SSA Drama’s Treasure Island at Dovehouse Theatre Review
Written by Katie for Theatre and Tonic
SSA Dramas’ Treasure Island is a joyful, high-spirited pantomime that delivers exactly what a proper British panto should: laughter, larger-than-life characters, and plenty of silliness!
Directed by Chris Cooper and written by Cooper alongside Steph Thompson, the production takes the familiar swashbuckling tale. It gives it a playful, accessible twist that works well for audiences of all ages. With slick choreography from Milly Best and a clearly committed cast, this is a show that knows its genre and leans into it wholeheartedly.
Chris Cooper is the standout of the evening, and I dare say the glue of the production as Captain Molly Smollett (as well as the thousand other roles he’s credited for!). As SSA’s resident dame, he proves once again why the title fits so well. He never lets the act drop, firing out quick-witted ad-libs with impeccable comic timing, while fully embodying everything audiences know, love, and expect from a traditional panto dame. It’s a confident, generous performance that anchors the entire show.
Steve Hayes is equally strong as Long John Silver, delivering a classic British villain we love to hate. His accent, physicality, and perfectly pitched menace strike just the right balance between threat and theatrical fun.
A special mention must also go to Alex Fraser as Silly Billy Bones, whose sweet, silly charm clearly won over the audience. This being his sixth panto with SSA, it’s easy to see why he’s become such a staple of their productions.
George France (Jim Hawkins) and Lydia Sanders (Sally Smollett) serve well as the romantic leads, providing a solid emotional through-line to the adventure. The supporting cast, including David Wade, Helen Gibbs, Maddie Prosser, Beth Reed, Gregory March, Madalina Lazar, and Jayne Bryan, come together brilliantly to create a joyful, cohesive ensemble that maintains high energy throughout.
The dancers deserve real praise, too. The ensemble dancers were brilliant, throwing themselves wholeheartedly into every number. I particularly loved two of the younger ‘mini’ performers who gave their full hearts to the show and were an absolute joy to watch. For the seventh year running, Rochelle Dance Academy also returned, bringing impressive technical and acrobatic skills that added real polish. A particularly lovely ribbon routine stood out, alongside several other vibrant sequences that uplifted the production and gave it some slick, feel-good razzle dazzle.
The costuming is another real triumph of the production. There is nothing remotely “am-dram” about the look of this show. Costumes provided by Triple C Costume Hire are bold, polished, and visually cohesive, ensuring that every member of the company looks stage-ready and gleaming under the lights. This is supported brilliantly by hair, wigs, and makeup by George France, which elevate the overall aesthetic even further. Together, they create a vibrant, professional finish that easily rivals much larger-scale pantomimes.
The writing is peppered with topical humour that lands beautifully, leaning into pop culture moments of 2025- from “nothing beats a Jet2 holiday” to nods at the Coldplay CEO affair and more, all of which had the audience cackling. It’s refreshing to see the writers fully embrace current trends, keeping the humour sharp, relevant, and genuinely funny.
If there were tweaks to suggest for future productions, the show could perhaps benefit from being slightly shorter, and the individual character introductions begin to feel a little repetitive, so I’d put these into just one or two group scenes instead next time. That said, these are minor points in an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable production.
What’s particularly impressive is how well Treasure Island holds its own alongside much larger pantomimes in the area, including the Birmingham Hippodrome, which is also boldly running through January. While it may not have the scale of those big-house productions, there’s something genuinely special about a panto made for, and by its own community, and that warmth, heart, and sense of shared joy is ultimately what wins audiences over.
Treasure Island is a fun-filled, family-friendly pantomime that celebrates tradition while clearly delighting in the sheer joy of live performance, and it’s well worth catching before it sails off on Sunday 18th.
