****
4 stars

There is so much to ‘Treasure Island that you would wonder if it is possible to do it justice in 40 minutes, but Hartshorn-Hook Production do this with a cast of only six. The adaptation is cleverly written cutting out all but the bare bones of the tale getting straight to the black spot. The direction is fairly tight with a few minor movement issues, which will no doubt be resolved soon.

The cast Jamie Wightman – Jim Hawkins, John MacLean – Squire Trelawney, Kate Stephenson – Doctor Livsey, James McWalter – Long John Silver, Gordon Restifo – Ben Gunn / Billy Bones and Rebecca Hawley – Blind Pew / Isabelle Hands all work together well, although one or two need to improve their projection.

All in all this is a rollicking adventure leading to a treasure of a show, with very little cheese.