‘Bristol’s biggest summer adventure’ for the whole family
Long John Silver (Tristan Sturrock) C Mark Douet
For the last few weeks I’ve been reading tweets and reviews on the Bristol Old Vic’s summer production of ‘Treasure Island’ all saying how fantastic this open air production is. With this in-mind and having seen the scale of the set that is confidently placed in front of the theatre on Kings Street I was really excited about seeing this production.
I think the Bristol Old Vic has made a real statement with this production. Given the sector’s recent funding cuts and with them undergoing a huge redevelopment of their building meaning their main stage is closed, would make you think their motivations have been dampened, but no, they’ve put theatre smack bang in the middle of one of Bristol’s city centre roads, closing half of it and celebrating the summer, the arts and the creative industries.
‘Treasure Island’ is one of, if not the most famous pirate story, but Bristol Old Vic have cleverly placed the story within the setting of Bristol using the immediate surrounding history of the docks, the cobbled streets and with The Llandoger Trow inn opposite the set. Not only have they incorporated the setting into the story, but the production is supported by Bristol’s Pieminster Pies.
The foyer of the Bristol Old Vic that you enter by walking through the backstage of the ‘treasure Island’ set, has been turned into a form of seaside pier with a Pieminster Pie stall, quotes from songs, images of islands and a fairground pirate cut-out that you can place your head through and have your photograph taken with. The theatre may be under construction, but it is very much still being used and programmed. Even the staff had undergone a transformation, from front-of-house to pirates and explorers. Along with this the theatre had invited the audience to come dressed accordingly in pirate costume.
Whilst sat in front of the stunning set that has been created for the production and watching the actors use the levels and the building itself to climb up, I was overwhelmed with a similar feeling of being at a Christmas production. I was surrounded by a family audience, the script had been adapted to be appropriate for all ages, there was music and singing, the local setting had been included, audience and staff were involved in the character of the production and there were even squawking seagulls flying over the set. All of which gave this production a fantastic sense of inclusion and it was really nice to experience such a production not at the end of the year, but during the summer months. Bristol Old Vic had prepared its visitors to be ‘whisked away on a seafaring adventure’ and that’s exactly what they did to a practically full house of families and couples of all ages.
The Bristol Old Vic has done a brilliant job at promoting and engaging this production with the audiences and local communities. And as I walked home along Bristol docks I couldn’t help but imagine Long John Silver and his crew of pirates sailing into the city. All of the reviews and tweets I had read were all correct, ‘X marks the spot for another shipshape and Bristol-brilliant family treat from the Old Vic’ The Telegraph. It’s a great way to encourage families to visit the theatre for summer holiday activities just as much as they do during Christmas panto’ seasons. And I stand by what I said, this is a brilliant way for Bristol Old Vic to say “We’re here, we’re still open and we’re still making fantastic theatre”.
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