Treasure Island
With swashbuckling escapades, piracy and intrigue, this out-and-out pantomime adaptation is a must!
“Ready for some adventure”, says you? “Then heave to, me hearties, hoist the Jolly Roger and plunder that treasure”, says I. "And if a blood-thirstier buccaneer than this one-legged pirate ever sailed the seven seas, it be the devil ‘imself!"
Yes, piracy is big box-office these days – and audiences are bound to lap up this true panto version of the sea-faring classic, with all the time-honoured ingredients of traditional pantomime, but a modern slant on the storyline, comedy and characters. So, climb aboard for this fun-filled adventure and prepare to set sail for the voyage of a lifetime!
“But as for that treasure – well, sharing ain’t my way, see? ‘Tis every man for ‘imself, by thunder!”
Full cast and scenery requirements are listed below
Many productions of this script have won NODA and drama federation awards, including Sparkwell Amateur Theatre Company, Devon.
"...Overall I found this to be a charming, well written and amusing script that ticks all the boxes for a successful panto. If you’re in the market for a particularly pleasing piratical panto then you need look no further than this offering from the prolific Alan Frayn.” (Amateur Stage Magazine)
Mansfield HTT © Redbutton Photography
Wargrave Theatre Workshop
EXCERPT from Act I Scene 6: A Pirate Parrot © Alan P Frayn
| (LONG JOHN SILVER enters with his comical parrot – a stuffed parrot or puppet on his shoulder or a full costume character suit worn by a youth or small adult.) | |
| SILVER: | Aaar, Jim lad! Top o’ the mornin’ to you, Sir. |
| PARROT: | Stand by to go about! Aark! |
| JIM: | What’s that you’ve got there, Mr Silver? |
| SILVER: | Oh, this is old Cap’n Flint, lad. |
| JIM: | (Taken aback) Captain Flint? |
| SILVER: | Oh, you’s heard o’ that black-hearted devil, ‘as you? Well, thank the Lord, I never ‘ad the misfortune o’ meetin’ the real Cap’n Flint, not I. But an old sea-dog who sold me this ‘ere bird swears blind it once were ‘is … so that’s what I calls ‘im. |
| PARROT: | (Singing) Fifteen men on a dead man’s chest. Yo ho ho, and a bottle of rum! |
| JIM: | Oh, that’s a pirate song! |
| SILVER: | Well, ‘e were a pirate parrot, lad! You can’t touch pitch and not be tarred, says I. |
| PARROT: | Pieces of nine. Pieces of nine. Aark! |
| JIM: | Doesn’t he mean, “pieces of eight”? |
| SILVER: | Aaar, that were before Brexit! |
| JIM: | (Laughingly) Oh, I see. I bet he was expensive, then? |
| SILVER: | Aye, that ‘e were, Jim. He cost me an arm and a leg! … Well, a leg, anyhows! (He gestures to his timber leg.) Parrots don’t go cheap, you know! |
| JIM: | No, they go “Aark!” instead! |
| PARROT: | Well, shiver me timbers! Aark! |
| SILVER: | But ‘e ‘ad nowhere to sit but the bottom of ‘is cage. Sick as a parrot, ‘e were! |
| PARROT: | (Sadly) Aaaaark! |
| SILVER: | So, when I buys ‘im, I gets ‘im on ‘igher perches! |
| JIM: | Oh, I see what you mean – on hire purchase! |
| SILVER: | Sharp as a cutlass, you are, Master James. Just like this old bird o’ mine – ‘e went to poly‑technic, didn’t you, Cap’n? |
| PARROT: | Aark! |
| JIM: | Does he know his times-tables? |
| SILVER: | Aye, lad – he can recite ‘em parrot fashion! … Bird brain o’ Britain ‘e were! |
| JIM: | And what do you feed him on? |
| SILVER: | Poly-filla mostly! |
| PARROT: | Shut yer bilge pipe, Silver! |
