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Ken Ludwig's Treasure Island

Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy  /  2w, 9m

Ken Ludwig, Robert Louis Stevenson

Ken Ludwig / Adapted from the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson

A stunning yarn of piracy on the tropical seas. At the center of it all are Jim Hawkins, a 14-year-old boy who longs for adventure, and the infamous Long John Silver, who is a complex study of good and evil, perhaps the most famous hero-villain of all time.

Ken Ludwig's Treasure Island

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    2w, 9m
  • Duration
    Duration
    120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Adventure, Adaptation (Literature), Theatre for Young Audiences, Period
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Appropriate for All Audiences
Accolades
Accolades
  • Winner! 2009 AATE Distinguished Play Award, Best Adaptation
Ken Ludwig's Treasure Island

Details

Summary
Based on the masterful adventure novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island is a stunning yarn of piracy on the tropical seas. It begins at an inn on the Devon coast of England in 1775 and quickly becomes an unforgettable tale of treachery and mayhem featuring a host of legendary swashbucklers including the dangerous Billy Bones (played unforgettably in the movies by Lionel Barrymore), the sinister two-timing Israel Hands, the brassy woman pirate Anne Bonney, and the hideous form of evil incarnate, Blind Pew. At the center of it all are Jim Hawkins, a 14-year-old boy who longs for adventure, and the infamous Long John Silver, who is a complex study of good and evil, perhaps the most famous hero-villain of all time. Silver is an unscrupulous buccaneer-rogue whose greedy quest for gold, coupled with his affection for Jim, cannot help but win the heart of every soul who has ever longed for romance, treasure and adventure.
History

The play had its world premiere in May 2007 at the Alley Theatre in a production directed by Gregory Boyd and designed by Eugene Lee and Constance Hoffman.
ACTOR ONE – Jim Hawkins
ACTOR TWO – Long John Silver / Jim’s Father
ACTOR THREE – Dr. Livesey / Captain Flint, pirate
ACTOR FOUR – Squire Trelawney / The Bailiff / Job O’Brien, pirate
ACTOR FIVE – Captain Smollet / Black Dog, pirate
ACTOR SIX – Reverend Mainwaring / Jemmy Rathbone, pirate / Ben Gunn, pirate / Josiah Bland, pirate
ACTOR SEVEN – Jim’s Mother / Anne Bonny, pirate
ACTOR EIGHT – Widow Drews / Justice Death, pirate
ACTOR NINE – Bailiff’s son / Israel Hands / Blind Pew, pirate /Calico Jack, pirate
ACTOR TEN – Bailiff’s Son / George Merry, pirate
ACTOR ELEVEN – Inn Guest / Boy with Barrow, pirate / Ezekiel Hazard, pirate / Tom Morgan/ Cut Purse, pirate
ACTOR TWELVE – Bristol Sailor / Billy Bones, pirate
ADDITIONAL PIRATES - as needed
A PARROT

Everyone except Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver doubles, variously, as the customers at the Admiral Benbow Inn, the sailors in Bristol, a lady at the dock, etc. The play can hold as many pirates as the producer can find - doubling can be eliminated or increased if the director can figure out a way to do it. The goal of the production should be wild, rollicking, frightening, breathless and moving. Any means to that end should be embraced, large cast or small. Additionally, there is a parrot in this play, who should not seem prominent or silly in any way.

  • Time Period 18th Century
  • Setting Various locations. The action takes place in England and the West Indies. The time is 1774.
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Additional Features Animal Spot, Stage Combat
  • Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • No Special Cautions

Media

“Five Stars! A racy, pacy, tough-as-old-boots adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's swashbuckling classic!” – The Telegraph

“Ludwig invents a new spine to Robert Louis Stevenson's great story of skulduggery and gold-digging on the high seas!” – What's On Stage

“A gripping yarn with a genuinely rough-and-ready buccaneering spirit. It flies the flag for good-old fashioned ensemble story-telling.” – The Telegraph

“Adapted with savvy showmanship by playwright Ken Ludwig... the show could usefully serve many youngsters as an introduction to the magic of live theater.” – Variety

“Hit Ahoy! X marks the spot of a bona fide festive treat! Treasure Island is the answer to every adventure-starved child's prayers: a racy, pacy, tough-as-old-boots adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's swashbuckling classic!” – The Telegraph

For more info, visit kenludwig.com.

Videos

  • Meet The Playwright: Ken Ludwig youtube thumbnail

    Meet The Playwright: Ken Ludwig

Music

  • Musical Style Folk
  • Vocal DemandsEasy
  • Chorus Size No Chorus

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £70 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Scripts

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Authors

Ken Ludwig

Ken Ludwig has had six productions on Broadway and eight in London’s West End. His 34 plays and musicals are staged around the world and throughout the United States every night of the year.

His first play, Lend Me a Tenor, won two Tony Awards and was called “one of the classi ...

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Author

Robert Louis Stevenson

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