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'''''Once on This Island''''' is a one-act [[musical theater|musical]] with a book and lyrics by [[Lynn Ahrens]] and music by [[Stephen Flaherty]]. Based on the novel ''My Love, My Love'' by [[Rosa Guy]], set in the French [[Antilles]] in the [[Caribbean Sea]]. The show also includes elements of the ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' story.
'''''Once on This Island''''' is a one-act [[musical theater|musical]] with a book and lyrics by [[Lynn Ahrens]] and music by [[Stephen Flaherty]]. Based on the novel ''My Love, My Love'' by [[Rosa Guy]], set in the French [[Antilles]] in the [[Caribbean Sea]]. The show also includes elements of the ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' story and some parallels with the original ''[[Little Mermaid]]'' story.


''Once on This Island'' is traditionally cast strictly along racial lines, with darker-skinned actors portraying the peasants, and lighter-skinned actors portraying the upper-class landowners. In the script, the writers provide small line changes that, if absolutely necessary, can be used to remove references to skin color. This allows multi-ethnic productions to be staged, while preserving the storyline about differences between the upper and lower classes.<ref name=AhrensFlaherty1991>{{cite book | last = Ahrens | first = Lynn | year = 1991 | title = Libretto Vocal Book, Once on This Island | publisher = Hillsdale Music | page = vii}}</ref>
''Once on This Island'' is traditionally cast strictly along racial lines, with darker-skinned actors portraying the peasants, and lighter-skinned actors portraying the upper-class landowners. In the script, the writers provide small line changes that, if absolutely necessary, can be used to remove references to skin color. This allows multi-ethnic productions to be staged, while preserving the storyline about differences between the upper and lower classes.<ref name=AhrensFlaherty1991>{{cite book | last = Ahrens | first = Lynn | year = 1991 | title = Libretto Vocal Book, Once on This Island | publisher = Hillsdale Music | page = vii}}</ref>

Revision as of 23:00, 21 January 2011

Once on This Island
Original Broadway Production Logo
MusicStephen Flaherty
LyricsLynn Ahrens
BookLynn Ahrens
BasisRosa Guy's novel
My Love, My Love
Productions1990 Broadway
1994 UK/European Premiere
1995 West End
2002 Broadway Concert
2009 UK Revival

Once on This Island is a one-act musical with a book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty. Based on the novel My Love, My Love by Rosa Guy, set in the French Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. The show also includes elements of the Romeo and Juliet story and some parallels with the original Little Mermaid story.

Once on This Island is traditionally cast strictly along racial lines, with darker-skinned actors portraying the peasants, and lighter-skinned actors portraying the upper-class landowners. In the script, the writers provide small line changes that, if absolutely necessary, can be used to remove references to skin color. This allows multi-ethnic productions to be staged, while preserving the storyline about differences between the upper and lower classes.[1]

Production history

Once on This Island was originally staged at off-Broadway's Playwrights Horizons, running from May 6, 1990 through May 27, 1990. The Broadway production opened on October 18, 1990 at the Booth Theatre and closed on December 1, 1991, after 469 performances and 19 previews. With direction and choreography by Graciela Daniele, the musical featured LaChanze as Ti Moune, Jerry Dixon as Daniel, Andrea Frierson as Erzulie, Sheila Gibbs as Mama Euralie, Kecia Lewis as Asaka, Gerry McIntyre as Armand, Milton Craig Nealy as Agwe, Eric Riley as Papa Ge, Ellis E. Williams as Tonton Julian and Afi McClendon as Little Ti Moune.

In 2002, the original cast was reunited with special guest Lillias White to perform the show for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund.

The European Premiere took place in 1994, hosted by the Birmingham Rep, where it then transferred West End to the Royalty Theatre (now the Peacock Theatre) in September 1994, where it received its Olivier Award for Best New Musical. Imagination, a worldwide leading communications agency, used the West End production as an opportunity to raise the profile of tropical drink, Lilt, which also sponsored the production.[2] [3]

The musical was revived in the UK at Birmingham Rep, Nottingham Playhouse (June 24- July 11), and finally Hackney Empire (July 24 to August 16) in London, starting June 5-20, 2009 (Birmingham). Susie McKenna directed with Sharon D. Clarke reprising her 1994 role as Asaka.[3][4][5][6]

Synopsis

Clockwise from left, Asaka, Erzulie, Agwe, and Papa Ge, from the Alfred University production.

