STAGE REVIEW : A SPIRITED ‘TREASURE’ AT CHILDREN’S THEATRE

Fifteen men on the Dead Man’s Chest -- --Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum! --From Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island”

The year is 1750, and setting sail from England is the good ship Hispaniola . Destination: Treasure Island.

At Irvine Valley College, the Saddleback Children’s Theatre is offering an ambitious adaptation of “Treasure Island,” Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale of high adventure.

Before the story can begin, however, a boy supposedly must be chosen from the audience to play the lead, cabin boy Jim Hawkins.

Young Martin Noyes looks bewildered when he is “chosen” from the audience. After being costumed, he appears on stage and appeals to the audience for sympathy over having been drafted into the cast. His pleas wear thin, however, detracting from an otherwise spirited production.

Director Blake Gould soon drops the unnecessary device, but this Hawkins remains on the outside and never seems the hero of the tale as he should. (When he has to shoot a pirate in self-defense, Noyes shows no sign that Hawkins is affected by the trauma at all, robbing the well-staged and eerie event of its credibility.)

There are other disappointments: Tom McKee is unconvincing as the mysterious Capt. Billy Bones and Cathy Petz is a bland Mrs. Hawkins, contributing to the initial slow pace of the play.

The voyage gets under way after Hawkins finds a treasure map, once the property of Bones, who dies after receiving a death threat (“the Black Spot”) from the pirate band he double-crossed. The self-important Squire Trelawney (Gould) and stuffy Doctor John Livsey (Leo Knudson) outfit the Hispaniola to get it ready to claim the treasure, but they are unaware that they have taken on board some of the nastiest cutthroats in piratedom.

On the small plank stage, enter the pirates: loud, lusty and menacing. John Christopher Moyer as Blind Pew, Sean Casey as Black Dog, Lewis Akers as Israel Hands and Michael Brainard as Morgan bring their well-defined characters to chilling life. (At this point, some small audience members moved to the reassuring laps of parents for the rest of the play.)

Leading the pirates was the infamous one-legged Long John Silver, a greedy and treacherous hypocrite and opportunist. James Nelson Chamberlain makes the most of the role, speaking every word with relish.

“Your Black Spot ain’t worth a biscuit,” he airily tells his mutinous crew, while Hawkins quakes with fear.

The final combat, skillfully choreographed, bristles with knives, cutlasses and muskets.

With its well-chosen sea chanteys, authentic costumes, skillful sets and Dean Howlett’s spooky lighting design, “Treasure Island” sparkles with rich detail. Set designer Richard Odle evokes a sea-faring mood with wooden barrels, heavy rope, fishing nets, lanterns and, serving as curtain, a treasure map skillfully painted on sackcloth.

“I Sailed With Long John Silver’s Crew,” proclaim paper pirate hats given to the audience. The voyage is worth taking--and some who do may even be inspired to read the book.

Performances continue Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., with matinees Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m. (714-559-1313).