Be prepared for a rip-roaring adventure on the high seas in the Fulton Opera House's new production of "Treasure Island: A Musical Adventure."

This famous tale of Jim Hawkins, the ultimate pirate Long John Silver, and their search for a missing treasure is vividly brought alive in a new blockbuster production written by Lancaster residents Marc Robin (book, lyrics and music) and Curt Dale Clark (books and lyrics).

Thursday night marked the official premiere of the show, which surely has a future beyond its Fulton run.

It's an epic musical in the spirit of "Les Miserables" about a boy coming of age with the help of a motley crew of pirates and an adventure that tests his spirit and his courage.

Robert Louis Stevenson's story translates beautifully to the stage,  not only because of its adventurous spirit but because it features a variety of colorful characters and an interesting relationship between the young, fatherless Hawkins, played Thursday night by Dan Scott, and the cynical but redeemable Silver, played with grizzled beauty by Broadway star John Herrera. 

Hawkins lives in a seaside inn, where another of the residents is an old pirate named Billy Bones (Dwelvan David).

It seems Billy has a treasure map, and a frightening old blind pirate, Pew (Charles Abbott), arrives one night and demands to get it.

Jim chases him away. Before he dies, Billy gives Jim the treasure map and warns him, with plenty of melodrama,  to "Beware of the man with only one leg!"

Jim tells the kindly Dr. Livesey, who is played quite nicely by author Clark, and the flighty Squire Trelawney. (Dale Benson, as Trelawney, is the comic foil, and he almost steals the show.)

The two decide to sponsor a trip to the island and find the treasure.

But the clueless Trelawney proceeds to hire a rough group of pirates led by Long John Silver, who just so happens to have only one leg. We all know trouble is ahead.

The rest of the first act takes place aboard the deck of the Hispaniola, where mutiny is in the air. The second act takes place on the island. 

Scenic designer Robert Klingelhoefer has really outdone himself here. The sets are big, bold, dramatic and beautiful. They convey the atmosphere of adventure and dread perfectly.

The story is quite loyal to the book, but Robin and Clark have added a modern empowerment spin to it. This is the story of a boy who has to find meaning in his life, who has to grow up and become a man. And they are going to keep reminding us of that.

If "Treasure Island" has a problem it's that Robin and Clark try a little too hard to make it into a "Les Mis" meets "Disney" show instead of letting it have its own spirit.

The music, at times gorgeous and memorable, can also be derivative and impersonal.

Take, for example, the song "Someday," in which Silver explains himself to Jim. It starts out softly and introspectively, but then, like so many of the other songs, it becomes a power pop anthem.

What happened to the effective, quiet little song that could intimately reveal a character? Nowadays, everyone has to have an empowerment message.

Robin and Clark should calm down with the power pop anthems and give their characters room to breathe a little more. Let the story tell itself. That is where the unique charm of this production really comes out.

I loved Ben Gunn, played by Charles Abbot, a castaway on the island who desperately wants a piece of cheese.

And the pirates are a lot of motley fun, from the dour and scary Tom Morgan, played by Christopher Dickerson, who has an awesome bass voice, to the merry George Merry, brought to life by another comic scene stealer,  William Hartery.

The captain (John-Charles Kelly)  is wonderfully stoic and decent, and Randall Frizado has some fun moments as the uptight Linus Riddle, manservant to the clueless Squire.

For the show's run at the Fulton, Scott is sharing the role of Hawkins with Rick Desloge.

The orchestra sounds lush, strong and sweeping under musical director Ron Barnett.    

Overall, the voices in this show are a knockout, from young Scott to the veteran Herrera. When the two sing "Miracles" at the conclusion, their voices truly soar.

VIDEO: "Treasure Island"

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"Treasure Island: A Musical Adventure" runs through March 22 at the Fulton. 

CONTACT US: jholahan@LNPnews.com or 481-6016