Treasure Island at People's Light and Theater

Theater: People’s Light and Theater
Show Title: Treasure Island
Opened: November 17, 2007
Seen: November 17, 2007
Reviewer: Ryan Bunch
Submitted: November 22, 2007

People’s Light and Theatre’s Treasure Island is their fourth in what has become an annual rite of presenting holiday shows in the British Panto tradition. A trip to see Treasure Island shows why this tradition is worth continuing. If you go, you’ll see quality theater, suitable for enjoyment by all ages, with broad humor, beautiful design, great music, spirited performances and a happy measure of audience participation.

Panto is short for Pantomime, an English tradition not to be confused with the French mime tradition likely to be conjured in most Americans’ minds on hearing the word. British Panto has its roots in Commedia Dell-Arte and is characterized by physical and visual humor, slapstick, topical references, double entendres, and of course traditional stock characters, including some roles in which a man or woman plays a character of the opposite gender—in recent times usually a man playing a female comedic role. As in this production, original as well as familiar songs are incorporated, and audience involvement, such as booing the villain is strongly encouraged, if not demanded. People’s Light and Theater combines these raucous old traditions of Panto with modern theatrical professionalism, and the result is as fun as it is polished.

Playwright Kathryn Petersen has skillfully adapted Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel by grafting Panto conventions onto the original story. Among other things, her technique involves some tweaking and addition of character types, which Petersen uses to create new and theatrically effective relationships and subplots. Most significantly, the boy hero Jim Hawkins is now a young woman named Jamie Hawkins, played by Erin Weaver. Giving the story a female protagonist creates the possibility for romantic complications among Jamie, Long John Silver (Ian Bedford) and the ship’s awkward young physician Dr. Livesee (Ben Dibble). Further invention is made possible by the inclusion of Jamie’s mother, who stows away on board the ship (the Olde Blowharde in this version) and Evelyn (Susan McKey), the hoity-toity daughter of Squire Treelawney (Tom Teti). Mother Hawkins is the cross-dressing role here, played by Mark Lazar in colorful campy drag. He charms with his perennial ability to interact with the audience, who clearly have shown up in part just to see what he’s up to in this year’s show.

Add to these Captain Smilenot (Pete Pryor), who speaks unintelligibly in nautical jargon, Long John Silver’s saucy parrot Polly (Maggie Fitzgerald), Mama Kura the island queen (Joilet Harris), and a ragtag group of misfit pirates, and the stage is set for some time honored, character driven comedy. Along the way there are new twists on old jokes, slapstick shenanigans, and more topical and local allusions than you can count. The ensemble cast performs with wit and fun-loving chemistry.

Their performances are enhanced by the seamlessness with which creative and technical elements are integrated in the storytelling. The stage design incorporates the suggestion of a ship on a turntable that allows for a strong sense of movement, especially in the musical numbers, in which the motion of the ship combines with song and dance to create fluid transitions and really helps to maintain a sense of forward propulsion. Composer-lyricist Michael Ogborn draws on a variety of recognizable musical styles in the songs, but not in an excessively gimmicky way—he judiciously relies on the basic integrity of words and music to help tell the story. The lyrics are smart, and the last number has an infectious groove that has the audience leaving the theater in just the right mood after an evening of active and engaging family theater.

You don’t get many chances to see a one-legged pirate dance in a kick line, or have candy thrown at you in a theater, or occasionally talk back to the actors. You can even go on your own treasure hunt for clues in the lobby during intermission. People’s Light and Theater brings us all this just in time for the holidays. If you’re looking for something fun and uplifting to do with the whole family as a break from this hectic time of year, Treasure Island would be an excellent choice.

Treasure Island runs through December 30 at People's Light and Theater, 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, PA 19355. For tickets call 610-644-3500.

Ryan Bunch is a vocal instructor, writer and composer specializing in musical theater and theater for young audiences. He has provided voice training, musical direction, songwriting, script development and educational services for the Opera Company of Philadelphia, Mainstage Center for the Arts, Center Stage Productions, Chichester School District, West Chester Summer Stage, Renaissance Artist Puppet Company, and the Players Board of Chestnut Hill Academy and Springside School. For additional information visit www.ryanbunch.com.