Lame puns aside, this is great fun

AH-HARRGH: Cast members in Treasure Island - Almost a Pantomime. From left: Squire Pegg (Phil Wishnowsky), Captain Smollett (Rita-Ann Penhale-Cashmore) and Ben Gunn (Danny Clenott).

Somewhere, Robert Louis Stevenson is spinning in his grave. This week, I caught Harlequin's Christmas show: Treasure Island: Almost A Pantomime, by Stewart Auty - a retelling of the Stevenson Tale, but with the theatrics of the Muppets' version and the camp factor of the Pirates of the Caribbean series.

And this one has pirates with handbags, a castaway who loves cheese and crosswords and an HR inspector.

I am a big fan of pirates - pantomimes not so much, so I wasn't quite sure what awaited me at the theatre.

To get the gripes out of the way early, I found the play itself to be, for lack of a better word, a bit childish. There were many genuinely funny moments, but there were also some truly painful puns. Puns are wonderful in small doses, but this one overdoes it - and I felt the cleverer dialogue was drowned out by the more infantile humour.

That being said, it was a play which didn't take itself too seriously - and Maria Hinton's cast, both veterans and newbies, were thoroughly entertaining.

The play had a strong female presence - standouts being Jackie McCullough, Grace Voice and Carol Buck as a trio of bloodthirsty lady pirates, the effervescent and rubber-faced Linda Voice as Mrs Hawkins, and Tanya Ferguson as a sassy bar wench.

My personal favourite was Catherine Grayson, who was perfect as the prim and meddlesome Hermione Jobsworth, trying in vain to teach the buccaneers good health and safety practices.

However, the male cast were particularly stellar and hilarious.

Favourites were an unrecognisable Mark Hinton as the lecherous but rather charming Billy Bones and Colin Palmer, who made both a ghoulish Black Dog and a strangely lovable Long John Silver.

The biggest crowd pleaser by far was Danny Clenott, who raised the roof has the deranged turophile Ben Gunn, and his unorthodox version of She by Elvis Costello.

Big props should also go to the supporting cast of pirates, mostly newcomers, who were animated and sprightly from start to finish.

For its flaws, Treasure Island was good fun - a pisstake of an old classic, great songs, plenty of energy and physical humour, and a talented cast. And who doesn't love pirates?

Great light holiday entertainment. Bring the kids.