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Cedar City • "If this don't fetch the kids, why, they have gone rotten since my day," Robert Louis Stevenson remarked in a letter shortly after penning his classic adventure tale, "Treasure Island." Mary Zimmerman's adaptation of Stevenson's saga of pirates and hidden treasure just opened in an action-filled production in the Utah Shakespeare Festival's Randall Theatre.

"Treasure Island" is the festival's family-friendly show this summer, and it's bound to please kids. It overflows with danger, suspense, pirates and sword fights, and its hero is a young boy who faces adversity and emerges triumphant, winning the admiration of the story's adults.

And young audiences are not likely to notice the problems with Zimmerman's adaptation that will frustrate older folks. The story is easy enough to follow in Act I, but if you aren't familiar with the plot, Act II gets so muddy that you'll have a hard time figuring out what's going on.

The basic story is straightforward. During the twilight years of pirates and plunder, ex-pirate Billy Bones arrives at the Admiral Benbow Inn run by young Jim Hawkins and his widowed mother. Bones dies, and Jim and his mother discover a treasure map in his trunk. Family friend Dr. Livesey recruits wealthy Squire Trelawney to hire a ship, captain and crew, led by the charming but treacherous one-legged pirate, Long John Silver, to retrieve the treasure. Jim goes along as cabin boy. When they reach the island, most of the crew mutiny, and a fight ensues. And that's when things get confusing.

Compounding the problem is that Zimmerman has done such a poor job delineating all but the major characters that the rest blend together. It doesn't help that this production double-casts the actors that play these characters, making it even harder to differentiate them.

One nice touch is the music that Zimmerman has added. Three musicians wander through the show, and composer Gregg Coffin's songs create mood and propel the story. The most memorable is "Row, Jim, Row," which Jim's mother, played by Latoya Cameron, sings as Jim is trying to save the ship. The song is plaintive and full of tension, and Cameron does a fine job conveying its power as she sings, "I know what being lost is."

There are some other noteworthy performances. Geoffrey Kent creates a blustering and quirky Billy Bones. Jonathan Haugen's stalwart and supportive Livesey is a pleasant contrast to Andrew May's stuffy, class-conscious Trelawney. Paul Michael Sandberg's Captain Smollett is a brave and savvy leader, and Michael Elich is clever and calculating as Long John Silver. And as Jim Hawkins, Sceri Sioux Ivers proves again that she can bring enthusiastic energy and intelligence to any young character she embraces, male or female. Whether dynamically telling the story with her mother or trying to outwit the pirates, she carries the show on her able shoulders. But J. Todd Adams creates the most vivid cameo with his eccentric portrait of the marooned pirate, Ben Gunn, who is addicted to cheese and delighted to be rescued.

Jason Lajka's flexible set features a wooden skeleton of a ship that swivels, and Kirk Bookman's atmospheric lighting alternates a full moon and burning red sky. Brenda Van Der Wiel's period costumes are a bright patchwork of colors, and the battle noises of Barry Funderburg's evocative sound design immerse us in the action. Geoffrey Kent contributes some exciting sword fights; Sean Graney's direction is taut but fluid.

In spite of its problems, "Treasure Island" will engage young people, and its energy and excitement, as well as youthful role model, make a great way to introduce theater to an appreciative new audience. —

'Treasure Island'

Although Mary Zimmerman's adaptation presents major problems, this production of "Treasure Island" captures the swashbuckling excitement of Stevenson's classic adventure story.

When • Reviewed July 12; in rotating repertory with two other productions Mondays through Saturdays at 2 and 8 through Sept. 2.

Where • Randall Jones Theatre at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, 300 West and Center Street, Cedar City

Tickets • $32 to $75 with discounts for groups, students, and seniors. Tickets and information available at (800) PLAYTIX (752-9849) or http://www.bard.org

Running time • Two hours and 15 minutes (including an intermission)