Review of "Once on This Island"

Staging a full-fledged musical outdoors has a lot to offer audiences - the fresh air, the night time sky, a festive atmosphere.  It can also be fraught with production issues and creative choices that can limit a show.  This is what faces the Summer Theatre of New Canaan’s production of Once on This Island, running through July 31 in .

The 90 minute, intermission-less production tells the fable of Ti Moune, a young girl from the impoverished part of a Caribbean island, who falls in love with Daniel, a handsome aristocrat. The four island gods - Mother of the Earth, the god of Water, the goddess of Love, and Death -  have contrived a test for the spirited woman to see which is a more powerful force – love or death.  They cause the injury of the young man in a car accident as a way for Ti Moune to meet and nurse him back to health.   Before he is completely healed he is whisked away by family members to the luxury of the family compound.  Heartbroken, Ti Moune transverses the island to his parent’s opulent hotel to convince him of her love.  Enamored by her goodness and dedication, he becomes enraptured with her before the reality of their star-crossed lives moves him, and their ill-fated relationship, onto a divergent, sorrowful path.

The strength of the musical is the choreography by Tony Award winner George Faison.  The dances are evocative of the Caribbean isles and fill the small portable stage with gaiety and liveliness.  Ti Moune’s high-spirited strutting at a fancy ball is a highlight of the show.

Faison also serves as director and he is less successful in this role.  The production seemed a bit rushed and cluttered.  Granted, the performing space is small and there is a sizeable cast, but shaping the actors and actresses into a coherent group proved to be a challenge.  The conclusion of the musical, a mystical and magical moment, was, unfortunately, muddled.

The music by Lynn Ahrens and lyrics by Stephen Lafferty, their Broadway debut as a composing team, is their best score outside of Ragtime. The songs are  evocative of the sounds from the Caribbean and buoyantly sung by the performers.  There are soaring ballads, joyful anthems, and feisty musical numbers.  They are strongly sung by cast members, but the lyrics are not always easy to hear or understand.  

The cast is full of strong performers, even though they are not always given the opportunity to flesh out their characters.  The cast is anchored by Zurin Villanueva as Ti Moune.  She is full of life and exudes a frisky playfulness which is infectious.  Xavier McKinnon’s Daniel, handsome and beaming with self-confidence, shades his performance with poignancy and sadness.

The Scenic Design by William P. Mensching Jr. is serviceable; the Costume Design by Arthur Oliver are bright and carnivalesque.

Once on This Island holds performances on Thursday, July 28 - Sunday, July 31.  Click here for ticket information.