Ti Moune and Daniel live on a lush, tropical island in the Antilles. The population is divided between the Beauxhommes, the aristocracy, and the working class, who struggle, but are happy. They live on the other side of the island, enjoying a cheerful existence. The gods are never far and acknowledged throughout daily life. Ti Moune, a small child, falls to the bottom of the ocean, and the gods save her, fomenting a spectacular storm, and depositing her in a tree. Two gods place a wager that when circumstances come crashing down, she will choose Death over Love. A sweet couple rescues and raises her as their very own daughter. (Please forgive me if I’m a bit fuzzy on the details.) Ti Moune grows to be a lovely, caring girl, warm and and brimming with joy. Daniel (one of the Beauxhommes) has a collision during another (?!) storm, and Ti Moune saves him and nurses him back to health. Romance between the two factions is strong taboo on the island, but Ti Moune believes in devotion above all else.
Like other folkloric, mythical musicals (Once Upon a Mattress, Camelot, Fiddler on the Roof) Once on this Island weds the sublime and improbable with recognizable human experience. In our lifetime there seems to be enough strangeness and grace intervening to make dull ideas (like coincidence, the status quo, plodding along) a poor explanation for destiny or fate or what the divinities have in mind. Once on this Island seems to manage just the right mix of the exhilarating with the melancholy. The despondent with the defiant. The story of the nurturing, somewhat miraculous attachment between the patrician Daniel and the endearing Ti Moune is surprising. Coming from my famished Western Wonderbread tradition it caught me off guard, and moved me with its particular, not implausible truth.
Glorious with fizzy pleasure, and buoyant, stirring music, Once on this Island is fanciful and vivid without being corny. The gods are characters in the story, as palpable as the human beings, and there’s a cozy blend of of worship, celebration and narrative with scintillating costumes(Jessica Layman) and jaunty, saucy choreography (Christian O’Neill Houston). The band provides intoxicating rhythms and sweeping, awesome crescendos. The set (Wendy Rene’e Searcy) is vast and elaborate, with great, quirky details and a bold, imposing tree emerging from the center. The special effects are vivid, masterful and swoony. There’s a splendid undercurrent of chaos and enchantment running through this gorgeous theatrical experience, chock full of humor and pathos and grand, charming moments.
Once on this Island plays The Firehouse Theatre from March 28th-April 14th, 2019. 2535 Valley View Lane, Farmers Branch, Texas 75234. (972) 620-3747. www.thefirehousetheatre.com
Directed by Marilyn Setu.
Just sayin’…her mom