To See or Not to See: Once On This Island

Once upon a time, a scrappy, little musical with a big heart, big themes, and big talent opened on the island of Manhattan. It had a respectable, spirited run on Broadway before getting a rich afterlife through international, regional, and amateur productions. 27 years later, that musical has come once more to Broadway, and we are the beneficiaries of Once On This Island‘s joyous return. With music and lyrics by Stephen Flaherty and Lynne Aherns— who are also represented on Broadway with Anastasia— Once On This Island is a Caribbean-accented musical about the transcendent, transformative power of love.

Part of the show’s success is its ability to be both particular and universal; small and big; a story about a specific time and place and a story for all time, everywhere. Taking cues from the plays of ancient Greece, Once On This Island employs the old story of gods toying with humans, and the musical relies on a chorus (called “storytellers” here) of narrators. But the genius of the show is its Caribbean setting– so, these are Caribbean gods who, like basically all gods throughout history, wager over the fate of individuals. That fuzzy sense of specificity and universality is further underscored by the fact that we don’t know where specifically in the Caribbean it’s set– we are vaguely told it takes place on an island in the Antilles, an island that may exist in fact or merely in imagination. (Though the exact location is never explicitly identified, the show hints that it takes place on Haiti.)

At the heart of this story is Ti Moune (Hailey Kilgore), a young islander who seems fated for great things. The gods save her from a disastrous flood, and, like many mythical heroes, Ti Moune is found and raised by adoptive, loving parents. She grows up in a segregated island: the peasant islanders like her live on one side, while the other is inhabited by the prejudiced, wealthy, light-skinned descendants of a French man and his enslaved mistress. Ti Moune does not want to be contained, however, and she craves a richer, more meaningful life. The gods hear her and decide to use her wish to settle a bet: is love stronger than death? So, they bring a man into her life in the most unexpected way: à la the Danish fairytale Little Mermaid, Ti Moune saves the life of one of the sons of a wealthy islander, and she feels her destiny is bound to his. She falls in love with him and makes a deal with the god of death (Tamyra Gray)– if the god spares his life, she will willingly give hers. The god agrees and vows to claim the young woman’s life one day. Ti Moune eventually sets out on a journey to re-connect with the young man. The remainder of the musical explores the consequences of Ti Moune’s decision to follow her heart to the other side of the island. The end is as heartbreaking as it is utterly enchanting.

Without sacrificing any of the universal themes that makes this such a timeless show– young people coming of age, forbidden love, destiny, rebirth, transformation, the fragility of human life– director Michael Arden infuses this production with a contemporary frame. The “island” on which the musical takes place is transformed into a relatively recognizable one before the show even begins. With crates of live chickens, a very hungry goat, sports jerseys, medics, and relief workers, images of Haiti and Puerto Rico come to mind. As the show gets underway, the actors repurpose the contemporary props and costumes to tell and disappear into the story at hand. Though the particulars of this island as Arden imagines it are not universal, the islanders’ celebration of the transcendent power of storytelling is. The musical reminds us that stories can explain, inspire, and become stitched into the fabric of our identity.

Much of the production’s joy comes from the impeccable cast. Newcomer Hailey Kilgore breathes lyrical life into Ti Moune, a character whose ability to love unconditionally ultimately hastens her own demise. Lea Salonga, one of the reigning queens of Broadway, brings warmth and compassion to Erzulie, goddess of love– and her achingly beautiful voice is as divine as her otherworldly character. Tamyra Gray is a fierce god of death, and the costume from Clint Ramos and make-up by Cookie Jordan are masterful extensions of the character’s terrifying darkness. Alex Newell is a commanding Asaka, the mother goddess. Newell’s full-blast rendition of “Mama Will Provide” is a winning diva moment of contagious faith and joy.

Indeed, the artistic and technical components of this production are stellar across the board. The choreography is expressive and narratively significant: one of the critical moments deep into the show ties Ti Moune’s island identity to her rhythmic, mesmerizing Afro-Caribbean dancing. In another moment of magical theatrics, a simple silhouette show projected on a plain, white curtain tells the story of the island’s fraught history (“Sad Tale of the Beauxhommes”), a story that explains the division between the peasant islanders and the biracial, wealthy ones. The music was consistently excellent and imaginative, with a particularly delightful moment when the cast joyfully imitated sounds of birds (“One Small Girl”), which brought the island world to wondrous life. Performed at the Circle in the Square Theatre, this is a musical in the round, and the stage makes full use of its intimate space– it isn’t always clear where the stage ends and the audience begins. Sand fills the stage, and a pool of water stands at one part. The sound effects– from threatening rumbles of thunder to the musical murmurs of flora and fauna– are as effective as they are evocative.

From start to finish, from the finest details to its broadest strokes, Once On This Island astonishes in its transcendent simplicity. With its pitch-perfect cast, imaginative stagecraft, and classic, yet heart-wrenching story, Once On This Island is a revelation. It delights, it dazzles, it shatters, it moves; it breaks the audience’s heart and then lifts it into the heavens.

Photo Credit: Copyright Joan Marcus, 2017