Quick Review: Once On This Island
Have heard this musical a long time ago and how it takes off from Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid but on dry ground. Well, not really dry as the musical begins on a stormy night when the village storytellers try to calm a frightened child by telling the story of Ti Moune, a peasant girl who falls in love with a rich kid, and whose sacrifice has, uhm, supposedly united the social classes (the "black as night" natives and the light-skinned descendants of the island's French colonizers). But hey, it's very Disney (announced in 2020 as being developed by Disney into a live-action musical film adaptation), what with the exotic backdrop of the Caribbean and just the right blend of Latino music, ballads, and energetic dance numbers to tell the tale of the star-crossed lovers. So when I watched Once On This Island as staged by 9 Works Theatrical, I was awed by the talented cast, their energy was so affecting that I was tapping my feet during fast numbers. I f...