Review: Treasure Island: A New Musical Adventure (Bristol Old Vic)

Review by Seth Wilby

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

As a child, I used to love the Bristol Old Vic’s Christmas shows each year. Filled to the brim with creativity, imagination and passion, they were the perfect family entertainment over the festive season, and offered a far more theatrical interpretation of classic tales compared to the traditional pantomime. In recent years, however, their festive offerings have received more muted responses, which is why, when they announced a new actor-musician adaptation of Treasure Island for 2025, I was very excited. Taking a new direction compared to Christmases Past, this is a choice that not only puts the Bristol Old Vic back in shipshape form, but produces what might very well be the best show you can see this Christmas.

Written by Jake Brunger and Pippa Cleary, the duo best known recently for The Great British Bake Off: The Musical, Treasure Island: A New Musical Adventure begins in a modern-day Bristol pub, where a local is telling a story of Captain Flint’s hidden gold. This a great framing device because, as well as offering an easy explanation for the show’s actor-musician structure, it allows some excellently funny local gags to be added in contextually, without ever making the show feel too much like a pantomime. The pub soon disappears into 18th-century seafaring Bristol, where our cast (whose tracksuits have now been neatly embellished into the classic pirate-esque look) become our storytellers, taking us on the journey of a young Jim Hawkins in search of the buried treasure. As they make known, this is not what Robert Louis Stevenson wrote, but it certainly is an uplifting story of family, growing up, and, most importantly, adventure.

Brunger and Cleary’s songs (they collaborated on lyrics, with Cleary contributing the music) are the stars of the show, coming thick and fast and consistently offering an enjoyably fun tune. Taking inspiration from the Bristol folk music scene and classic sea shanties, the songs have a distinct identity and are consistently high-quality, flowing neatly between one another and offering a perfect platform to show off this incredibly talented cast. Although not natural earworms, there’s enough to hum on your way out, and, just as you think you’ve heard all they can do, they whip out some lovely variety after the interval that keeps the show feeling as fresh and fun as ever. An unrivalled example of storytelling through song, each one boasts some truly ingenious lyrics (“A sea I’ll circumnavigate/Each latitude I’ll calculate”) and makes for a deeply enjoyable experience.

Brunger also wrote the book, which demonstrates similar flair and some hilariously witty lines, with the close collaboration meaning they achieve a level of coherence between the sung and spoken material that few musicals manage. Brunger and Cleary evidently had a clear aim in what story they wanted to tell, and that is one of telling stories. They never try to trick you into thinking it's something else, and their belief in the power of storytelling radiates into the audience and offers the escapism we all need at the end of the year. The audience fully believes in Jim Hawkins, and they completely give themselves over to her quest.

The updated story feels relevant and intriguing, with Brunger exposing the messages of youthful adventure within Hawkins’ quest, and adapting the novel into a light and wholesome tale. It’s an easy watch, and doesn’t demand too much of you as an audience, which, in my mind, is exactly how a family show should be. Although hard to tell in a press night audience full of invited adults, I’m sure kids would love it, thanks to its strong heart and expert storytelling knowingly sprinkled with some fun gags (“We’re off to sea, I need a wee”, for example), being sure to keep them engaged for the 140-minute runtime. Consistently fun and full of life, this is a show that knows its a family show, and never tries to stray away from that. I struggle to think of many better introductions to the magic of theatre, and feel it would be impossible for a child to walk away not wanting more. 

Paul Foster’s direction commits to this vision similarly, expertly steering a dynamic and energetic ship that, like the writing, ensures this is a story about the power of storytelling. It makes for an incredibly charming show that you can’t help but fall in love with almost instantly, with the cast developing this unspoken bond with the audience as they take us on this journey. Jai Morjaria’s lighting design is spectacularly atmospheric, and Chi-San Howard’s choreography does brilliant work in filling the songs with a compelling vivaciousness, though it could have been a little more ambitious at times. Tom Rogers’ set design, beginning in an intimate pub before revealing his magnificent, treehouse-like wooden ship, deserves a round of applause of its own, offering a fantastic setting to stage this story.

Helming the show is Adryne Caulder-James as Jim Hawkins, who makes for a lovably youthful heroine you can’t help but root for, steering the show with ease. Joining her is Bristolian comedian Jayde Adams in an admirable theatrical debut. She’s given the opportunity to do a few minutes of audience interaction at the beginning, which builds strong rapport instantly and is brilliantly funny as she controls a superbly designed parrot puppet. It is in her role as Benita, however, that she gets the biggest response, with her act two number a highlight of the entire show. As Long John Silver, Colin Leggo oozes pirate through every inch of his performance, possessing that oddly redeeming charm that any villain should have.

Completing the cast is an amazingly talented ensemble who, as well as playing multiple roles in the show, play 18 instruments while doing so, giving the show this rustic, natural feel that you can only achieve in the theatre. Christina Tedders and Jack Heydon make a brilliant double act with some particularly comic moments; Sioned Saunders brings a level-headed approach to her strong-willed Dr Livesey; Lloyd Gorman is terrifically watchable as the Captain; and Morgan Val Baker’s Squire is transformatively good. It is when put together that they all shine the most; however, with an undeniable chemistry and inspirational skillset that the whole audience was talking about as they left the theatre.

Treasure Island is a family show, and it knows its audience incredibly well, leaving you with a smile on your face as opposed to tears in your eyes. It has a natural charm and youthful vigour that anyone is bound to enjoy, as well as a shipshape design, wonderfully enjoyable songs, and awe-inspiring cast, that prove why, in my opinion, the Bristol Old Vic is one of the most exciting theatres in the UK right now, with a Christmas show that does everything a Christmas show should do and more. I promise that riches await anyone who choose to take the voyage to the Bristol Old Vic this Christmas.

Treasure Island: A New Musical Adventure plays at Bristol Old Vic until 10th January. Tickets from https://bristololdvic.org.uk/whats-on/treasure-island-a-new-musical-adventure

Photos by Johan Persson