Who is the protagonist of Robert Louis Stevenson’s adventure story? The obvious answer is Jim Hawkins, the innkeeper’s son who is drawn into a high-seas escapade complete with piracy and plundering. One minute he is helping with the customers, the next he is setting sail in search of buried treasure. But what of Long John Silver? Might not the double-crossing cook who leads a mutiny from the ship’s galley also have a claim to being the central player? After all, Stevenson’s original title was The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys.
It is a dispute that spills into Duncan McLean’s spirited adaptation of the 1883 novel, as Amy Conachan, styled as Lean Jean Silver, argues for primacy over Jade Chan as Jim. But it is Jim who wins out. He is in charge of the Admiral Benbow Home for Reformed Pirates (at least until his mum gets back) and has the final say.
