Review: Theatricum Botanicum’s ‘Treasure Island’ Offers a Bounty of Adventure

Epic adventure stories do not always translate well from the page to stage. Yet Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum proves an extraordinarily fitting home for Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, where towering oaks and lush canyon terrain naturally evoke another century. Ellen Geer’s reimagining, running in repertory through October 3rd, embraces the novel’s swashbuckling fervor while preserving the deeper coming-of-age story beneath its pirate mythology. Buried gold may propel the play, but conscience, temptation, and integrity ultimately define it.

First serialized in 1881 before appearing as a novel in 1883, Treasure Island shaped much of the popular image of piracy that exists today, introducing readers to treasure maps, mutiny, and the unforgettable Long John Silver. Geer’s adaptation remains largely faithful to Stevenson’s classic, avoiding unnecessary revisions in favor of emphasizing the novel’s enduring moral core.

The action begins at the Admiral Benbow Inn, where young Jim Hawkins becomes entangled in the dangerous affairs of the aging pirate Billy Bones. After Bones succumbs to a stroke, leaving behind a coveted treasure map, Jim joins Dr. Livesey, Squire Trelawney, Captain Smollett, and the crew of the Hispaniola on an expedition to recover the legendary fortune. Among them is the ship’s charismatic one-legged cook, Long John Silver, whose easy charm disguises ambitions that threaten to fracture the voyage from within. As loyalties shift and violence replaces the initial excitement, Jim discovers that his greatest challenge has little to do with uncovering the 750,000 pounds and everything to do with the person he becomes.

That sinuous trek would carry little weight without a convincing Jim, and the young but mature Ruben Jones proves an inspired choice to lead the adventure. Serving as both participant and narrator, Jones performs with a natural ease that makes Jim engaging. His British accent remains consistently convincing, while his gradual evolution from wide-eyed youth to increasingly self-reliant adolescent man unfolds with credibility. Rather than playing Jim as a banal hero, Jones reflectively conveys that courage is measured less by fearlessness than by difficult choices.

If Jones provides the production’s conscience, Gerald C. Rivers supplies its irresistible moral ambiguity. Rivers’ Long John Silver is affable, calculating, and endlessly watchable, striking a careful balance between warmth and self-interest that explains why others repeatedly place their trust in him. His convincing and pained one-legged gait subtly reinforces the physical burden the pirate carries, while his sharp intelligence remains his greatest weapon. Whether quietly orchestrating mutiny, negotiating truces, or fending off challenges to his own authority, Rivers continually recalibrates Silver’s demeanor, making the iconic buccaneer as unpredictable as he is disarming.

The show’s standout performance, however, belongs to Willow Geer, who disappears into two dramatically disparate roles. As Jim’s caring mother, she establishes the emotional foundation that gives his departure genuine consequence. Her later transformation into Jenn Gunn is remarkable. Reimagined from Stevenson’s Ben Gunn, Jenn emerges after years of isolation on Treasure Island, and Geer fully embraces the character’s physical and emotional wreckage. Restlessly roaming the stage in tattered clothing, desperately craving cheese, frothing at the mouth, and clinging to fragmented memories of “piety,” Jenn is at once eccentric, funny, heartbreaking, and deeply human. Costume, makeup, and Geer’s fearless physical commitment combine to create one of the production’s most enduring characterizations.

Jeff Bergquist effectively launches the story as Captain Billy Bones, whose rum-soaked, gravelly voice not only rumbles like an idling motorbike, but whose paranoia immediately establishes the dangers surrounding the mysterious sea chest. Daniel Kean’s determined Black Dog and Ethan Haslam’s fiercely funny Blind Pew likewise leave lasting impressions at the inn, with Haslam wielding his cane with a mix of menace and surprising comic flair.

Aaron Hendry brings welcome authority to Dr. Livesey, projecting calm leadership throughout the voyage, while Steven C. Fisher makes an entertainingly bullish Squire Trelawney whose inability to guard sensitive information repeatedly complicates matters. Arthur Hanket commands the Hispaniola with audacious strength as Captain Smollett, delivering the memorable warning that “Mutiny hangs over this ship like a thundercloud.”

The pirates themselves remain consistently engaging. Tim Halligan gives Israel Hands the slippery demeanor of a man whose loyalties are never entirely trustworthy, while Sam Cowan’s fiery George becomes a formidable presence when Long John Silver’s title of captain comes under scrutiny during a compelling clash. Not to mention, judging by the June 27th performance reviewed, Jessica Williams emotes with a laconically appealing sincerity as Lil Runt (a role shared with Georgiana Swanson and Julius Geer-Polin), while Sky Wahl makes the most of Morgan (a role usually depicted by Daniel Kean) with a simmering anger whenever tensions boil over. Last, but not least, Jesse Corwin (O’Brien) and Ethan Ricks (Dick Darby) deserve recognition as mutineers who go the extra mile, be it rhythmically shrieking with vigor against perceived enemies or wearing the debilitating effects of malaria.

Throughout the production, the ensemble sustains the lively spirit of shipboard life, whether performing spirited renditions of “Drunken Sailor” or contributing to the increasingly broken alliances that propel the proceedings toward its inevitable showdown.

Ellen Geer’s direction understands that Treasure Island succeeds not because of its lore, but because the spectacle remains firmly rooted in character. Rather than racing from one setting to the next, she allows relationships and competing loyalties to develop naturally before conflict erupts. If the production has one notable shortcoming, it lies in portions of the first act, where stretches of dialogue occasionally slow the narrative’s momentum. Once the Hispaniola reaches the island, however, the pacing sharpens considerably, and the second act unfolds with mounting intensity.

That acceleration culminates in an exhilarating battle sequence that ranks among the most thrilling action set pieces perhaps ever witnessed at Theatricum. Muskets crack through the canyon, cannon blasts echo across the amphitheater, and swords clash in a controlled melee that has observers reveling in the action. Aaron Hendry pulls double duty with an outstanding fight choreography worthy of enormous credit, crafting action that feels dangerous, immediate, realistic.

The production’s visual world benefits equally from the natural beauty of Theatricum’s outdoor setting. Michael Klock’s scenic design, which makes ships out of the familiar facades, ingeniously repurposes the theater’s familiar architecture. Geoff Barton’s lighting gradually transforms the amphitheater as daylight fades, and Marc Antonio Pritchett’s sound design lends weight to both smaller scenes and large-scale battles. Tracy Wahl’s costumes effectively distinguish pirates, sailors, and aristocrats, while her disheveled design for Jenn Gunn reinforces the years of isolation that define Willow Geer’s vibrant performance.

Overall, more than 140 years after Robert Louis Stevenson introduced readers to Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver, Treasure Island continues to endure because its greatest discovery was never tucked away wealth, but humanity itself. Ellen Geer’s thoughtful presentation honors that legacy without trying to reinvent it, while a superb company ensures this outdoor odyssey offers far more than nostalgic escapism. It is another rewarding addition to Theatricum Botanicum’s vast catalog, proving that some classics remain timeless because every generation — young, middle-aged, and old — finds something new worth stocking in their treasure trove of memories.

Cover image caption: Left to right are Susan Stangl, Jesse Corwin, Gerald C. Rivers, Ethan Ricks, and Ruben Jones in Theatricum Botanicum’s production of Treasure Island. Photo is by Ian Flanders.

Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum’s production of Treasure Island runs on select dates through Saturday, October 3rd. For tickets and more information, visit theatricum.com.