| SILVER: | That’s enough of that, Cap’n Flint! Come on, let’s be ‘avin’ you back in yer cage. Jim lad, you go and see what’s ‘appening up on deck – I’ll be up in a jiffy. |
| JIM: | Sure thing, Long John! |
| (As SILVER turns to exit SR, we see white streaks of parrot droppings down the back of his coat. JIM draws attention to it and laughs as SILVER exits SR.) | |
| PARROT: | (As they exit) Stand by to go about! Pieces of eight! Shiver me timbers! Aark! |
Characters
| ROSIE BLOOM: | Pantomime Dame, an innkeeper. (Obviously, best played by a man) |
| JIM: | Rosie’s son and helper at the Inn. (Can either be played by male, or female as Principal Boy) |
| THE SQUIRE: | Haughty land owner. (Male) |
| PENNY: | The Squire’s daughter. (Principal Girl) |
| CAPTAIN MULLET: | Captain of the Squire’s ship. (Male or female) |
| LONG JOHN SILVER: | Our likeable rogue pirate. (Male) |
| BILLY BARNACLE: | A rum-drinking old sea-dog. (Male – smaller part) |
| BLIND ALI & SEA-SNAKE SALLY: |
A pair of comical pirates. Typical panto-style comedy twosome. (Male and female) |
| BARMY BEN or BETH: | A half-mad, comical ex-Pirate. (Male or female) |
| POTTY PATSY: | Rosie’s daft cook. (Female – smaller part) |
| SPIRIT OF THE SEAS: | Storyteller. (Female – smaller part) |
| 3 YOUNG PIRATES: | Long John Silver’s trainee pirates, small speaking roles. (Mixed male and female) |
| CHORUS & DANCERS: |
Cornish Villagers / Fishermen Sailors / Pirates The Dancers can also be Tropical Islanders |
Scenes (Notes on simplified scenery are also included in the script)
| ACT I | |
| Prologue: | A Tale of the Sea, 1763! (Front of Tabs or front cloth) |
| Scene 1 : | Black Hill Cove (Full stage scene – outside the Inn) |
| Scene 2 : | The Pirates’ Hideaway (Front of Tabs or front cloth) |
| Scene 3 : | The Smugglers’ Inn (Full stage scene – inside the Inn) |
| Scene 4 : | The Squire’s Parlour (Front of Tabs or front cloth) |
| Scene 5 : | The Docks of Bristol (Full stage dockland scene) |
| Scene 6 : | The Pirate Parrot (Front of Tabs) |
| Scene 7 : | [Optional] Down in the Galley (Front cloth or MS Tabs) |
| Scene 8 : | On the Golden Venture (Full stage ship’s deck scene) |
| ACT II | |
| Scene 1 : | Land Ahoy! (As Act I Scene 8) |
| Scene 2 : | The Captain’s Cabin (Front of Tabs or front cloth) |
| Scene 3 : | On the Shores of the Island (Full stage tropical scene) |
| Scene 4 : | In the Thicket (Front of Tabs or front cloth) |
| Scene 5 : | Spy-glass Hill (Full stage exterior scene) |
| Scene 6 : | Sing a Song o’ Sea-Salts (Front of Tabs) |
| Scene 7 : | Back Home! (Probably as Act I Scene 1 or 5) |
AMATEUR STAGE MAGAZINE WROTE ...
The dialogue throughout the script is snappy and smart. There is some very impressive word play in the Dame’s early exchanges and an excellent running joke throughout about the size of her ample posterior! There is also a good amount of innuendo for the Dame to use. Audience interaction is very important in any panto and this script has ample occurrences of this. I particularly liked the page of suggested “ab-libs” for the Dame to use when getting the kids up on stage.
The settings required by this script are flexible enough to suit most societies, as are the casting requirements, with plenty of opportunity for gender mixing. I also liked the range of song suggestions by the author. Some scripts can be too prescriptive and others give no suggestions at all, but the author has obviously given this a lot of thought and those choosing to perform this panto will find that very helpful.”