Once on This Island
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Cititour.com Review
Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens pack a lot into Once on This Island, the 1990 Caribbean-flavored musical that was their first to hit Broadway. It’s back in an exuberant and intimate production, directed by Michael Arden, that turns the Great White Way’s smallest theater into a tropical isle with sand, water pool and even a couple of live animals.
A 90-minute one-act musical, it tells a fable reminiscent of The Little Mermaid. Orphan girl Ti Moune (a marvelous Hailey Kilgore, making her Broadway debut) survives a disastrous storm, and is adopted by peasants Mama Euralie and Tonton Julian (Kenita R. Miller and Phillip Boykin). The girl grows up to become the savior of a wealthy boy from the other part of town when Daniel (Isaac Powell) crashes his car near her village. Ti Moune nurses him back to health and falls in love, but their socioeconomic differences are not easy to overcome.
This dark fairy tale, adapted from a novel by Rosa Guy, is framed as a story the villagers are telling a young girl (a role shared by Emerson Davis and Mia Williamson), passing on their history and tradition. Four gods play vital roles: Love goddess Erzulie (Lea Salonga), Earth mother Asaka (Alex Newell), Water god Agwe (Quentin Earl Darrington) and Death demon Papa Ge (Merle Dandridge).
The material is edgy, and not for young children. But, without romanticizing hardship, it gloriously celebrates life and a community that keeps tradition alive. Once on This Island reminds us that life is short, but stories live on.
By Diane Snyder
Visit the Site
http://www.onceonthisisland.com
Cast
Hailey Kilgore, Phillip Boykin, Alysha Deslorieux, David Jennings, Kenita R. Miller, Isaac Powell, Lea Salonga, Alex Newell, Merle Dandridge, Quentin Earl Darrington, Emerson Davis/Mia Williamson
Open/Close Dates
Opening 12/3/2017
Closing 1/6/2019
Preview Open/ Preview Close Dates
Preview Opening 11/9/2017
Closing Open-ended
Box Office
212-239-6200
Theatre Info
Circle in the Square
235 West 50th Street
New York, NY 10019
Map
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