Full Synopsis

The show opens with the First Mate calling everyone “on deck.” The stage fills with pirates, who address the audience in song (“Pirates Putting On A Play”), giving the usual admonitions about cell phones and photographs, then introducing Jack and Annie and relating the story of their discovery of the Magic Tree House. At the end of the song, Jack and Annie are left alone in the tree house to discover that the mysterious “M Person” from their previous adventures has left a book with a picture of a beautiful tropical island. Thinking “M” might be offering them a vacation, they make a wish to travel to the scene in the book, and the tree house whisks them away (“Spinning To An Island”).

The stage fills with Pelicans, Crabs, Starfish, and other Island Creatures enjoying a beautiful sunny day. Teeki the seagull leads the group in song, celebrating their happy, carefree life (“The Tropical Island Song”). Jack and Annie arrive on the beach and the creatures scatter. Just as Jack and Annie begin to enjoy the sunshine and water, Jack spots a ship with a skull and crossbones flag and realizes that they have accidentally come to a Caribbean island in the 18th Century – the time of pirates! And that a group of Pirates is rowing from the ship to the island! (“Row, Dogs, Row”) Jack and Annie try to run and hide, but they are captured by the dastardly Captain Bones, who proudly introduces himself as the “rottenest rat on the sea” (“How Do You Do, I’m Captain Bones Part 1 and Part 2”). Bones orders his crew to search the tree house for gold and is very disappointed to learn that it contains books – until a crew member discovers the “M Person’s” gold medallion. Bones believes Jack and Annie must have discovered the legendary Captain Kidd’s buried treasure on the island and demands they lead him to the rest of it. Jack and Annie protest that there’s no more treasure, but Bones produces a treasure map that shows the island as the location of Kidd’s gold and jewels. Jack reads a riddle written on the map, but he and Annie are unable to solve it – so Bones orders them into the rowboats and back to the ship.

In Captain Bones’s absence, the pirate crew on the ship is having a party (“Bones, Bones, Bones”) until Bones shows up and engages them in an “Aarrgh Off” that he easily wins. Bones orders his cabin boy Jonah to take Jack and Annie to the hold until they decide to tell him where the treasure is hidden, then storms off to his cabin. Jack and Annie wonder why Bones is so mean, and the crew reveals that he has been especially irritable since his beloved parrot left him, noting that (“Every Pirate Needs A Parrot”).

Jonah takes Jack and Annie down to the hold and they become friends. They tell him they have read the riddle on Bones’s map and Jonah is amazed that two young kids can read. Claiming that reading is actually easy (and wonderful!) Jack and Annie offer to teach Jonah (“Reading A Book”). Jonah is thrilled and helps them solve the riddle; they realize that the treasure is buried under a large rock back on the island. Planning to escape to the tree house while Bones and his crew are busy digging under the rock, Jack and Annie call for Bones to take them back to the island for the treasure. Bones orders his entire crew into rowboats and they set off, singing about pirates’ legendary love affair with gold (“Gold Part 1”).

Once on shore, the pirates begin to dig, despite the fact that a gale seems to be blowing in (“Gold Part 2”). Just as their shovels strike the top of a treasure chest, Polly the parrot swoops down to warn them to quit digging and go back to the ship before the storm hits (“Go Back, Go Back!”). Bones angrily protests, but, knowing that a pirate should never ignore a warning from a parrot, the crew runs for the rowboats, allowing Jack and Annie to escape to the tree house. Annie makes the wish to go home and the tree house spins them back to the Frog Creek woods (“Spinning Home”). They are surprised to find that Polly has traveled in the tree house with them, and even more surprised when Polly transforms into Morgan Le Fay, revealing herself to be the mysterious “M Person.” Assuming that Morgan was hoping they would return with gold and jewels from Captain Kidd’s treasure chest, Jack and Annie apologize for not accomplishing their mission. But Morgan assures them that real treasure has nothing to do with gold, and can be found in the simple pleasures of everyday life. The entire cast joins in to celebrate this idea with the audience (“Treasure”), and the play closes with the pirates calling for the audience to show their appreciation for the players (“Pirates Putting On A Play Reprise”). The company bows and sends the audience home with a reprise of the joyful song and dance from the tropical island (“Bows”).