Review: Treasure Island at The Royal & Derngate

From the moment a mermaid tripped over a rogue flip-flop — her other foot clad in a wellington boot, flailing wildly — the tone was firmly set.

The audience exchanged glances. Was that meant to happen?

She forgot her lines, flailed some more, and the laughter built. Intentional or not, it served as the perfect metaphor for the chaos and charm of this gloriously unhinged take on Treasure Island by physical comedy theatre company Le Navet Bete.

In an age of digital technology and cinematic slickness, it was refreshing to see four actors — and their impressively versatile set — really working it. And I mean really working it.

Between them, they played around ten characters apiece, bringing the tale of Treasure Island to the stage – or rather, what felt like a madcap, riotous party.

Loosely based on the classic tale where a young Jim Hawkins discovers a treasure map from a pirate named Billy Bones, he embarks on a journey to find the buried treasure with a group that includes a loyal crew and Long John Silver, a cunning pirate cook.

In this madcap production, we met Long John Silver (played by Al Dunn), a parrot called Alexa, Billy Bones, Captain Birdseye and The Raven.

Simon Burbage, Matt Freeman and Al Dunn took on around ten characters apiece. The way they presented each one — with relatively few lines, manic stares, and wildly different voices — was rather skilful and fascinating to watch.

Nick Bunt had the comparatively easy ride — far fewer costume changes, anyway — as Jim Hawkins, the naïve, gauche 14-year-old who accidentally wins ownership of a ship called The Jolly Todger after a game of Play Your Cards Right. He made a nice foil against the more evil characters.

One of my favourite characters was a cheesy glittering game show host played by Al Dunn, with Matt Freeman as his glamorous assistant — it was a standout moment as they invited the audience to play along.

Jim is swiftly swept off on an absurd voyage, joined by the hapless Long John Silver and Captain Birdseye. Things get even more surreal with the arrival of Alexa the parrot, who is wheeled on and off stage.

It’s all wonderfully ridiculous. The surreal weirdness reaches its climax when they reach the “treasure” island and meet Ben Gunn, (Matt Freeman) along with his coconut-clad wife (who isn’t a person) and monkey son (identity unknown but a good mover anyhow.)

A terrific character, Ben Gunn (Matt Freeman — another definite standout — delivers a drawling Aussie accent, wild-eyed energy, and a weed-adjacent vibe that teeters just on the edge of unhinged. He was laugh-out-loud funny. Matt also played a hilarious mermaid who exhibits a manic flopping action on stage.

What’s most delightful is how quickly you warm to these characters. The audience was constantly nudging each other, waiting in gleeful anticipation to see who — or what — would emerge from the wings next.

The set design was impressively versatile, effortlessly transforming from pub to pirate ship to tropical island. Despite the apparent madness, this was a slick, fast-paced production, with costume changes executed as quickly as a cannonball flies.

By the end of the first half, I wondered whether, once you’re used to this style of comedy, it might start to feel repetitive. But a complete change of scene to the treasure island quickly put that fear to rest. And something curious happened in the second half — I found myself eagerly anticipating the return of the characters and not wanting the party to end.

It really was two hours of forgetting the world outside and being drawn into a lunatic world.

A riotous party on stage.