Ken Ludwig's Treasure Island Opens in Washington D.C.

Ludwig had a hand in casting and approving every detail of the world premiere in Texas (the set was designed by Eugene Lee, who also did the set design for the Broadway hit, Wicked). However, he says that he had less influence on the production that is now taking place in Washington.“After the world premiere,” he says,“the play goes on its merry way.” Either way, Ludwig says he's just as thrilled to see his play opening in the new location.

One might think that the success of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise inspired him to adapt the Robert Louis Stevenson epic, widely considered the granddaddy of the pirate genre. Not so, he says.“It's really funny that this should be the period in which this play comes out,” says Ludwig,“because it definitely wasn't written with that kind of forethought. The Alley Theater reached me because they wanted me to write a play that would be good for families. I thought of this idea, and then suddenly it opened in the middle of a pirate craze.”

In fact, the response has been overwhelming. Treasure Island was the biggest hit in the Alley Theater's box-office history, and the Round House has now extended its running dates all the way to December 30, a record-setting advance.

Ludwig is quick to share credit for the success.“It's all due to the power of the title ‘Treasure Island.' It is such a great title and such a great novel that people want to see it.” As for the transformation from script to stage,“They've done a beautiful job with it. All the characters are very vivid in the novel, so bringing them to life is exciting. They're such distinct, clear characters – and the actors are doing a great job.”

Treasure Island is one of several adaptations that Ludwig has written. He enjoys the challenge of adapting a novel to the stage, of trying to tell a story in a more succinct manner.“You need to give the audience a swift way of understanding what might otherwise take fifty pages of closed text to explain. So you're basically solving problems while simultaneously trying to be true to the author, and still make something that's original. It's tricky, but it's fun.”

In Ludwig's version of Treasure Island, Long John Silver and Jim Hawkins connect through Shakespeare. The Bard, in fact, is a running theme throughout much of Ludwig's writing.“Shakespeare has been such a great part of my existence. I am an aficionado of all things Shakespeare. I studied him at Haverford with Ralph Sargent in the English Department, and went on to study more of him later, and now I lecture on him.” Ludwig finds Shakespeare particularly fascinating because“in none of the other arts is there a single figure that dominates the landscape in the same way that Shakespeare dominates literature, and, particularly, theater.” And Ludwig acknowledges his debt with a small tip of the hat whenever possible.

Indeed, Ludwig's prospects as a Bard look good. Treasure Island's tour will make its way across the Atlantic to London's West End, and may even move on from there. Ludwig has also recently finished a musical that is loosely based on the ‘50s movie An American in Paris which features music by George Gershwin, with whom Ludwig previously“collaborated” for the musical Crazy For You. Finally, Ludwig is working on a movie for Disney, but is not at liberty to speak more on the project.

Whether he's writing for a musical, a play, or a movie, Ludwig says,“I just love what I do.”

-Jacob Carroll '09