Once On This Island Heats Up the Ordway

And the gods heard her prayer... 

Photo by Joan Marcus

If you're feeling "over" the Minnesota winter but don't have the cash money for a beachside escape, you're in luck - the next best thing has hit #tctheater stages at a fraction of the price.

Photo by Joan Marcus

First came Children's Theatre Company with Bob Marley's Three Little Birds, transporting audiences to a sunny island filled with reggae music and folklore. The Ordway Center has quickly responded by hosting their own version on the other side of the river - the traveling Broadway production of Once On This Island, which comes to Minnesota for the first time ever.

Photo by Joan Marcus

Think of Once On This Island as a more politicized, folkloric version of The Little Mermaid. Set on the island of Haiti, it tells the story of a beautiful orphan named Ti Moune who is raised by an elderly couple named Tonton Julian and Mama Euralie after she washes on their beach in an enormous storm. Ti Moune's story is closely followed by the gods of the island - hospitable Agwé, water powered Asaka, fearsome Papa Ge, and the kind, beneficent Erzulie - who grant her wish for true love as she gets older. The only catch? The gods never give you exactly what you want. Each places a condition on granting her wish, including the harshest of all from Papa Ge: that Ti Moune must choose between herself and her love as a test of whether her commitment is true.

Photo by Joan Marcus

Ti Moune unfortunately falls for Daniel Beauxhomme, son of the island's legendary (and legendarily wealthy) Beauxhomme dynasty. Against the advice of her family and friends Ti Moune nurses Daniel back from the brink of death, even going as far as to bargain her life in favor of his in a ghastly trade with Papa Ge. Ti Moune follows Daniel back to his faraway home in the city, where she becomes his mistress to the great disapproval of the Beauxhomme crew. Comprised of mixed folks descended from white French settlers and their Black servants, the Beauxhommes are a highly colorist and classist tribe who have no interest in Ti Moune and make no secret of getting rid of her. Heartbroken, Ti Moune stays long enough to see Daniel marry Andrea, another Haitian elite, and is unable to kill him to revenge herself with Papa Ge. The gods finally have pity on Ti Moune and free her from her mortal longing by turning her into a beautiful tree who watches over the island and Daniel's family as it grows.

Photo by Joan Marcus

I'll be honest: the moral of this story was lost on me. Ti Moune was so pure and so lovely, and all she got was becoming a tree in the end?! Seams like a crummy deal. What wasn't lost on me, however, was the fabulous work of this highly talented cast. Courtnee Carter is insanely talented as Ti Moune, with the kind of wide eyed wonder and explosive voice that made Cynthia Erivo such a star. Tamyra Gray was a quick favorite as Papa Ga, slithering around the stage with full confidence and creepiness. I enjoyed Kyle Ramar Freeman's smooth voice as water god Asaka and Jahmaul Bakare's lithe vocals as earth god Agwé. Tyler Hardwick has the sweaty abs and confident carriage Daniel Beauxhomme requires and it was hard to watch him break Ti Moune's heart. Cassondra James brought shades of Glenda the Good Witch to her role as Erzulie, the goddess of love, and often provided the story's most peaceful moments. And by far my favorites were Phillip Boykin and Danielle Lee Greaves as Tonton Julian and Mama Euralie, respectively. These two have vaunted, thunderous voices that wash over the audience like waves of the deep sea; they blend beautifully and I could have watched an entire show featuring just their work.

Photo by Joan Marcus

I believe the original staging of Once On This Island in New York City had the audience seated in a 360 degree formation with the stage at the center. Unfortunately that option is not available here, so as a remedy the production team has placed some seats on stage. I found the presence of the audience there a bit distracting, but the set is already quite busy so it is not completely unbalanced. I LOVED the vibrant, dynamic costumes - the colors truly pop and the movement gives such grace to the equally charismatic choreography. And there are several clever lighting tricks that make the stage really shine - a starry night sky, a lit fire on the beach, a gleaming firefly - and make the most of what is otherwise a pretty straightforward staging.

Photo by Joan Marcus

I grew up loving mythology and fairy tales. It was a pleasure to live on Haiti's shores for a couple of hours, warming up to island beats, learning about the Haitian gods, and seeing a stage filled with Black faces during Black History Month. The ending did confound me a bit - I wanted to see Ti Moune thrive, and she seemed cheated to me here - but that has nothing to do with execution; the show is beautifully produced and a really unique piece of traveling Broadway. Once On This Island is a true célébration de la vie, a fête for the ages. It bears the timeless qualities of all good lore and fables and will fill you with joy despite the story's innately unhappy ending. I'd love to see more national tours of such diverse casts and crews, and for that reason alone I think this is an important one to fill seats for. Once On This Island has a very short run through February 9 at the Ordway in St. Paul; click here for more information or to buy tickets.

Photo by Joan Marcus