ROBERT Louis Stevenson’s swashbuckling tale of rival crews searching for Captain Flint’s gold was given a make-over by the creative team at The Point.

The show opened to find young Emmie browsing through the family attic and coming across the title book.

Immediately immersed in the story, the scene changes, transporting her into the bar of the Admiral Benbow.

Emmie is now young Jim Hawkins, helping mother Mary (Beth Folan) in serving the rough-and-ready customers. When Billy Bones (Jessica Millicent) drags his sea-chest into the bar, asking young Jim to keep an eye-out for a one-legged man and then promptly expires, Jim and his mother open the chest to find money and… a map!

Deducing that the map shows where Flint’s treasure was buried, a crew is promptly assembled and, with Jim as cabin-boy, The Hispaniola sets sail!

Unfortunately, some of the crew are old shipmates of the deceased Flint and want a piece of the action. The impressively confident Romalie Rees dominates every scene as Jim, with Millie Dowse (Captain Smollett) running her close, mainly due to the clear projection of their lines.

Simon Keene and Tyler Maskell both did well, as Squire Trelawney and Long John Silver, but much of the dialogue from the rest of the cast was delivered either too quickly or too quietly, on opening night.

Consequently the plot was difficult to follow, but what was undeniable was the sheer enthusiasm of the whole cast.

Director Daniel Hill has a winning team alongside, with Carl Davies designing a world-class set that changed subtly, but effectively, as the plot unravelled.

Hayley Barker had the large cast making great use of the stage and auditorium, composer Daniel Lewington chipped in with some great songs from a rocking band and the whole stage was stunningly-lit by Tim Slater and Shaun Hobbs. Yo-ho-ho! Runs until December 24.