The revamped show, “Sirens of TI,” opened in October 2003 and featured female sirens and ran until 2013. Its performers are show in a portrait from Jan. 21, 2004.
(Las Vegas Review-Journal file photo)
Performers rock “The Sirens of TI” at Treasure Island Hotel & Casino March 29, 2011.
(Las Vegas Review-Journal file photo)
Jamey Gustafson performs as a pirate in “Sirens of TI” Oct. 23, 2010.
(K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Pirates Nicholas Baker, left, and Rhett Noseck prepare to board the sirens’ ship in a performance of “Sirens of TI” April 6, 2007.
(Las Vegas Review-Journal file photo)
Pirates board the siren’s ship during a performance of “Sirens of TI” April 6, 2007.
(Las Vegas Review-Journal file photo)
JANE KALINOWSKY/REVIEW-JOURNAL
The cast of The Sirens of TI, performs, Friday, April 6, 2007.
Stacey Kane, plays Sinnamon, the sirens’ leader, during an April 6, 2007 performance of “Sirens of TI.”
(Las Vegas Review-Journal file photo)
JANE KALINOWSKY/REVIEW-JOURNAL
Stacey Kane, who plays Sinnamon, of The Sirens of TI, threatens to bring down the Pirates’ ship in the production of Sirens, Friday, April 6, 2007.
Stacey Kane plays Sinnamon, leader of the sirens, during an April 6, 2007 performance of “Sirens of TI.”
(Las Vegas Review-Journal file photo)
“Battle of Buccaneer Bay” cast members take a bow from their ship during their last show on July 6, 2003. “Sirens ofo TI” would open a few months later.
(Las Vegas Review-Journal file photo)
Pirate ship captain Greg Zuniga makes his last swing into action before thousands of fans during thei the final “Battle of Buccaneer Bay” show held July 6, 2003. Zuniga was the pirate ship captain for the 1st and last of 16,000 shows. (Las Vegas Review-Journal file photi)
A “Battle of Buccaneer Bay” cast member takes a high dive from the mast of his ship during the last performance of the show on July 6, 2003.
Pyrotechnics were a key feature of Treasure Island’s pirate shows.
Dancers Karen Wendling, front, and Jennifer Parks audition in May 2003 for the inaugural cast of “Sirens of TI,” which gave the former “Battle of Buccaneer Bay” a more sensual interpretation.
interpretation.
(Las Vegas Review-Journal file photo)
News—-Dancers audition to be “Sirensn of TI” for the updated interpretation of the sow. The casting process saw auditions in six cities.
(Las Vegas Review-Journal file photo)
Pirates from “Battle of Buccaneer Bay” read a Christmas story at a Nov. 29, 2002 holiday festival.
(Las Vegas Review-Journal file photo)
Mark Steelsmith, who performed as the captain in “Battle of Buccaneer Bay,” routinely went down with the ship at the end of the eight minute show, then regularly received enthusiastic applause when, a few minutes later, he came back up with the ship as it reset for another show. He is pictured during a 1994 performance.
(Las Vegas Review-Journal file photo)
Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus and pirates from Treasure Island show deliver about 200 stuffed animals to children at Variety Day Care Center in 1999.
(Las Vegas Review-Journal file photo)
Siren Nicci Abram fights off pirate Patrick Watson during rehearsal as they prepare for the updated “Sirens of TI” show, which premiered in October 2003.
(Las Vegas Review-Journal file photo)
Siren Amanda Avila rehearses a move for “Sirens of TI.”
(Las Vegas Review-Journal file photo)
Sirens react after pirates fire on their ship during an October 2003 “Sirens of TI” show.
(Las Vegas Review-Journal file photo)
Sirens and pirates sing and dance aboard the sirens’ ship during “Sirens of TI.”
(Las Vegas Review-Journal file photo)
Sirens taunt pirates during “Sirens of TI.”
(Las Vegas Review-Journal file photo)
Sirens capture a pirate during “Sirens of TI.”
(Las Vegas Review-Journal file photo)
A quartet of “The Sirens of TI” pirates dance on the deck March 29, 2011
(Las Vegas Review-Journal file photo0
Jen Harvey, a performer in “The Sirens of TI,” poses on the deck of a pirate ship Oct. 23, 2010.
(K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Maybe you missed International Talk Like a Pirate Day in September. But today is a good day to celebrate pirate culture, too, because it was 136 years ago, on Nov. 14, 1883, that “Treasure Island,” Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic of pirate literature, was published in book form.
Stevenson’s novel of seafaring adventure created the template of every pirate story that would follow, from “X”-adorned treasure maps to parrot-bearing pirates. If you close your eyes and squint really hard, you might even see the book’s influence on Las Vegas’ own contribution to pirate culture: The pirate stunt shows held for many years at Treasure Island on the Strip.
There were two, although the second, the sensual “Sirens of TI,” probably is best remembered and most often lampooned.
The first show, “The Battle of Buccaneer Bay” ran from 1993 to 2003. It’s climax was a raging battle between a pirate ship and a British ship in the artificial lagoon in front of the property, and featured booming cannons, pyrotechnics and some impressive stuntwork by its cast.
In the end — spoiler alert! — the pirates won, sending the British ship and its captain to a watery grave that lasted until the ship rose again, with its captain still standing at attention, to be reset for the next show.
In October 2003, an updated version of the show was unveiled. Dubbed “Sirens of TI,” the plot centered around the crew of a pirate ship encountering a ship of seductive sirens, in a story of meet/fight/oh-let’s-party. It, too, featured stunts and pyrotechnics, as well as what producers called a more sensual take on a pirate meeting.
“Sirens of TI” closed in October 2013 for what was supposed to be a temporary hiatus. But it never did reopen, and cast members said they were surprised by the move.
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