Rebecca A Withey: Review of Derby Theatre’s Treasure Island

Inspired by the classic Robert Louis Stevenson novel, Derby Theatre’s brand new christmas show is Treasure Island! The production has captions and BSL integration throughout the entire run as well as three deaf actors in its leading cast.

The last show I saw at Derby Theatre was Jungle Book in 2019 and despite thoroughly enjoying that performance as a whole there were a few niggles and flaws in regards to the access provided on stage.

However, unlike The Jungle Book –  where one sole character was responsible for signing most of the dialogue and relaying information – Treasure Island has infused British Sign Language into the show in a variety of ways.

First of all, the leading character of Jim Hawkins – now transformed into Gem Hawkins – is played by TWO actors instead of one. Standing side by side, and mirroring their actions, Raffie Julien delivered the lines in BSL and April Nerissa Hudson in spoken English.

Having two Gem’s for the price of one was an unusual way of providing access, and at times I felt the dramatic performance between the two was not identical. Having said that, I enjoyed seeing Julien lead dialogue in BSL and the cleverness of her intuitive bond with Hudson. It couldn’t have been an easy task for deaf actor Julien to sync her lines up with the spoken dialogue and I applaud the smoothness of their delivery.

There were also a couple of hearing actors who are proficient in BSL and therefore delivered their spoken lines in English whilst signing BSL simultaneously. Well, such a skill really is like tapping your head and rubbing your tummy at the same time.

It was wonderful to see hearing actors so fluent in BSL on stage and some of the time I could enjoy just watching one character lead the story. But there were other times that the BSL was unclear because it didn’t match the lip pattern at all.

For example the words ‘a quiet life’ in an opening song were signed as ‘take your time’ which threw me and meant I found myself glancing over at the captions repeatedly to make sense of what I was seei

The speed at which mainstream theatre is delivered is extremely fast paced and so I found myself at times feeling two steps behind, trying to work out what was being said and reading the text before the action has moved on

What saved the day for me and left me beaming from ear to ear, was the brilliance of seeing deaf actors Alex Nowak and Nadeem Islam really shine on stage. Nowak played Ben Gunn, a crew mate who had been marooned on an island (or so he said!) and he also appeared as an ensemble member at times too. Whenever he was on stage, he was fully in character from head to toe and his natural improv skills and rapport with the audience left me chuckling with glee.

One marvellous BSL translation was how when Ben Gunn reacts in fear at a certain pirate finding out where he was. “I’ll be as a good as pork!” Nowak signed, immediately turning himself into a hog roast, turning on a spit. This wonderful, visual nature of BSL really excelled here and I would have liked to have seen Nowak drive more of the story forwards too.

There were also some brilliant interactions between Nowak and another hearing actor, whereby Nowak is playing the role of interpreter. Nowak signs, for his cast mate and also for the audience, whilst remaining in character and the result is absolutely fabulous. This is what I’d like to see more of – pure BSL leading and feeling effortless within the plot.

Another highlight for me was the performance given by Nadeem Islam who played the Admiral. Charming, funny and spontaneous, Islam performs easily in BSL and with spoken english too. Islam provided several of the comedy moments of the night, with a memorable one being the ‘hold me’ gesture to the Titanic theme tune with outstretched arms on the ship.

Whilst the actual plot was a little confusing for me (I’m certain I missed a few key twists) I thoroughly enjoyed several of the musical numbers, especially ‘A Sailorin’ we Go.’ It had fantastically visual signs supporting the lyrics and bringing the song to life. I confess I even signed and sang it once I got back home – proof of a catchy ear worm, I’m sure!

I must also note that the gorgeously eerie ghost ‘Black Spot’ who appeared digitally on the ships sail was superb, and gave me ‘A Christmas Carol’ vibes! I adored the spooky vibe on stage wherever there was a death or ominous news and the set and costumes were a sight to behold.

Keeping up with Treasure Island’s plot when you rely purely on BSL did feel like an effort at times, but what did work access wise is an exciting sign that things are really progressing.

For families who enjoy theatre and are able to get to Derby this Christmas season, I heartily recommend Treasure Island for an enjoyable night out. Go, go, go!

 

Photo credit: Robert Day

You can get your tickets at:

https://www.derbytheatre.co.uk/treasure-island-christmas-2021