Theater Review: ‘Treasure Island’ At CCTC/HJT Sure To Delight Kids And Adults Alike

I’ve always enjoyed Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic “Treasure Island” as a suspenseful swashbuckling story, and the Cape Cod Theatre Company/Harwich Junior Theatre’s production captures that spirit. But director Andy Arden-Reese’s adaptation helped me also see the tale’s true message. As Arden-Reese explains in the program, growing up means “making choices, making mistakes, getting back up, finding footing, and learning to trust one’s own self…” 

Jim Hawkins, a young boy working with his mother in a tavern, learned this lesson firsthand when he was swept into a hunt for Captain Flint's gold. The love of money drives people to do awful things — betrayal, double-crossing, often with deadly consequences. And Jim learned that his choices, as he navigates the actions of those around him, matter. 

This CCTC/HJT production is spell-binding from the get-go with the glowing sphere on the backdrop of the stark yet striking set followed by the opening scene as the gender-swapped actors are introduced through Arden-Reese’s dramatic use of hard rock music and tumbling choreography. Get ready to take a ride with this gang on the Hispaniola to "Treasure Island!” 

The play opens in the Admiral Benbow Inn, where Sarah Hawkins (Julianne Bonwit) and her son Jim (Victoria Lebedynskyi) are dealing with a strange man who goes by the name of Billy Bones (Em Entwistle). Does Billy really have a treasure map in his sea chest? Jim soon finds out and then goes on the adventure of his life on the Hispaniola with Captain Smollett (Bonwit again) and Squire (Entwistle). Everything seems fine even after he meets the very friendly Long John Silver (Elizabeth Dunton), but is Silver really his friend? And who is this Ben Gunn (Celai Gaska) character on the island the map directs them to? And will they find the treasure? 

The action is nonstop as the actors hop from one end of the stage to the other, first aboard the ship and then on a deserted island. Black Dog (Sam Sewell), Johnny Ray (Phoebe Schuessler), Morgan (Madeline Karczmarek), Dirk (Niamh Dunton) and even a parrot (Evelyn McColgan) are in on the action in one way or another. 

 Director Arden-Reese worked with the theater’s tech director Matt Kohler on the sound design and Michael Reese is credited with the dramatic set and lighting design. The set is impressive, as are the costumes designed by Emily Diamond, with an assist from Violet Diamond. Stage manager Laura Froeschner keeps it all straight, amazingly. 

 The story has many layers, so children under six may not catch every part, but they'll still enjoy the action. Another highlight is meeting the actors in costume after the show on the deck for questions and autographs. The show is about 90 minutes long without an intermission.