Treasure Island

“This is a ‘don't miss’ family experience...with elaborately staged sword fights, swashbuckling pirates, dazzling pyrotechnics, interesting and challenging sets—even a live parrot.”

Of all the great works of widely known fiction, few have had the impact of Treasure Island, a classic tale for well over a century that has found its way onto every schoolchild's reading list and has embedded itself within our cultural consciousness. Ironically, it is unknown to the modern Broadway stage, whre producers continually strive for new and exciting works yet yearn for the familiarity of revivals. Here, effectively, is both—a story that's completely familiar yet is unknown to Broadway audiences. Just as important, Treasure Island is a story that appeals to young and old alike.

“It kept the audience in a stunned silence, punctuated at appropriate moments with sudden gasps and ‘ohs and ahs.’”

This production will be a non-musical, all-action version of the Robert Louis Stevenson classic tale, one that embraces the basics of the storyteller's art. With an appeal that spans all ages, it will create a new standard of excitement for Broadway.

“...it wowed an audience that included children and retirees, seated on three sides of the stage. You could tell how impressed the crowd was from the way many in those front rows actually ducked and threw out their arms to cover their faces during the sword fighting episodes, the actual ‘wows’ that echoed through the house when the sound of gun shots filled the air and the ‘ouches’ heard during the fight scene...”

The action genre in film is the big money-maker that drives box office revenue. The “tent pole” pictures that studios count on for the largest revenue share are mostly adrenaline pumpers that grip the audiences and set them at the edges of their seats. Yet action is an untapped market in theatre.

To bring this exciting tale to vibrant life, we're launching something new: the action play. We will present the terrifying clang of swords, the sound and smell of musket fire, the roar of cannon and the feel of sea spray, not just in front of the audience, but all around them. With this show we're going to create family adventure and the theatrical equivalent of a white-knuckle thrill ride.

“B.H. Barry proves that imagination is more important than money when it comes to creating a glorious theatrical spectacle.”

At the helm of this production we're fortunate to have the only man who truly understands how action can be the driving dramatic force in a tale of great energy and activity. Our director, B.H. Barry, is also the world's leading fight director with 40 Broadway shows, nine feature films and a legion of other productions under his belt over the past forty years. The influence that B.H. has had during that time on many hundreds of productions has been monumental.

“The...production is a literate, spine-tingling tale of pirates, treasure and a young man's rite of passage from boyhood to manhood.”

Once in a rare while the right combination of elements for Broadway magic come together, anchored by the perfect story, the perfect director and just the right timing. Yet Broadway audiences want something new, and new plays, struggling to succeed, often rely heavily on overpaid stars—who later leave, crippling the show—or big effects which bloat the budget and weekly operating expense. Treasure Island, a beloved work of classic adventure, is bigger than any star. This show shuns trickery and contrived special effects. It tells an essential story with sparkling imagination, lots of gusto and movement, dramatic lighting, the clanging of swords and fantastic stage fighting.

The quotes interwoven above are pulled from reviews of earlier, limited-run productions of this show, and clearly demonstrate that the effect this show will have on a Broadway audience is far from speculative. Structured for success with all the right elements and a strong team, the capitalization can recoup quickly, the weekly operating expenses are low and the weekly break-even is less than 50% of house capacity. Everything is in place for Treasure Island to become a huge success, both artistically and financially.