One stormy night, thunder booms, making a small girl cry in fear. To comfort her, four storytellers tell her the story of Ti Moune, a peasant girl who falls in love with a grand homme, Daniel Beauxhomme. A story of life, pain, love, grief, faith, and hope.

In this story, four gods (Asaka, Mother of the Earth; Agwé, god of Water; Erzulie, goddess of Love; and Papa Ge, Demon of Death) rule an island, the Jewel of the Antilles, which in real life is Haiti, where poor Peasants worship them (Prologue/"We Dance"). The peasants, "black as night", live on one side of the island, and the Grandes Hommes, lighter skinned descendants of the original French planters and their slaves, live on the other. One day, Agwe unleashes a terrible storm upon the island, which in turn causes a disastrous flood, wiping out many villages. However, the gods save the life of little Ti Moune, an orphan, by placing her in a tree, above the flood's waves. She is found and subsequently adopted by the peasants Mama Euralie and Tonton Julian ("One Small Girl").

Years after, Ti Moune, grown up, prays to the gods to let her meet a grand homme ("Waiting for Life"). Hearing her plea, the Gods laugh at her. However, Erzulie says to give her love, because it is stronger than any of the other elements. Papa Ge, offended, bets to prove which is stronger: love or death. Agwe arranges for the car of Daniel Beauxhomme, a young Grande Homme, to crash during a storm so that Ti Moune may meet Daniel and restore him to health ("And The Gods Heard Her Prayer/Rain"). Despite the objections of the other peasants, including her own parents, Ti Moune helps the intruder (Daniel) to recover ("Pray"). As destined, Daniel and Ti Moune fall in love. When Papa Ge comes to take Daniel's life, Ti Moune offers her life in exchange for Daniel's so that he will not die ("Forever Yours"). Papa Ge is angry but leaves, hinting he will return – sooner or later, as her life now belongs to him.

Tonton travels to the other side of the Island to seek Daniel's family at the Hotel Beauxhomme. When Tonton returns, he brings with him the story of Daniel's people ("The Sad Tale of the Beauxhommes") as well as some of Daniel's people to take the boy back. Ti Moune is tearfully separated from Daniel and tells her parents that she will go after Daniel to marry him. Ti Moune's parents reluctantly let her go ("Ti Moune"). During her travels, she encounters the goddess Asaka, who tells her not to fear, as the Earth will give her everything she needs on her journey to Daniel ("Mama Will Provide"). When she reaches the other side of the island, gossips comment on the kind of journey it must have been ("Some Say"). Ti Moune finds Daniel's bed, where he is lying ill. Daniel does not remember her until she tells Daniel about the scar on Daniel's chest. As she lies with Daniel, Erzulie sings over them ("Human Heart"). Daniel ignores the townspeople's gossiping ("Pray" - Reprise) over the unlikely relationship of a rich Beauxhomme and a poor peasant. Daniel knows that Ti Moune is different from other girls like the rich French ("Some Girls").

At a ball held at the hotel, Ti Moune is confronted by Daniel Beauxhomme and Andrea Deveraux, a daughter of family friends. Andrea asks Ti Moune to dance for them (her ulterior motive is to see if Ti Moune is really in love with Daniel and make her look bad in front of the Grand Hommes). Daniel encourages her to dance as she has in the past for him ("Ti Moune's Dance"). Afterwards, Ti Moune learns that Daniel is engaged to be married to Andrea ("When We Are Wed"). Daniel, reminded of his responsibilities, must go through with the arranged marriage. Ti Moune is very hurt. Papa Ge reappears and reminds Ti Moune of her promise to exchange her life for Daniel's – but says she can revoke the bargain and encourages her to kill Daniel, just as Daniel had killed their love (Promises/Forever Yours Reprise). Ti Moune enters Daniel's room with a knife, as he sleeps, but, strengthened by Erzulie, decides not to kill him. However, Daniel wakes up and finds Ti Moune trying to kill him with a knife. Because Ti Moune could not kill Daniel, she proves that love is stronger than death. As a result of the attempted killing which resulted in the traumatizing of both Daniel and Andrea, Ti Moune is thrown out of the hotel. She waits for days to meet Daniel at the gate, as Daniel and Andrea are married. Following an old tradition of throwing coins to the peasants outside the hotel gates, Daniel places a silver coin in Ti Moune's hand. Out of her obligation to Papa Ge, she dies, and the Gods mourn her loss ("A Part Of Us").

