; humour, excitement, tension and a sense of peril. This had all that, and as for the set - wow, is all I can muster; in the round, and constantly moving
and evolving,
seamlessly, to fit the required scene. One thing that really puzzled me,
however, were the lack of children in the half-full Torch auditorium - what are the fathers of Pembrokeshire’s sons doing if they are not taking their lads to see Treasure Island? I found that very disappointing, and weird, - still, their loss rather than mine and my sons who was utterly enthralled by the whole experience. Great stuff.
Comedy Club returns
SPAN ARTS famous Comedy Club is back this February. Headlining this month is Carey Marx, a comedian who has had numerous television appearances including
Loose Women. He has also gained international
BBC Breakfast recognition
through
winning Best International Show at the New Zealand Comedy Festival in 2009 and 2011.
and Carey Marx has been a circuit
favourite for years, mixing his own blend of dark humour with his mischievous and gleeful delivery. His wilful disregard for the controversial and delicate is tempered beautifully by his ability to find joy in the most unexpected places.
Second act of the evening is Fin
Taylor, a stand-up comedian who, at the age of just 23, has gigged
internationally, warmed up for TV shows such as Never Mind the Buzzcocks and BBC1's Pointless, and supported Glenn Wool on tour. 'Highly rated up-and-comer' Guardian Compere for the night of laughter is Susan Murray. Winner of the first ever Jongleurs competition and a seasoned regular on the circuit, Susan has emerged as one of the best female stand-ups around.
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