Synopsis

Act One

Come back in time to the golden age of piracy...” beckons the Company (“Prologue”) as they take us back to the Admiral Benbow Inn, southwest cove of England, 1730’s. As our young hero, Jim Hawkins, performs his mundane daily tasks, Billy Bones -- a drunken, surly, long-term lodger at the Inn -- regales Jim with tales of his days as Captain of the seas (“Captain Billy Bones”). Entranced by these wild tales of life at sea, Jim yearns for a life beyond his window (“Jim’s Dream”). However, Billy Bones is pursued by members of the infamous Captain Flint’s crew who seek his hidden treasure map. A fight ensues and between the pirates’ attack and his strong penchant for rum, Bones suffers a stroke and dies. With the clock ticking, Jim rides to town for help. Meanwhile, the treasure hungry pirates return and ransack the Inn looking for the precious map. Luckily, it lay in the hands of Jim, the nobleman Squire Trelawney and Doctor Livesey who decide to outfit a ship and sail for the treasure (“Soon To Be Rich”). Jim assures his mother of his safe return (“Sail”). With no time to spare, Squire Trelawney hires a "steady, sturdy crew" (“The Crew”) and the Hispaniola sets sail for the Isle of Treasure (“Sea Shanty”). While at sea, amidst mounting tensions (“Hispaniola”), the ship’s cook, Long John Silver, forges a close bond with Jim, all the while keeping the grog freely flowing ("M’Lady"). Captain Smollett's suspicions of his crew prove true, as Jim overhears the crew’s plans of a mutiny (“Gentlemen of Fortune”). Land is sighted and with the mutiny fast approaching, can Captain Smollett devise a plan to foil the mutineers?

Act Two

The island is lush but also plagued with fever. Against Captain’s orders, Jim sneaks ashore with the pirates in fast pursuit. He flees deep into the island where he meets its only human inhabitant, Ben Gunn, a sailor marooned three years earlier by Flint (“Ben Gunn”). Meanwhile, the loyal crew members barricade themselves ashore in a stockade. The pirates attack the loyal men for possession of the stockade, with casualties on both sides (“The Attack”). Disillusioned and helpless, but determined to prove useful (“Where’s the Dream”), Jim steals away to the Hispaniola. He comes face to face with the vicious Israel Hands, who puts a knife to Jim's throat, rendering him defenseless. While wrestling for control of the ship, Jim is wounded and Israel is killed. Jim sails the ship into a secluded inlet and returns proudly to the stockade only to find that Silver and his men have won its control. He is now held hostage by the pirates (“It Was I”). The plot thickens and with a mutiny among the pirates (“Silver’s Defense”) and the ever rising stakes, the rush for the treasure is imminent. Armed and hungry for the treasure, the camps arrive where “X” marks the spot. Will they find the treasure -- and if so, at what cost (“Epilogue”)?

Treasure Island ~ A New Musical re-examines the essence of heroism, the journey to maturity, and the strength of the human psyche in the face of extreme conditions.