The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2020 - Issue 27

bite theatre R obert Louis Stevenson’s 1883 novel of murder, money, and mutiny is brought to life in the stage adaptation of Treasure Island which was first per- formed at the National Theatre in 2014 and direct- ed by Polly Findlay. The life of Jim Hawkins (Patsy Ferran), in this version an innkeeper’s granddaughter, changes when she opens the door to a terrifying stranger, an old sailor called Billy Bones (Aidan Kelly) who tells her to look out for a one-legged seafaring man. The story is narrated throughout by Jim Hawkins whilst per- forming in the play as well. Billy Bones is confronted and engages in a violent fight with former shipmate Black Dog (Daniel Coonan) and visited by a blind beggar called Pew (David Sterne) who gives him the ‘black spot’ as a summons to share a map leading to buried treasure. Shortly after, Billy Bones suffers from a stroke and dies. The inn is then attacked by Pew and his accomplices but Jim and her grandmother manage to hide and save themselves. Armed with money and a map found in Billy Bones’ sea chest which shows an island on which the infamous pirate Captain Edward Flint hid his treasure, Jim and trusted companions Dr. Livesey (Alexandra Maher), a local physician and John Trelawney (Nick Fletcher) the district squire, set sail on Trel- awney’s schooner, the Hispaniola, under Captain Smollett. The journey is not without its betrayals with the crew, most of who served under Captain Flint, are desperate to find the hidden treasure. One such member is Long John Silver who leads Jim and her trusted friends to believe he is just a cook but is concocting a devious plan with the help of his parrot whom he named Captain Flint in mockery to his former leader. Jim is wary of John Silver’s wooden leg at first but begins to trust him before overhearing him and his crew’s conspiracy plan to mutiny after the salvage of the treasure and to assassinate the skippers, whilst hiding in an apple casket. Once they have gone, she runs to warn the others of their plans. Upon discovering that Jim has the map, Long John Silver at- tempts to get it from her but the parrot takes it out of her hand. She tries to retrieve it back by climbing up the mast but is shot by one of the pirates. Thankfully she isn’t hurt too much and manages to get to the island where she meets a marooned pirate named Ben Gunn who was a former mem- ber of Flint’s crew but was shipwrecked and left for dead by Long John Silver. He has a pendant for cheese which Jim promises he will get once they have left the island. Together they devise a plan to defeat Long John Silver and his crew and divide up the treasure. Jim is reunited with the doctor, squire, and captain whom she thought had deserted her, and they, in turn, thought she had deserted them. Patsy Ferran, best known for theatre productions Summer and Smoke and The Merchant of Venice as well as starring in God’s Own Country, Darkest Hour, Jamestown delivers her narration in Shakespearean-like tone with emotion that is just right.