On Thursday, Feb. 19, John Brown University’s Theatre and Music Department debuted its production of Ken Ludwig’s “Treasure Island.” The production also ran Friday night and Saturday afternoon, with the Saturday matinee selling out. “Treasure Island” was originally written in 1883 by Robert Louis Stevenson, with Stevenson’s beloved story being adapted countless times, including adaptations such as Disney's space fantasy called “Treasure Planet” and “Muppet Treasure Island.”
Ken Ludwig’s play adaptation of “Treasure Island” takes place in the 18th century and follows Jim Hawkins (played by Mayson Montgomery) as he goes on a voyage to find Captain Flint’s hidden treasure. As Hawkins sets out on his journey, he runs into Long John Silver (played by Heath Stark), who offers to help him put together a crew for his ship. During the voyage, things become rocky as Hawkins, Squire Trelawney (played by Jakin Matchell) and Capt. Smollett (played by Jackson West), realize that Silver’s crew might have more sinister intentions.
A critical part of any on-stage theatrical adaptation, is the set design. While in the past, JBU theater productions have usually utilized more sparse set designs, putting the focus on the actors, they went all out for this production. The stage was transformed into a giant ship, later covered with vines and other foliage, when the actors transitioned to the island. To further sell the different places that the characters were traveling through, projections were shown behind the ship, transitioning the setting from stormy seas to a dense jungle.
“I think initially I was really struck by the production value of the show,” audience member Micah Madden said. “I feel like it's been a couple of years since we’ve had a full set like this that we’ve kind of centered the play around. This is the first one I feel like, since "Play That Goes Wrong," where the play has been centered around like a house or a ship or something like that."
However, the set wasn’t the only thing that transformed the show. Senior Aletheia Spangler worked hard to transform each actor's costume from pieces of worn clothing into outfits donned by swashbuckling pirates. Spangler altered some items from the costume closet but also made many of the pieces from scratch.
“I think a lot of people talked about how it was just very well done, and I think that’s because there were a lot of seniors doing this like Aletheia, Ella and Volen, people kind of like reaching the climax of all that they’ve learned and put together while they’ve been studying here at JBU,” actor and crew member Zofia Leverette said.
Montgomery also touched on the uniqueness of this production and the community that was built between the crew and cast.
“I laughed so hard all the time in rehearsal, and it was such a joyful experience, so it was so sweet. I love that theater at JBU provides such a sweet community,” Montgomery said.
Another unique part of JBU’s production was the choice to cast a female in the lead role of Hawkins. This is something that was mirrored by the National Theatre in 2014. When first reading the script, Montgomery knew that she wanted to audition for the part of Hawkins, seeing that it would give her the opportunity to play someone she identified with on a more personal level, something not often available to her in other female roles.
“There are just not a lot of roles women can play where you actually get to be angry. I relate a lot to Jo from Little Women, where like, I understand that internal rage and also the inability to express it,” Montgomery said.
Alongside Montgomery, Stark also put in a lot of background work to take on the persona of the notorious one-legged Long John Silver. Both actors learned how to drop their voices to change their age while adopting an accent as well.
“I thought the performances of Heath and Mayson were really well done, especially the accent work and just Mayson having to portray someone who is ten years younger than her and of a different gender,” Madden said. “Also, Heath just embodying the loss of a leg, I feel like that worked really well too. I feel like they really, also being friends with them, they really helped set the tone for the rest of the cast.”
Another memorable acting moment from the production was when Leverette’s character, a sailor who was unpersuaded to join the pirates, was thrown off the stage into the pit. It came as a shock to the audience, with a splashing sound accompanying the throw to simulate her character falling into the ocean. “Treasure Island” was Leverette’s JBU acting debut, and the performance allowed her to better understand the work she does as part of the crew.
“I think it made my understanding of the props a lot better, it kind of gave me more of a research foundation of just the characters, and their dynamics together and the storyline. I feel like I understood it so much better because I was kind of living it out in rehearsal,” Leverette said.
Montgomery attributes the actor's success to the instruction that they receive from their professors, especially the play’s director, Josiah Wallace.
“I think the quality of instruction we get at John Brown is insane, specifically the quality of instruction we get from our music and theater professors, especially Josiah,” Montgomery said. “Even with acting, it could be really easy to just do this show and it to just be about the actions that we’re doing, but I think that because of the acting instruction that we’re getting, it makes it so much deeper and more meaningful. And I think I’m realizing that more with every single time I do a show.”
With the production, Wallace wanted to emphasize Hawkins' coming of age and the search for a father-son relationship. This is clearly seen in Ludwig’s adaptation of Stevenson’s original novel, which doesn’t focus on this element as much. While remaining fairly close to Stevenson’s original novel, Ludwig’s adaptation of the story also added a redemptive element to the message behind the novel.
“I think why the show is really meaningful is that it's like we all don’t have to go on this crazy adventure to have a really beautiful life. We’re all making a really beautiful tapestry of life, and we’re all kind of made up of the people we see, and so I thought that was really beautiful,” Montgomery said.
The show's beautiful ending didn’t stop with the last line, however. At the matinee production on Feb. 21, Montgomery’s boyfriend, Jonathan Sims, popped up from the stage’s trap door during the bows. He proposed to Montgomery, making the show even more unforgettable.
JBU’s next production is “Twelfth Night,” a musical adaptation of William Shakespeare's play by the same name, conceived by Kwame Kwei-Armah and Shaina Taub. The show is running March 13-15 in Jones Recital Hall.
Photo by Hope Brittenham
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