Absolutely magical Treasure Island

This NT Live screening has limited screenings at Cinema Nouveau theatres in Joburg, Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town on 14, 18 and 19 February at 7.30pm, and on Sunday, 15 February at 2.30pm, and once again proves how exciting it is to watch live theatre in the comfort of your cinema, in full HD and allowing you an extraordinary opportunity of seeing the full spectacle as well as being centre stage with the actors.

Adapted with verve by Bryony Lavery it fully captures the humour, mystery and adventure of the young Jim Hawkins, who encounters the dreaded Long John Silver and his pirate mates, including a mischievous parrot. It's amazing how the stage transforms from an inn to a pirate ship, an island, starlit night and even takes you into a cave. Pure magic!

Gripping adventure story

Robert Louis Stevenson, the Scottish author of Treasure Island, began to tell one of the most gripping adventure stories ever written to entertain his stepson. It went on to be serialised in a children's magazine, and was first published as a book in 1883. Stevenson's other books include Kidnapped and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, but Treasure Island was perhaps the most iconic, and has, over the years, been dramatised on stage, television and film.

Some of the things that Stevenson imagined have become part of popular culture and what we now think of as 'traditional' pirate imagery: the dreaded 'black spot', the treasure map and the buried treasure all first appeared in his book, although sailors did often have parrots as pets, and primitive surgery on board meant that wooden legs were not unknown among real pirates.

The cast is magnificent, with Arthur Darvill as Long John Silver and Patsy Ferran as Jim Hawkins, as well as Raj Bajaj (Job Anderson), Oliver Birch (George Badger), Daniel Coonan (Black Dog), Claire-Louise Cordwell (Joan the Goat), Angela de Castro (Israel Hands), Paul Dodds (Captain Smollett), Heather Dutton (Red Ruth), Nick Fletcher (Squire Trelawney/voice of Parrot), Gillian Hanna (Grandma), Joshua James (Ben Gunn), Lena Kaur (Silent Sue), Aidan Kelly (Bill Bones), David Langham (Dick the Dandy), Jonathan Livingstone (Lucky Mickey), Helena Lymbery (Dr Livesey), Alexandra Maher (Mrs Crossley), Alastair Parker (Killigrew the Kind), Tim Samuels (Grey), David Sterne (Blind Pew), Ben Thompson (Parrot) and Roger Wilson (Shanty Singer).

Jaw-dropping set design

It's a vibrant ensemble that brings the story and characters to life under the direction of Polly Findlay, with imaginative and jaw-dropping set design by Lizzie Clachan, lighting design by Bruno Poet, music and sound by Dan Jones, songs by John Tams, fight direction by Bret Yount and movement by Jack Murphy.

The illusionist is Chris Fisher; the music supervisor is Matthew Scott, and the music director is Theo Jamieson. Clive Mendus is comedy consultant and Carolina Valdes is creative associate.

The production was captured during a live performance at the National Theatre's Olivier Theatre in London on 22 January and after the intermission there's an insightful interview and documentary, with Bryony Lavery telling you more about the adaptation and how the story has gripped her imagination since she was 12 years old.

National Theatre Live enables audiences to experience the best of British theatre throughout the year, as the NT brings cameras into the auditorium to record and broadcast performances from stage to screen. Over three-and-a-half million people have experienced a National Theatre Live broadcast via satellite, both live and time delayed, in more than 2000 venues in over 40 different countries around the world, including South Africa. National Theatre Live events are distributed outside the UK through New York-based BY Experience, the pioneer of global live 'alternative content' digital cinema events.

Limited screenings

Treasure Island will have limited screenings at Cinema Nouveau theatres in Joburg, Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town: 14, 18 and 19 February at 7.30pm, and on Sunday, 15 February at 2.30pm.

Make a point of seeing the great production as it will be your only chance of seeing the best that theatre has offer at a cinema near you without having to travel to London.

The running time of this production is 2 hours 30 minutes, including a 20-minute interval and is suitable for audiences aged 10 years and over.

For booking information on Treasure Island, download the Ster-Kinekor App on any Nokia, Samsung Android, iPhone or Blackberry smart phone for updates, news and to make a booking. Go to www.cinemanouveau.co.za or sterkinekor.mob. Follow on Twitter @nouveaubuzz and on Facebook at Cinema Nouveau. For queries, contact Ticketline on 0861 Movies (668 437).

The discounts and benefits for cardholders of SK Club, Discovery Vitality and Edgars Club loyalty clubs do apply for all live theatre productions. Special prices for school and group bookings are also available on request.

For more live theatre on the big screen and other new films opening this week, go to www.writingstudio.co.za