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BUY THE CD
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“There is an island where rivers run deep…” These are the opening words to Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty’s 1990 Caribbean-flavored musical, Once on This Island. This show, a modern retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic The Little Mermaid, chronicles the ill-fated love affair between a lowly black peasant girl, TiMoune, and a light-skinned wealthy boy, Daniel.
Their story is set into motion by the four gods of the island—Asaka (Goddess of Earth), Agwe (God of Water), Erzulie (Goddess of Love), and Papa Ge (God of Death). Bored one day and looking for amusement, the gods hear a prayer from TiMoune, who has just seen Daniel for the first time and has fallen in love with him. After joking around for a bit, Erzulie turns serious and muses that love can conquer anything—even death. Papa Ge disagrees, and the gods, intrigued by the argument, set up a wager: they will arrange for TiMoune and Daniel’s paths to cross, and then test their love against the power of death.
Soon after, thanks to a storm created by Agwe, Daniel crashes his car in TiMoune’s village. TiMoune rescues and cares for the injured and dying boy, and when Papa Ge arrives to take Daniel’s soul, TiMoune offers her life in exchange for Daniel’s. For the rest of the story, TiMoune’s love for Daniel is repeatedly tested, culminating in one final decision that Papa Ge forces her to make.
Once on This Island was written by the same team that created Ragtime, and although the shows sound nothing alike, Island has many of the same qualities that made Ragtime so amazing. The songs have a catchy calypso sound to them that will stay in your head and keep you dancing long after you’re done listening to the CD. The best tracks include “We Dance,” “Waiting for Life,” “Forever Yours,” “Mama Will Provide,” and “Why We Tell the Story.”
I love this CD, but the one criticism I have about the show is that the plot tends to be a little too simplistic, with characters that have little to no depth. It works for the show, since it’s supposed to be a simple Caribbean folk tale, but if you’re trying to find something epic or meaningful, keep looking. It is, however, an incredibly fun little piece of musical theatre, so if you’re looking for a few catchy new songs and a cute story to add to your collection, I recommend you give Once on This Island a listen.
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