Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...There’s none of that fake nonsense in Robert Kauzlaric’s straight-up Lifeline production, which treats this grand yarn with the upmost dignity, and features some spectacular violence choreographed by Geoff Coates. This is, of course, a coming-of-age story wherein young Jim Hawkins learns that greed can do a man in; that good and evil invariably co-exist in the same chaps; and that a position in the moneyed classes is no guarantee of personal integrity."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"...Directed with enormous zest by Robert Kauzlaric, the production is being performed by an all-male cast of 10 fearless, continually morphing actors who make their way around a perilous ship deck (sensational work by set designer Alan Donahue) as if they've spent years at sea. And yes, if at this point you have the impulse to let out a throaty refrain of "yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum," feel free to do so. We are, of course, in pirate territory."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"... Playwright John Hildreth and director Robert Kauzlaric revel in the story's swashbuckling violence while poking fun at British assumptions about honor and loyalty to "king and country." But where Stevenson's book is framed as a first-person account by Hawkins, Hildreth divides the narration among several characters, undermining the tale's resonance as a youth's heroic odyssey toward self-understanding."
Windy City Times - Somewhat Recommended
"...Hildreth's slam-bang version is one action sequence after another, each given the same physical and emotional weight as the one before and the one following. As a result, this stage version never really comes to a specific climax and particularly lacks an emotional build. We need to be able to invest more in Jim and his relationship with—who?—someone, perhaps his guardian, Dr. Livesey ( rock-solid Patrick Blashill ) , or even the charmingly slick Long John Silver (engaging Sean Sinitski, cast against type) . Hildreth and director Robert Kauzlaric may need to address this issue together."
Chicagoist - Highly Recommended
"...From the perfectly constructed three-tiered set to the expertly choreographed fight scenes to the subtleties in sound design - a bar scene has the perfect background of white noise - the success of this production is in the details. Every actor executes a crisp dialect and even the tiny bits of debris in Ben Gunn’s ragged wig lend an expert sense of reality. This show is as close to perfection as they come, and if you have a thing for pirates, it’s just that much better."
The Urban Coaster - Highly Recommended
"...I would recommend that you see this excellent production. It is another fine addition to the work that the Lifeline Theater has been bringing to the Rogers Park community and the city of Chicago for 27 years. The house is a re-imagined telephone switching station and a great space for theater."
Chicago Stage Review - Somewhat Recommended
"...Although it is not their most entirely successful adaptation to date, Lifeline’s Treasure Island has enough entertaining aspects to ride the wave of pirate enthusiasm well, provide a decent rendition of this classic yarn and illicit a swashbuckling good time."
Time Out Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...Scenic design aside, Treasure Island fits awkwardly on stage. The production is, at moments, a rollicking evening of sword fights, drinking scenes and actors savagely stabbing away (props to fight director Geoff Coates for his intense, fun choreography). Between these moments, however, the piece flounders; humorless scenes jump from third person to epistolary style to flashback, conveying the story economically but contributing little momentum."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...This flawless production will hook you instantly and thrill you throughout. I can’t think of a finer show to introduce your kids (ten and above) to the magic of live stage shows. The action is swift, the story has a moral and characters are rich and colorful. They’ll relate to young Weber’s Jim Hawkins."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Recommended
"...Directed by Robert Kauzlaric on a divine set by Alan Donahue, who also handled the props, this is one energetic piece of theater where cast members change roles allowing for a great number of characters with a cast of ten (and two of these play only one role). This is not an easy task in an intimate theater such as Lifeline as the audience is very close. In fact, so close that during some of the fight scenes, one sitting in the first row has to sit perfectly still to make sure they don't get into the fight. Kauzlaric evidently was up to the task of making a large production work in a small venue."
Chicago Theater Beat - Highly Recommended
"...In all, it’s been a cracking fine year for Robert Louis Stevenson: Lifeline’s Treasure Island is the second world premiere adaptation of the tale this season. (A musical version, penned by former Chicagoans Curt Dale Clark and his husband Marc Robin, debuted at Indianapolis’ Beef and Boards Dinner Theatre in April.) The book can be a tough read – Stevenson’s speech patterns might not flow so easily to those used to the 21st century vernacular. A trip to Lifeline will make it abundantly clear just why the story is a classic."