Papa Ge allows Ti Moune to be reincarnated as a tree that cracks open the gates of the hotel. Her legacy survives and brings together a peasant girl and a young Grande Homme, Daniel's son, as they play in her branches. They are all united in song about how important it is to continue retelling the story of the young peasant who showed the strength of love and brought together the people of the island. ("Why We Tell The Story").

Characters

  • Ti Moune, a peasant girl
  • Daniel Beauxhomme, a Grand Homme; Ti Moune's love interest, also "Beauxhomme", the beautiful man
  • Papa Ge, sly Demon of Death; the main antagonist of the show. He tricks the main character into giving her life for another. He is seen as a skeleton and is very sneaky. The people on the island fear him because of what he represents: the unknown that is death.
  • Erzulie, beautiful Goddess of Love; the foil to Papa Ge. She is triumphant in the show, as she proves that love does conquer death and withstand all.
  • Agwe, God of Water
  • Asaka, Mother of the Earth
  • Mama Euralie, Ti Moune's adoptive mother
  • Tonton Julian, Ti Moune's adoptive father
  • Andrea Deveraux, Daniel's promised wife; also "Madame Armand"
  • Armand, Daniel's stern father; also "Armand", the ancestor
  • Gatekeeper, the Hotel Beauxhomme's fierce guard (commonly played by Armand)
  • Little Ti Moune, Ti Moune as a child; also "The Little Girl"
  • Daniel's Son, Daniel's young son (commonly played by Daniel)
  • Storytellers/Gossips, various Grands Hommes and peasants (in most productions, the storytellers are shown as playing the parts of the Gods)

Musical numbers

  • "Prologue/We Dance" - Storytellers
  • "One Small Girl" - Mama Euralie, Tonton Julian, Little Girl, and Storytellers
  • "Waiting for Life" - Ti Moune and Storytellers
  • "And the Gods Heard Her Prayer" - Asaka, Agwe, Erzulie, and Papa Ge
  • "Rain" - Agwe and Storytellers
  • "Pray" - Ti Moune, Mama Euralie, Tonton Julian, Gatekeeper and Storytellers
  • "Forever Yours" - Ti Moune, Daniel and Papa Ge
  • "The Sad Tale of the Beauxhommes" - Armand, Daniel and Storytellers
  • "Ti Moune" - Mama Euralie, Tonton Julian, and Ti Moune
  • "Mama Will Provide" - Asaka and Storytellers
  • "Waiting for Life (Reprise)" - Ti Moune
  • "Some Say" - Mama Euralie, Tonton Julian, Little Girl, and Storytellers
  • "The Human Heart" - Erzulie and Storytellers
  • "Pray (Reprise)" - Daniel, Father, Ti Moune, and Storytellers
  • "Some Girls" - Daniel
  • "The Ball" - Andrea, Daniel, Ti Moune, and Storytellers
  • "When We Are Wed" - Andrea, Daniel and Ti Moune
  • "Come Down From The Tree - Mama Euralie - Cut from the original show and is still cut today, it is not in the show that MTI released
  • "Promises/Forever Yours (Reprise)" - Papa Ge, Ti Moune, Erzulie, and Storytellers
  • "A Part of Us" - Mama Euralie, Tonton Julian, Little Girl, and Storytellers
  • "Why We Tell the Story" - Storytellers

Awards and nominations

  • Tony Award for Best Musical (nominee)
  • Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical (nominee)
  • Tony Award for Best Original Score (nominee)
  • Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical (nominee)
  • Tony Award for Best Costume Design (nominee)
  • Tony Award for Best Lighting Design (nominee)
  • Tony Award for Best Choreography (nominee)
  • Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical (nominee)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical (nominee)
  • Theatre World Award (LaChanze, winner)
  • Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical (winner)

References

  1. ^ Ahrens, Lynn (1991). Libretto Vocal Book, Once on This Island. Hillsdale Music. p. vii.
  2. ^ [1]
  3. ^ a b Shenton, Mark.Clarke to Star in U.K. Revival of Ahrens and Flaherty's Once on This Island", playbill.com, January 12, 2009
  4. ^ Once on This Island listing nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk, retrieved January 10, 2010
  5. ^ Once on This Island listing birmingham-rep.co.uk, retrieved January 10, 2010
  6. ^ Bosanquet, Theo."Review:Once on This Island at Hackney whatsonstage.com, 29 July 2009
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