"It's rollicking, it's colourful, it's interactive and there's some great characters - who are predominantly women.
"We think audiences will enjoy it - and of course, everyone loves pirates."
The cast of 20 is "one of the largest Harlequin has had for a while", featuring a range of ages and several Masterton theatre veterans - including Danny Clenott as the "dynamic, cheese-loving castaway" Ben Gunn, Colin Palmer as the lovable but dastardly Long John Silver and president Mark Hinton as the drunken Billy Bones.
But, for the newcomers, there's plenty of participation for supporting cast members - with all characters "on stage pretty much all the time".
"We've also got some people who've never been on stage before at all," said Mrs Hinton.
"Some of our newcomers who weren't feeling that confident at the start have blossomed.
"It's one of those shows you can get involved in without learning a huge amount of lines."
Most appealing, she said, were the songs - which include everything from old sea shanties, to The Wild Rover and modern pop tunes by Rod Stewart, The Police and Cyndi Lauper.
"There's a big variety. There'll be song sheets so the audience can sing along."
-Treasure Island: Almost A Pantomime runs from Thursday December 4 at 8pm until Sunday December 14, with matinees on December 6 and 7, starting at 4pm. Tickets are available from www.iticket.co.nz.
