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Once
on this Island
Once on This Island is a one-act musical with a
book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty.
Based on the novel My Love, My Love by Rosa Guy, the musical is
a retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid set
in the French Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. The show also includes
elements of the Romeo and Juliet story.
Once on This Island was originally staged at off-Broadway's
Playwrights Horizons, running from May 6, 1990 through May 27,
1990. The Broadway production opened on October 18, 1990 at the
Booth Theatre and closed on December 1, 1991, after 469 performances
and 19 previews. With direction and choreography by Graciela Daniele,
the musical starred LaChanze as Ti Moune, and featured Jerry Dixon
as Daniel, Sheila Gibbs as Mama Euralie, Kecia Lewis as Asaka,
Gerry McIntyre as Armand, Milton Craig Nealy as Agwe, Eric Riley
as Papa Ge, Ellis E. Williams as Tonton Julian and Afi McClendon
as Little Ti Moune.
In 2002, the original cast was reunited with special
guest Lillias White to perform the show for Broadway Cares/Equity
Fights AIDS and the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund.
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