Once On This Island – Musical – Review – Village Theatre – Shows I've Seen

@showsiveseen "Once on This #Island" #musical at Village Theatre by Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty. Starring @Syd & Jeffery Wallace. Neat rotating stage. Delightful choreography. Good thunderous hook. Perfect tropical antidote to this cold/cloudy PNW summer. It's #theLittleMermaid in the #Caribbean! Performing till 7/14 in Everett. #showsiveseen #theatre ♬ Waiting for Life – Hailey Kilgore & Once On This Island Storytellers

Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Once on This Island musical at Village Theatre. Neat rotating stage. Delightful choreography. Good thunderous hook. Perfect tropical antidote to this cold/cloudy PNW summer. It’s The Little Mermaid in the Caribbean! Performing till 7/14 in Everett.

Recommendation
See it!

Synopsis from the Theatre: Once on this Caribbean Island, Ti Moune, a fearless peasant girl, decided to risk it all for love. Guided by the mighty island gods, she sets out on a remarkable journey to reunite with the man who has captured her heart. Can she prove that love is more powerful than death? With a Calypso-flavored score from Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, the Tony Award-winning songwriters of Anastasia and Ragtime, Once on This Island is a captivating adaptation of the beloved fairy tale The Little Mermaid. Relish in this breathtaking and imaginative dance-filled musical, which overflows with love, grief, faith, and hope.

Attended Performance Date: Opening Night 5/17/24 – Keep your eyes peeled for my preview posts on my website and social media if you want earlier notification of shows I’ve seen. Fortunately, the Everett run ends 7/14.

Type: Musical

World Premiere: No

Several or Few Scenes: Several

Several or Few Settings/Locations: Several

Static (Stationary) Set? No, there was a rotating stage.

Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: No

Defined Plot/Storyline: Yes

Live Band/Orchestra: Yes

Equity Actors: 6

Total Number of Actors: 12

Perceived Pace of the Show: Medium speed

Was there an intermission? No

Length (Including Any Intermission): 90 minutes

Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show? No, I’ve seen this at Tacoma Musical Playhouse and Ludus Performing Arts.

Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now? Yes, but only professional productions like this one.

Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned Above

Rotating Stage: The rotating stage effectively depicted water, growing up, a car, and scene transitions. Each of the 3 stage layers could rotate independently and oppositely from the other layers. This allowed for complex-looking stage effects and transitions. However, the rotating sound was sometimes distracting, and some rotating effects felt overused.
Voices: My favorites were Erzulie’s (Kataka Corn) high belt at the end of “Pray” and Asaka’s (Kelsey Scott) solos in “Mama Will Provide.” Yusef D. Seevers’ rich voice (as Papa Ge) reminded me of when he played Sweeny Todd at 5th Avenue Theatre.
Upper Class: I love a good on-stage portrayal of the I’m-better-than-you aristocracy like in My Fair Lady’s “Ascott Gavotte.” In Once on this Island, the patricians deliciously clutched their pearls and gasped in bewilderment when Ti Moune (Sydbey Quildon) danced barefoot.
Gossipers: It was hilarious how they gagged when Daniel (Jeffery Wallace) told Ti Moune “You’re my Charm” after she gave him a charm. Major ick!
Costume: The gown that Kelsey Scott(?) wore during the wedding scene was exquisite.
Choreography: I’m not sure if this would qualify as choreography, but the ensemble uniquely performed a good clap beat during “Rain.”

Rant(s)

Antifeminism: I know traditional love stories are usually antifeminist, but I was particularly disgusted when Ti Moune said “[The gods] saved my life for a reason. And now, I think I know why!” The reason was to recklessly put this lighter-skinned blue-blooded stranger man’s needs above your own in hopes that he’ll fall in love with you?! Gurl, please. The Once on this Island story was based on The Little Mermaid, which basically told women to shut up, give away their most valued gift, and change their body for the male gaze. I think the antifeminist message in Once on this Island is worse … but I won’t spoil the story. Ladies, “a woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle!”

Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)

Daniel: Jeffery Wallace previously played Daniel in the Tacoma Musical Playhouse production before Village Theatre. We love that for him! 🙂
Miniatures: The miniature buildings were too small and intricate for the audience to appreciate. I kept worrying that the cast would accidentally run into the delicate structure. That being said, I’m sure the buildings looked amazing up close.

Theatre Company: Village Theatre

Venue: Village Theatre

Venue Physical Address:

Issaquah: 303 Front Street North, Issaquah, WA 98027
Everett: 2710 Wetmore Avenue, Everett, WA 98201

Price: $53–$115

Tickets: https://villagetheatre.org/shows/once-on-this-island/

Ticket Affordability Options: See the theatre’s official pages about discounts and pay-what-you-can performances.

Dates:

Issaquah: May 14 to June 16, 2024
Everett: June 22 to July 14, 2024

Seating: Assigned Seating

Parking:

Issaquah: Free street parking and certain free parking lots. Lot parking availability is very difficult to find though. I’ve basically given up on that. I usually end up parking on Rainier Boulevard North. As a last resort, you can always find parking at the library but it’s a little far. Remember, there’s a bottom floor parking lot under the library’s main parking lot that mostly only locals know about.
Everett: Free street parking and some paid parking lots/garages.

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