Swashbuckling adventures with Long John Silver

3:02pm Friday 20th June 2008

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JOHNNY Depp may have cornered the pirate market on the big screen, but there is one man giving him a run for his money on the stage, and he is set to arrive at the Wycombe Swan this month.

Gavin Robertson is currently donning an eye patch to play the one-legged Long John Silver in the Birmingham Stage Company's touring production of Treasure Island. It is a role he did not have to think twice about before accepting, exclaiming: "I'm over 40 and I get to play a pirate. How great is that?"

Based on Robert Louis Stevenson's classic high-seas adventure, the story follows young Jim Hawkins as he discovers a treasure map in The Admiral Benbow Inn and sets sail with Squire Trelawney, a motley crew and Silver, the ship's cook, in search of their fortune.

"What's interesting about Long John Silver is he is not an evil villain," Gavin explains. "He is a nice man who does terrible things. The relationship he has with Jim is odd in that he is a very greedy man who will do anything to get his hands on gold. He sees in Jim something he could have become if he had been more honourable. They have a father-son relationship that will never really work because there is a moral ground which won't match. Jim is straight and Long John Silver is as crooked as a sixpence."

While the stage production may not have the Hollywood names and budget, Gavin insists the play is just as good as any big blockbuster starring Mr Depp!

"At the time, the book was unusual because it dealt with the relationship between Jim and Long John Silver, while most books were all about the action. In our version, we focus on the action as well as the relationship. We have ten men running about with muskets, there are gun fights, smoke effects and dramatic lighting."

As a seasoned actor who has worked with many well-known stars, Gavin even called on his celebrity friends for favours to add realism.

"I tried to convince Bill Bailey (with whom Gavin starred in a hit Edinburgh production of 12 Angry Men in 2003) to let me borrow one of the parrots he keeps but the insurance was so high we had to opt for a fake one."

Despite that, the show went on and the production has now been touring for eight months. Being on the road is part of the job for Gavin, who is not only an actor but also a playwright, director and producer.

"I bought a house on the south coast near Brighton in September and I have spent a total of seven weeks in it," he says, aghast.

That probably won't change soon, as he already has three shows to direct in the autumn, inc luding his award-winning production Spittoon, a parody of every Western you have ever seen.

"I would love to be in film, but I made the mistake of deciding that I would make theatre, and it's very time consuming."

Treasure Island arrives at the Wycombe Swan from Tuesday, June 24 to Saturday, June 28, 7pm. Morning shows Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 10am; Matinees Wednesday and Thursday, 1.30pm and Saturday, 2.30pm.

Details: 01494 512 000 or www.wycombeswan.co.uk