Thoughts.com Blogs - Once On This Island (A Story of Love)

View Blog

Once On This Island (A Story of Love)

The arts have a power effect on the world around us. The imagery of dance, words, music, and art is about the primitive response to the world around us. It evokes emotions, tells stories and can connect the dots of the inner fury that every living thing experiences. Once on This Island an one act musical written by Lynn Ahrens with music by Stephen Flaherty based on a novel by Rosa Guy was one of the most moving musical theatre pieces that I have ever experienced. It tells the story of a young pesant girl and her love set in the Antilles of the Caribbean sea shows how powerful love can be. Young TiMoune saved from a devasting storm at the a very young age by the God's is raised by an older couple. As she grows into a young woman she feels as though her life should be more than what she was living. She asks the God's "Why did you save me?" and they look down upon her prayers and laugh saying what does she mean. She saves the life of a young prince who is already set to marry. She nurses him back to health and they fall in love. However, due to the parameters of class he is must marry a woman of his own leniage. It is a common story, one told over and over again. Romeo and Juilet being the most popular. I was in the 11th grade when I saw this pieace. I had moved from Los Angeles and my high school to Palmdale which is a must smaller suberb of the Metropolitian area, I returned to the school I had left to see the spring musical. That musical was Once on This Island. Although my former classmates were novices, I feel in love with musical that ran on broadway for more than three years. The music was saturated with carribean beats, and lyrically emotional lyrics. The entire story was told through the words of those songs, and if you bought the CD, you wouldn't need the dancers or actors to feel the power of it's story. In the end TiMoune sacrificed her life for the love she shared with her lover. The ulimate sacrifice. She was brave and believed that love could conquer all, and in a way it did. The story ends saying that after God's took her life, which they did with much sadness and respect for the Goddess of Love stated that the only thing that could withstand death was LOVE. Today I looked at a couple of pieces of art and realized why it was that I wanted to write. It is a true panel of my emotions and who I really am. With my poetry, my short stories, my words I allow people to see myself. It was just like this musical that ten years made such an impact on my life. Those people who I later graduated with, partied with, they danced the story of this love that people very seldom feel in a life time. Those of us who have the opportunity to live that passionate life filled with that elusive emotional happiness, we are lucky. No matter if you love women, men or whomever. To share that type of intimacy that does withstand time, lost and death. I hope that a couple of you out there, get the chance to see this musical, that would never make the silver screen. Find the Cd, pour a glass of wine, close your eyes and listen to the story. I am sure you will be touched... Below is a synoposis of the story and a video of the musical number:
* Sorry for my grammatical errors and misspellings. I didn't feel like reading it over tonight. Tonight I am with TiMoune.

"Synopsis

On a stormy night, thunder booms, making a small girl cry in fear. To comfort her, four storytellers tell her the story of Ti Moune.

In this story, four Gods (Asaka, Mother of the Earth; Agwe, God of Water; Erzulie, Goddess of Love; and Papa Ge, Demon of Death) rule an island in the Antilles, where poor Peasants worship them (Prologue/"We Dance"). One day, Agwe unleashes a terrible storm upon the island, which in turn causes a terrible flood, wiping out many villages. However, the Gods save the life of little Ti Moune, an orphan, by placing her in a tree, above the flood's waves. She is found and subsequently adopted by the peasants Mama Euralie and Tonton Julian ("One Small Girl"). The peasants live on the left side of the island, and the Grandes Hommes, lighter skinned descendants of the original French planters and their slaves, live on the other.

Years later, Ti Moune, grown up, prays to the Gods to let her meet a grand homme ("Waiting for Life"). Hearing her plea, the Gods laugh at her. However, Erzulie says to give her love, because it is stronger than any of the other elements. Papa Ge, offended, bets to prove which is stronger: love or death. Agwe arranges for the car of Daniel Beauxhomme, a young Grande Homme, to crash during a storm so that Ti Moune may meet him and restore him to health ("And The Gods Heard Her Prayer/Rain"). Despite the objections of the other peasants, including her own parents, Ti Moune helps the intruder to recover ("Pray"). As destined, the two young people fall in love. When Papa Ge comes to take Daniel's life, Ti Moune offers her life in exchange for his so that he will not die ("Forever Yours"). Papa Ge is angry but leaves, hinting he will return – sooner or later, as her life now belongs to him.

Tonton travels to the other side of the Island to seek Daniel's family at the Hotel Beauxhomme. When Tonton returns, he brings with him the story of Daniel's people ("The Sad Tale of the Beauxhommes") as well as some of Daniel's people to take the boy back. Ti Moune is tearfully separated from Daniel and tells her parents that she will go after him to marry him. Ti Moune's parents reluctantly let her go ("Ti Moune"). During her travels, she encounters the goddess Asaka, who tells her not to fear, as the Earth will give her everything she needs on her journey ("Mama Will Provide"). When she reaches the other side of the island, gossips comment on the kind of journey it must have been ("Some Say"). Ti Moune finds Daniel's bed, where he is lying ill. As she lies with him, Erzulie sings over them ("Human Heart"). Daniel ignores the townspeople's gossiping ("Pray" - Reprise 1) over the unlikely relationship of a rich Beauxhomme and a poor peasant. He knows that Ti Moune is different from other girls like the rich English ("Some Girls").

