A spirited cast and an unforgettable
setting help this classic weather a few
rough seas in Ellen Geer’s adaptation

Gerald C. Rivers in Theatricum Botanicum’s Treasure Island

Driving up the twisty road along Topanga Creek to Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum for the first time and walking into the sprawling wooded compound, I was already halfway charmed before the play began. The outdoor stage is set amidst a rustic camp of well-weathered wooden buildings, surrounded by native California oaks and the occasional sycamore. In the evening, the forest provides its own atmospheric soundtrack: the faint hum of passing canyon traffic quickly gives way to the increasingly loud, rhythmic thrum of crickets.

Ruben Jones and Jessica Williams

This is the perfect setting for director Ellen Geer‘s spirited adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. By treating the steep hillside and the surrounding forest as an extension of the stage, this production makes the audience feel shipwrecked right along with the cast.

Willow Geer and Aaron Hendry

Rather than relying on high-tech stage trickery, Geer and set designer Michael Klock lean into theatrical simplicity. Bristol Port and the Admiral Benbow Inn transform into the Hispaniola and a mysterious Caribbean island so quickly and so deftly that one transformation is already complete before you’ve registered the last. Chairs, barrels, netting, and benches are arranged in an arc to suggest the gunwale of the ship, while the inn’s upper balcony becomes the captain’s deck.

Ruben Jones, Aaron Hendry, Andy Stokan, Steven C. Fisher and Stephen Richmond

No one stands around waiting to speak. Actors plop onto the stage, lounge across wooden benches, or tumble onto the cement separating the stage from the audience. This constant, grounded movement gives the show an astounding vitality and a sense of naturalism uncommon in theater. Fight choreographer Aaron Hendry deserves credit for an extended, sweeping battle scene that utilizes the broad playing area with smooth precision.

Ruben Jones and Willow Geer

At the center of this coming-of-age voyage is Ruben Jones as Jim. Playing the boy with puckish innocence and physical verve, he holds his own against a sprawling cast of 19 players, anchoring the narrative’s emotional weight. Standing out alongside him is Willow Geer, playing both Jim’s Mother and Jenn Gunn. She disappears into her characters while displaying easy physicality, a commanding vocal presence, and an earnestness that prevents the melodrama from slipping into caricature. Jeff Bergquist steals the opening scene as the rum-soaked Billy Bones; his crusty swagger leaves a lasting impression. Bones’s death early on triggers the treasure hunt that follows.

Ethan Haslam, Ruben Jones, Jeff Bergquist

However, the production sails into some choppy waters. At over two hours, it’s a long voyage; the middle and final sections begin to drag. Stevenson’s plot is already tangled, and this script—necessarily simpler than the original novel—is difficult to follow at times. Thankfully, the cast is exceptionally well-trained to project across the open-air canyon, delivering English accents and pirate brogues that remain distinct and accessible without becoming overly thick or impenetrable.

Ruben Jones and Willow Geer

The audience on Sunday evening was sprinkled with children of all ages. I heard almost no whispered questions or requests to go to the toilet, which is a small miracle for more than two hours on wooden benches. That seemed a testament to the production’s visual energy and sensory charm.

Ethan Ricks and Gerald C. Rivers

Some of that charm comes from the robust, spirited sea shanties. The cast delivers classics like “Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum” with infectious energy that resets the show’s momentum. Even the intermission gets the theatrical treatment: actors pitch concessions and snacks with a cheeky adaptation of “Drunken Sailor” to announce the ten-minute break.

Susan Stangl, Jesse Corwin, Gerald C. Rivers, Ethan Ricks, and Ruben Jones

On the technical side, Geoff Barton keeps the lighting design simple and unobtrusive. He bathes the main stage in clean white light while casting subtle shifts of blue, violet, and yellow across the background foliage to mirror the story’s changing moods.

The Ensemble

By utilizing a bridge over the seasonal creek to the right of the audience and sending actors scrambling up the steep mountain trails behind the stage, Theatricum Botanicum lets the outdoors swallow the audience whole. It is a hearty, deeply physical, if occasionally overlong, night of theater for mature children or childish grownups.

Ruben Jones, Jessica Williams, Gerald C. Rivers, Sky Wahl, Sam Cowan

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

photos by Ian Flanders

Treasure Island
Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum
1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Topanga
(midway between Pacific Coast Highway and the Ventura Freeway)
ends on October 3, 2026
Pay-What-You-Will Mon, Aug. 10
for tickets ($15–$63; ) call 310.455.3723 or visit Theatricum Botanicum
audience members are advised to dress casually (warmly for evenings)
bring cushions for bench seating
arrive early to picnic in the gardens before performances

for more shows, visit Theatre in LA

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