Pirates and sea shanties coming to the Steinbach stage

Pirates and sea shanties are coming to Steinbach as Looking Glass Theatre brings its production of Treasure Island to audiences.

“It’s the story of a young man named Jim Hawkins who finds himself suddenly in possession of a pirate’s treasure map. He has to decide if he will go on a big adventure and discover himself, find himself as a man, or maybe find himself as a pirate, we don’t know. It’s a big adventure, family friendly, filled with music extravaganza,” said lead actor Laura Kathleen Turner, who plays Hawkins, which she said was great fun to play a teenage boy.

Turner and her co-star Marc Moir, who plays Long John Silver, said the production is not unlike Pirates of the Caribbean in that there are pirates but what separates this show is what they refer to as rock n’ roll pirates.

“The rock and roll aspect – deep down inside I have no musical talent – but deep down inside I would have liked to be a part of some 2000s punk rock band and I kind of thought pirates are kind of the rock stars of their day: they’re flouting all the rules, they’re tricksters and bad boys. The legend arrived in port long before they ever did and it was a natural fit,” said playwright Scot Moir, who adapted the play from Robert Louis Stevenson’s book of the same name.

The cast of seven sings and plays all the sea shanties live during the show. “It’s really fun because we’ve taken these traditional sea shanties and rocked them up in some cases and others were written completely with new melodies to them to give them a vibe that works for the moment in the show,” said Marc.

Turner said that by adding music they’ve made the play into a show with music, great costumes, a big gorgeous set, and action scenes.

Treasure Island comes on the heels of Looking Glass Theatre’s March production of Deitrich and Maria. The Second World War love drama garnered large crowds and from that, VIP season passes to the theatre company’s first season sold out almost instantly.

“We’ve been really blown away by the community…Tickets are selling now for Treasure Island in all three (locations) and quickly. The fact that after one show we’re viable to do our first full season right out the gate and go (on to) three shows in a short span of time has been amazing,” said Turner.

Tickets to Treasure Island are on sale now for $40 for adults, $35 for seniors, and $10 for students. The Steinbach shows will open at the Mennonite Heritage Village on Oct. 11, 12, 18, 19 at 7 p.m. with a family matinee show also scheduled for Oct. 19 at 1 p.m. Only children seven and up are allowed into the theater. Looking Glass will also have shows in Morden and Brandon.