Once on This Island

• playing at Olney Theatre Center (Olney, MD)
• dates: April 9–May 4
• directed by Alan Muraoka

Last night (Thursday, April 10), Zoey and I attended a preview performance of Once on This Island at the Olney Theatre Center – a fantastic local theatre in Olney, MD, that puts on some amazing performances.

As long-time, regular supporters (and fans!) of Adventure Theatre in Glen Echo and Imagination Stage in Bethesda, we’re always looking for great kid-friendly theatre in the area. Once on This Island is part of Olney’s Family Series, so we decided to give it a shot.

Boy, are we glad we did. The performance we saw was a rehearsal and only the second performance in front of an audience, but it still felt incredibly polished. The house was only about half full, so we can only hope that will change once the show officially opens this weekend.

Briefly, the story is set in the French Antilles and relates an island folktale about a young peasant girl—Ti Moune—who falls in love with a boy from the other side of the tracks (i.e., he’s rich). The most common comparison it probably receives is “Caribbean Romeo & Juliet,” but that would somewhat false advertising. It deals with race, class, love, identity, and the burden of history. All wrapped up in some incredible music.

And if the show is a gift wrapped in music, then the bow on top is undoubtedly Aisha Jackson, the actress in the role of Ti Moune. Ms. Jackson was captivating and positively owned the stage for the duration of the show. This is no small feat, by the way, as the ensemble cast of 10 was fantastic in its own right. Other standouts include James Lane in the role of Papa Ge, Demon of Death (who was so good he made Zoey hide her face several times) and—for Zoey—7th grader Shelby Renee Fountain, who plays a young Ti Moune and the little girl to whom the folktale is told. She bookends the show, and Zoey was fascinated to see a young girl on stage, holding her own among a stage full of larger-than-life characters.

For us, the highlight came early with the song “Waiting for Life.” We weren’t familiar with this show beforehand, but I’ve since gone back and listened to the original Broadway recording. As Ti Moune, Aisha Jackson more than equals that performance. She’s certainly one to watch. In the Playbill, Ms. Jackson has the shortest bio (by far), which boggles the mind. Theatre world: Rectify this oversight immediately!

This is a one-act musical, so there’s no intermission (much to Zoey’s dismay, who usually takes that opportunity to weasel some snacks out of me) and only one stage setting. However, midway through the show is an ingenious use of shadow puppetry to relate some history of the island and the mixed-race nature of its inhabitants. It’s the only scene that felt rough around the edges, but that was likely by design.

Verdict? If you’re in the area, go see this play. I can’t stress this enough. We’ll probably go see it again before it closes. I heard some grumblings from the people behind us that the show isn’t really “appropriate” for kids, but that’s totally untrue. This isn’t “children’s theatre”; this is theatre…that happens to be wonderful for children.

The music is infectious, the dancing superb, and the performances outstanding. Kids of all ages will love this one. Zoey’s only complaint was that she couldn’t understand everything that was said since all the actors speak with an accent (some are clearer than others). But this is a minor complaint since so much of the story is told through vibrant music, dance, and color.

A Final Note: Zoey had the amazing opportunity to sit and interview the director, Alan Muraoka, after the play. She of course knows him from Hooper’s Store on Sesame Street. It’ll be the first entry in our “5 Questions from a 5-Year-Old” series. We’ll post that interview early next week. Stay tuned!