Treasure Island- By Ken Ludwig
- Adapted from the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson
- Directed by Blake Robison
- Produced by Round House Theatre
- Reviewed by Hunter Kieserman
Ahoy Mateys!
Since I was a baby I’ve always had an interest in pirates and treasure. My mother used to tell me stories of the notorious Captain Hook or of the fearsome Blackbeard. My favorite pirate was the villainous yet lovable, one-legged Long John Silver from Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel Treasure Island.
Treasure Island is the story of a boy named Jim Hawkins who comes into the possession of a treasure map that is coveted by notorious pirates such as Black Dog, Blind Pew, George Merry, and of course the iconic Long John Silver. I knew the story well but I wasn’t sure what to expect of the stage adaptation by Ken Ludwig.
What I saw at Round House Theatre was amazing! It was an experience I will never forget!
Without giving away all the marvelous staging, let me tell you about two scenes that really captured my attention. The first scene is an added prologue that takes place on the mesmerizing revolving stage designed by Jeff Modereger. This scene contains lots of beautifully choreographed fighting and action. The next scene that I really enjoyed was the explosive finale of Act I with an exciting swordfight and a mutiny on board the ship. Both of these scenes were beautiful and exciting!
Adapted by Ken Ludwig and directed spectacularly by Blake Robison, I saw a wonderful cast lead by Marybeth Fritzky (Jim Hawkins) and Mark Mineart (Long John Silver). Fritzky and Mineart not only made the roles believable, but developed the personas of the characters so well that at times I thought they were real pirates.
The set designed by Jeff Modereger was an intricate revolving stage painted to look like a compass rose and some roll on ship pieces and barrels that were used as table and various parts of the ship. The set design gave me just enough to use my imagination and be engaged in the show. Rosemary Pardee also designed the very authentic costumes. Not a single person looked bad! The score, composed by Round House Theatre resident sound designer Matthew M. Nielson, was exciting and captured the tone of the story very well.
The fight choreography by Richard R. Ryan was full of energy and made battle scenes authentic and exciting to watch.
Kids will love the show as well as adults because the show is just the right length (about 2 hours) and does an excellent job of capturing the classic tale by Robert Louis Stevenson. The production was definitely worth seeing and was a wonderful way to spend my time. However, I would not recommend this play for children under eight years old due to some violence including swordfights and real gunshots.
- Running Time: 2:00 with 1 intermissionWhen: November 28th to December 30th
- Where: Round House Theatre Bethesda-4545 East West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814. Tickets: $20 for children and teens and $60 for adults.
- Information: Call the Roundhouse Theatre Box office at 240-644-1100, or visit the website.
- Recommended for ages 8+