Exciting. Intriguing. Pirate-like. Captivating. Adventurous. These are the words 8 and 10 year olds used to describe the performance of Treasure Island by the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. Earlier this week we had the opportunity to head to campus and watch this great play under the stars in an intimate outdoor setting. There was not a bad seat in the house! They did not know the story going in [I had meant to read the book to them before hand, but vacations got in the way!], but they were captivated by the experience and the story right away. Kids who love pirates, adventure and/or just a well acted story will love this show! 

We started over evening by parking on The Hill and walking over to campus. As we walked up we found people picnicking on the grass in front with characters singing to set the mood. We immediately found the food cart and purchased a cookie and we knew we were in for something special–the tone was set. We entered the building and handed in our tickets to find a mom and child ushering–it felt family-friendly right away. A quick read over all the information in the program offered the kids a brief synopsis of what was going to unfold. They were so serious the whole time which is a bit unlike two boys sitting together at 6:30pm when they generally find a way to wind each other up. The play started and immediately we were all swept in and an hour had passed when intermission was upon us. I was excited to see that there were snacks as well as kid-friendly and adult-friendly drinks available. We got a little something because who can resist during intermission at a play?

Swash buckling, gun fights, suspense and intrigue were peppered throughout the evening. There were kids of all ages that night. The house was silent, besides my kids asking a few questions, or so it seemed. I took that to indicate that Treasure Island was as exciting to the rest of the families there as it was to us. I personally felt carried away right in to the story. It felt professional, very intimate, engaging, and I highly, highly recommend it to all Boulder Families [and beyond]! But you don’t need to bring the kids because it would also make a great date night.

Kids’ Review

Favorite Character[s]: Long John Silver & Benn Gunn Why? Because I love pirates and I think Benn Gunn is funny!

Would you recommend this show to a friend? Yes. Why? Because it was fun to go and I like the story. There is a lot of sword fighting too.

What was your favorite thing about the play? It was well performed and exciting. Also, I like the stunt where people fell of the boat.

What would you recommend to make it better? Actually act out everything, instead of explaining some parts. It interrupted the play. But I still really liked it, it could just be a bit better.

Overall Kid Ratings [scale of 1 to 10]:

8 year old–9

10 year old–8

Details

Ages: 6+, but family-friendly setting at most ages

Date/Times: 6:30 & 8:00pm on various dates through August 9, 2012 [2 1/2 hours long with an intermission]

Recommended for families: Yes, without reservation

Reservations: Click here for more information and to purchase tickets. Kids tickets are only $10! 

It was a magical night for our family. I highly recommend Treasure Island. If your kids are elementary school aged or above they will fall in love with this production!