Review: Book-It's TREASURE ISLAND – A Swashbuckling Good Time

I remember my first exposure to Robert Louis Stevenson's classic, "Treasure Island". It wasn't the book but rather an animated version they showed occasionally during Saturday morning cartoons and although I haven't seen that one in years I remember loving it for its thrilling swashbuckling adventure and rich characters including a bad guy who wasn't all that bad even though he was a bloodthirsty pirate. Well I'm happy to say all those feelings from childhood came rushing back the other night as I watched Book-It Repertory Theatre's current adaptation. I mean, swarthy pirates, sword fights, and buried treasure. How can you go wrong?

If you've never read the book (or seen the cartoon) it tells the tale of young Jim Hawkins (Alex Silva) who's taken on being the man of the house, due to his ailing father, and helping his mother run their modest inn. But their quiet lives are thrown into turmoil when buccaneer Billy Bones (Jim Gall) comes to stay. He may seem like a harmless blowhard but other disreputable men are after him, or rather after the treasure map he has. When Bones dies, young Jim finds the map and takes it to the local upstanding gentlemen, Squire Trelawney and Dr. Livesey (Eric Ray Anderson and Arjun Pande) who decide to hire a ship and crew and go after the treasure with Jim. Unfortunately they hire some not so upstanding crew including the dreaded Long John Silver (Geoffery Simmons) and, of course, eventually the pirates mutiny to keep the treasure for themselves.

Adapter Bryan Burch and director Corey McDaniel have infused this tale with a quick pace and tons of fun and even with the Book-It style of "he said, she said" keep the thrill of the adventure alive. In fact at times they used that style to slow down the action and narrate the outstanding fight sequences, brilliantly choreographed by Tom Dewey, in a way that made them even more thrilling. You really just need to see it to understand.

The ensemble is absolutely top notch and each look to be having a blast as they get to play pirate making the childlike glee of the piece shine through. And each of them takes their assigned archetypes very seriously. Simmons tackles the role of the dreaded pirate Long John Silver with the zeal and complexity it deserves. Tim Gouran and Gin Hammond bring some deliciously cutthroat pirates to life with some quite menacing performances. And on the good guy side, Pande manages the dashing stalwart Doctor quite well and is counterbalanced perfectly by Anderson's foppish Trelawney. And I must mention Marianna de Fazio who brings some delightful moments not only as Silver's parrot but as the marooned and unbalanced Ben Gunn.

But the majority of the story goes to Silva as Jim and he manages an honest and engaging portrayal of this young man searching for adventure. It can be quite a risk putting a young actor in charge of so much of a show but Silva tackles it beautifully. I've seen him in quite a few pieces over the years and he just keeps getting better and better and we should probably all keep an eye on this fine young actor.

If you're looking for some good family fun with some of the older kids (there is quite a bit of fighting and death here that may be too much for the younger ones) then this could be just for you. Or if you just want to become a kid again yourself and engage in a bit of swashbuckling, then they've got you covered as well. And so, with my three letter rating system I give Book-It's "Treasure Island" a childlike giggle of a YAY. It's just plain fun. You may be tempted to go searching for buried treasure yourself afterwards. But keep in mind, most of it has already been found.

"Treasure Island" from Book-It Repertory Theatre performs at the Center Theatre at the Armory through December 24th. For tickets or information contact the Book-It box office at 206-216-0833 or visit them online at www.book-it.org.

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