Any show that starts with an entire cast of 90 young people flooding the stage and auditorium aisles of the Stirling Community Theatre, all with huge smiles on their faces, and miming, dancing and clapping in perfect time to Village People’s (in this case more like the Village City) “In The Navy” can’t be all that bad. But there is nothing bad about the Hills Youth Theatre’s production of Ben Crocker’s piratical pantomime version of “Treasure Island”. This production is absolutely fantastic!! This reviewer had a smile from ear to ear on his face from go to woah.
Crocker takes Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale of pirates and buried treasure and spins it on its head. As Director, the Hills Youth Seniors Tutor Ben Proeve has then come along and twisted it even more, making for a wonderfully delightful couple of hours in the theatre for the whole family.
90 young people ranging from littlies to teenagers all doing the right thing at the right time? It can’t happen, I hear you cry out. Oh yes it can/oh no it can’t – YES, it does, in spades. Every single one of the 90 give their all, with their enjoyment, enthusiasm, energy and vitality spilling over to a very appreciative audience. There is not one young person in the cast that looks as if they don’t belong or don’t want to be there.
No stranger to panto himself, Proeve has marshalled his troops together marvellously, leaving no stone or treasure trove unturned when it comes to entertaining the masses and comedy. He has a definite knack for comedy and it shows big time in his direction. He makes sure that every little detail and nuance works and that everyone has a part to play. There are certainly no small parts or actors in this production. I think the fact that Proeve handles a cast of 90 young people (being only in his early twenties himself) makes him a contender for Director Of The Century (if indeed there were such an award).
Caitlin Selge’s choreography (assisted by Jaimi Wilson and Proeve) is inventive and fun to watch utilising various dance styles – the Hip-Hop number is just great! And watch out for the mean Sax solo!!
Set concept and design by Proeve, Wilson, Rob Wells and Jon Eckert is simple but effective using a filled in scaffold to portray an inn, a ship and other localities simply by changing a sign on the wall. Colour is added via Cheryl Wood’s scenic design and Harri Wolff’s wonderful costumes.
The entire cast is fantastic, but if I were to list all 90 it would probably take me till this time next year and you the same amount of time to read it. So let’s just have some of the highlights.
Matthew Habel-Orrell gives the most dramatic and longest death scene as Billy Bones ever seen in a pantomime; Audrey Coligan as Kittie the maid is screamingly good in her cameo; Kiah Siwes makes an interesting and photographic (makes sense if you see the show) Ben Gunn; whilst Josiah Braendler, without uttering a word, is spectorially spooky as Captain Bloodheart.
Jaia Eckert, Harper Stokes Audrey Vincent Cleo Kent and Janae Lee as the Women’s Institute members bake up a storm with Zoe Morgan just about stealing the show as the oldest member, walking framed Doris.
Te Schmidt (Seadog Sam), Eden Lane (Seaweed Willy), Etienne Stark (Blood Boiler), Rhys Woodcock (Gizzard Slitter), Ella Bowen (The Fridge) and April Strevens (Loudmouth) arrrhhh hilarious as Long John Silver’s pirate crew; with Kestrel Carney being suitably squawky as Polly the parrot (Awk, Polly wants a shoulder to sit on). As the pirates’ dog Stinker, I mean Tinkerbell, little A’isha Rogers is absolutely gorgeous and we couldn’t get enough of her.
Chloe Browne is nicely foppish as Squire Trelawney; Annabel McGregor demonstrates nice strength as Jenny Trelawney and Avah Bowen as Jim Hawkins excels in facial and physical comedy.
Looking remarkably like Edward Teach (Blackbeard the Pirate), Izzy Kelly gives us a gloriously hilarious Long John Silver with a deep grouchy voice and great eye-rolling. As Mrs Hawkins, the essential Panto Dame, Beren Carney is sensational. He has captured the essence of what makes a Panto Dame shine – something that a lot of older males don’t do as successfully. He is confident and again knows comedy really well. He charms the audience straight away and can comedically flirt with the best of them. Not an easy task for a teenager.
Everyone involved with this production should be very proud. This “Treasure Island” is indeed a treasure trove filled with 90 sparkling gems.
