My first experience with “Treasure Island” came around 1988, when my folks rented a BETA tape of the animated film from 1973.
It is an absolutely bonkers adaptation, with a pirate mouse sidekick for Jim (voiced by the Monkees’ Davy Jones) and some of the hokiest animation to ever hit a television screen. I had convinced myself it was a fever dream until recently when I hunted down a bootleg version on YouTube. It aged about as well as could be expected.
Over the years, I experienced the story in various iterations. I graduated to watching the 1950 Walt Disney live-action film, and, of course, the near-flawless “Muppet Treasure Island” in 1996. In the eighth grade I finally read Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel, and it checked all the boxes for a kid like me—it had swordfights, adventure on the high seas, colorful characters, a treasure map, a kid protagonist and of course, pirates.
It’s been a few hundred years since pirates like Blackbeard, Captain Kidd and Anne Bonney sailed the Seven Seas, and yet our collective obsession with buccaneers perseveres.
When Stuart Landon, artistic director at Open Stage (and who happened to grow up in the same household where that infamous BETA tape played), picked the 37th season, he knew that the theater needed a show that, after a season of small-cast shows, would welcome back a plethora of actors from our incredibly talented community, as well as audiences that can get excited about getting out and seeing shows again. Once again, “Treasure Island” checked all the boxes.
In 2014, Bryony Lavery adapted a version for the National Theatre. The production remained somewhat true to the original story with a few notable changes.
Jim Hawkins is now Jimima Hawkins, a “smart-as-paint” tomboy who dreams of escaping her humdrum life in her seaside village. The salty and colorful crew of the Hispaniola features familiar characters such as the treacherous Black Dog and the scurvy Israel Hands on deck. But characters like Red Ruth, Joan the Goat, Lucky Mickey, Dick the Dandy and Gray have been added to the roster of swashbucklers and seadogs. Their stories and relationships expand Stevenson’s beautifully crafted world in a way that audiences have never seen before.
The show will hit Open Stage starting Oct. 8, and those who have experienced “Treasure Island” in other mediums will find this to have all of the magic and romance of the original story, while enjoying a reimagined version with a modern and inclusive point of view. And as usual, Open Stage brings this epic adventure to an intimate stage at 25 N. Court St. for audiences to be up close and personal with the danger in the Admiral Benbow Inn, the magic of the open ocean viewed from the deck of an 18th-century schooner, and the heat of Captain Flint’s haunted island.
Sean Adams, who has been seen on stages all over central PA, takes on the role of Long John Silver, the infamous and endearing rogue, who, throughout history, has been portrayed by giants like Orson Welles, Charlton Heston, Robert Newton, and, of course, Tim Curry (“Upstage, lads. This is my only number!”). Adams is ready to take the wheel at the helm of (as he aptly puts it) “the pirate story.”
“It’s a great little adventure,” Adams said. “And it’s become so ingrained in pop culture that every pirate story written since owes something to it. I love how iconic every moment has become.”
How true that is. Would Jack Sparrow or Han Solo have been born without the benchmark of Robert Louis Stevenson’s quick-witted Silver? Adams is excited to tackle the role.
“Long John Silver is fascinating because of how charming he can be,” he said. “That makes him really dangerous, because people want to like him, even when they know they shouldn’t.”
Adams is one of 20 actors taking on the world’s most famous pirate story, and the energy in the rehearsal room is palpable as the cast and production team learn swordfights, build costumes and props, hoist sails and practice their best pirate-speak. This production will be unlike anything Harrisburg has seen before. If you’re like Jim Hawkins and dream of monsters, mutineers and treasure maps, this is the story for you. We look forward to having you join the crew.
“Treasure Island” runs Oct. 8 to 29 at Open Stage, 25 N. Court St., Harrisburg. For more information and tickets, visit www.openstagehbg.com or call 717-232-6736.
UPCOMING EVENTS AT HARRISBURG’S PROFESSIONAL
DOWNTOWN THEATERS
At Gamut Theatre
www.gamuttheatre.org
717-238-4111
Popcorn Hat Players present
“Rapunzel!”
Oct. 1 and 8 at 1 p.m.
TMI Improv
Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m.
At Open Stage
www.openstagehbg.com
717-232-6736
“Treasure Island”
A swashbuckling adventure play
Oct. 8 to 29
Court Street Cabaret After Hours
Evenings of song from Broadway and beyond
Oct. 14 to 28
The Obstructed View
HallowQueen & Gay History
Oct. 15 at 7:30 p.m.
Black Newsbeat
Wednesdays, Oct. 12 & 26
If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!
