Caribbean rum will not be necessary to feel like one has escaped to the islands with the Tony Award-nominated musical “Once on This Island,” opening at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts on Friday.
Presented by 3-D Theatricals, the musical adaptation takes place in Haiti and has everything from African-inspired choreography, to flashy musical numbers, to a set that transports its audience to an island with natural weather elements – hurricanes and all. The production just finished a run at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center and will run in Cerritos through March 5.
With music by the Tony Award-winning songwriting duo Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (“Seussical” and “Ragtime”), musical numbers will include “One Small Girl,” “Rain” and “Forever Yours.” Director Rufus Bonds, Jr., who actually made his Broadway debut as a performer in the New York-run, added a musical number and other Haitian elements which he feels enhances the story.
“There’s a part in the beginning where the workers are working in the fields. I saw these amazing Haitian movements with one person playing violin, and that’s just a moment that I felt we had to create that speaks to the Haitians,” said Bonds.
The story follows a peasant girl named Ti Moune, played by actress Leah Stewart, who yearns to know what life is like on the wealthier side of the island. She prays to the gods through song – “Waiting for Life” – and although the god of love, death, water, earth and other mystic spirits hear her prayers, each one has a different interpretation of what she is asking for.
When the well-to-do Daniel, played by actor Cooper Howell, crashes his car on Ti Moune’s side of the island, she rescues and falls in love with him. However, the gods start a bet in her expense of what will conquer in the end: love or death?
The musical features a large cast, most of whom are onstage for the entire show. Bonds said it’s impossible to pinpoint the standout actors, because each one brings something to the table.
“I can’t say enough good things about this cast. They’re all principle actors with lots of energy and special talent in singing, dancing and acting,” said Bonds.
The tragic love story is a loose adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale “The Little Mermaid,” and based on the Rosa Guy novel “My Love, My Love.”
“It’s a love story that tells us that love will always conquer death, even if it’s tragic. Because even if one dies, their love has not died in us, we still feel and love them,” said Bond.
The contemporary set is staged to look like a photo frame, Bonds said, with vibrant flowers, fruit trees, and other elements such as storms and mountains that portray a luscious island. The usage of LED lighting and projections also help to tell the story and present a stunningly colorful set.
The 3-D Theatrical production company is known for putting its own twist on Broadway musicals, including “Beauty and the Beast,” “Spamalot” and “Oklahoma!” The original Broadway production ran at the Booth Theatre from 1990 to 1991, where it received eight Tony Award nominations.
Bonds said he hopes that the one-act production, which runs about 90 minutes, will leave its audience with plenty of good messages:
“I hope the audience is moved by everything they see: the dancing, the music, the colors. And it inspires them to love, live life to its fullest, and to believe, like Ti Moune, that there is more to life and anything is possible.”
Contact the writer: jmoe@ocregister.com
Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.
