“Listen up ya land-lubbing scallywags!”
Exeter-based theatre company Le Navet Bete returns to our very own Northcott theatre with their show Treasure Island! Bringing their own trademark twist to Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel — although the show’s relationship to its source material is somewhat hazy (I don’t think the book had a ‘Play Your Cards Right’ gameshow sequence complete with sequined outfits and audience participation?) — Treasure Island is a riotous swashbuckling adventure, perfect for families with children.
With a small cast of only four actors, each cast-member expertly plays multiple characters, from the well-known Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver to other equally well-known but perhaps less book-accurate personalities such as Captain Birdseye and Blue Peter, or Silver’s parrot Alexa (who he found in the Amazon, of course).
Complete with great slapstick physical comedy, upbeat musical numbers, and lots of fourth wall breaking, Treasure Island is pantomime-esque in the very best way. This is a show that is very conscious of its form, often playing on the audience’s awareness of this for side-splitting punchlines, or even just the actors exasperating at their cast-mate’s improv hijinks (after a particularly silly improvised joke, one remarked, “He’s 43 this year folks, can you believe that?”). While this show is aimed at kids and families, innuendoes are sprinkled liberally throughout for the older audience members, meaning it is an extremely enjoyable night for all ages. And with the innuendoes they got away with at this PG show, I can only imagine the fun-filled mischief the cast must get up to on their ‘No Kids Allowed!’ night, which promises “more adult humour, more swearing and added naughtiness.”
So, if you’re in need of a good laugh, complete with all the hallmarks of a classic pirate adventure, be sure to check out Le Navet Bete’s Treasure Island! Treasure Island is running at the Northcott until the 27th of September, but fear not, as Le Navet Bete will return to its stage in late November for this year’s Christmas pantomime: Jack and the Beanstalk.
If you want to see more theatre at the Northcott, why not try out the Under 26 Members discount, which is free to sign up for, and you gain access to exclusive £5 and £10 tickets on selected shows. We highly recommend going to see as many shows as possible as you will not be left disappointed!
