“Treasure Island” offers a chest full of adventures

Avast, you scurvy dogs! Treasure Island, a gripping adventure story, takes the stage at SBCC's Garvin Theater. This beloved story by Robert Louis Stevenson follows young Jim Hawkins as he is drawn into a pirate treasure hunt. SBCC Theater Group presents Bryony Lavery's stage adaptation of the story, which presents Jim as a young woman in over her head rather than a traditional young boy.

“At its core, it’s still the adventure story that everyone loved as a kid,” says director Michael Bernard. “But it looks at the relationship between why boys were allowed to go on adventures, but girls weren't. What happens when a girl says, “I’m going to go on an adventure?” » » Played in this production by Emiliana Jasper, Jim keeps his eyes peeled for an opportunity to escape the mundanity of life as an innkeeper. “From time to time, she comes up against people who say: 'Girls don't have the right to do that,' explains Bernard, 'and she has this pride of saying: 'I can do what I want' .

There is much to hope for Treasure Island, from a three-story rotating set to sword fights above the stage floor. Scenery changes are carried out by the actors singing sea shanties, as if they were toiling on the deck of a ship. And if singing and sword-fighting pirates wasn't enough, there's also an animatronic parrot on the shoulder of famous sailor Long John Silver (played by Brian Harwell). Strange, exciting and humorous, Treasure Island is a play that reminds us of the importance of adventure.

See Treasure Island at the Garvin Theater March 1-16 (previews are February 28-29). Please note: although this is a children's story, be aware that the onstage violence warrants the equivalent of a PG-13 film rating. Keep the little ones at home, but older children will enjoy this classic tale of glory on the high seas. Tickets can be purchased by calling (805) 965-5935 or online at theatregroupsbcc.com.