At a ball held at the hotel, Ti Moune is confronted by Daniel Beauxhomme and Andrea Deveraux, a daughter of family friends. Andrea asks Ti Moune to dance for them (her ulterior motive is to see if Ti Moune is really in love with Daniel and make her look bad in front of the Grand Hommes). Daniel encourages her to dance as she has in the past for him ("Ti Moune's Dance"). Afterwards, Ti Moune learns that Daniel is engaged to be married to Andrea ("When We Are Wed"). Reminded of his responsibilities and forced by the pressure of society, Daniel must go through with the arranged marriage. Ti Moune is very hurt. Papa Ge reappears and reminds Ti Moune of her promise to exchange her life for Daniel's – but says she can revoke the bargain and encourages her to kill Daniel, as he has killed their love and marriage (Promises/Forever Yours Reprise). Ti Moune enters Daniel's room with a knife, as he sleeps, but she cannot kill him. However, Daniel awakes to find Ti Moune over him with a knife. Because Ti Moune could not kill him, she proves that love is stronger than death. As a result of the attempted killing, however, Ti Moune is thrown out of the hotel and waits for days to meet Daniel at the gate, as Daniel and Andrea are married. Following an old tradition of throwing coins to the peasants outside the hotel gates, Daniel places a silver coin in Ti Moune's hand. Out of her obligation to Papa Ge, she dies, and the Gods mourn her loss ("A Part Of Us").

Papa Ge allows Ti Moune to be reincarnated as a tree that cracks open the gates of the hotel. Her legacy survives and brings together a peasant girl and a young Grande Homme, Daniel's son, as they play in her branches. They are all united in song and dance giving thanks to the sun and the moon and stars which shelter grand hommes and peasants alike ("Why We Tell The Story").

[edit] Characters

* Ti Moune, a peasant girl that tries to break the social barrier
* Daniel Beauxhomme, a Grand Homme; Ti Moune's love interest
* Papa Ge, sly Demon of Death; the villain of the show
* Erzulie, beautiful Goddess of Love
* Agwe, God of Water
* Asaka, Mother of the Earth
* Mama Euralie, Ti Moune's adoptive mother
* Tonton Julian, Ti Moune's adoptive father
* Little Ti Moune, Ti Moune as a child; also "The Little Girl"
* Andrea Deveraux, Daniel's promised wife; also "Madame Armand"
* Armand, Daniel's stern father; also "Armand", the ancestor
* Gatekeeper, the Hotel Beauxhomme's fierce guard
* Daniel's Son, Daniel's young son
* Storytellers, various Grand Hommes and peasants; they tell the story

[edit] Musical Numbers

* "Prologue/We Dance" - Storytellers
* "One Small Girl" - Mama Euralie, Tonton Julian, Little Ti Moune, and Storytellers
* "Waiting for Life" - Ti Moune and Storytellers
* "And The Gods Heard Her Prayer" - Asaka, Agwe, Erzulie, and Papa Ge
* "Rain" - Agwe and Storytellers
* "Pray"- Ti Moune, Mama Euralie, Tonton Julian, Gatekeeper and Storytellers
* "Forever Yours" - Ti Moune and Papa Ge with Daniel
* "The Sad Tale Of The Beauxhommes" - Armand and Storytellers
* "Ti Moune" - Mama Euralie, Tonton Julian, and Ti Moune
* "Mama Will Provide" - Asaka and Storytellers
* "Waiting for Life" (Reprise) - Ti Moune
* "Some Say" - Mama Euralie, Tonton Julian, The Little Girl, and Storytellers
* "The Human Heart" - Erzulie and Storytellers
* "Pray" (Reprise) - Daniel, Father, and Storytellers
* "Some Girls" - Daniel
* "The Ball" - Andrea, Daniel, Ti Moune, and Storytellers
* "Ti Moune's Dance" - Orchestra
* "When We Are Wed" - Andrea
* "Promises/Forever Yours" (Reprise) - Papa Ge, Ti Moune, Erzulie, and Storytellers
* "A Part of Us" - Mama Euralie, Tonton Julian, Little Ti Moune and Storytellers
* "Why We Tell The Story" - Storytellers

[edit] Awards and Nominations

* Tony Award for Best Musical (nominee)
* Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical (nominee)
* Tony Award for Best Original Score (nominee)
* Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical (nominee)
* Tony Award for Best Costume Design (nominee)
* Tony Award for Best Lighting Design (nominee)
* Tony Award for Best Choreography (nominee)
* Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical (nominee)
* Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical (nominee)
* Theatre World Award (LaChanze, winner)
* Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical (winner)
* Gene Kelly Award for Best Musical 1994 (winner) "